The Old Millhouse

08/08/2026

Close your eyes and picture Christmas morning at the Old Millhouse. Everyone you love under one roof of a 300-year-old stone millhouse on the River Esk. Fluffy robes and presents under a real tree - we can even receive and hide them before you arrive, so the morning holds every surprise. A wee dip in the swim spa before breakfast, log fires crackling, and the whole house entirely yours - no other guests, nothing shared, nowhere to be.

However your family does Christmas, the day shapes itself around you. A private chef to cook, serve and clear away while you simply enjoy each other - or everyone in the kitchen together, aprons on, if that's your tradition.

And when you're ready to wander, Edinburgh is around 20 minutes away and looking its absolute best - twinkling chalets beneath the Castle, mulled wine and roasting chestnuts, skating in the Gardens, and the woodland light trail at Dalkeith Country Park right on our doorstep.

A luxury exclusive use Christmas near Edinburgh, in one of Scotland's most special self-catering properties. Christmas and Hogmanay dates are open - one booking at a time, and when they're gone, they're gone. Check the link for availability: https://oldmillhouse.co.uk/old-millhouse-booking-scotland/

21/07/2026

We’re absolutely delighted to share that The Old Millhouse has been named a regional finalist in the Scottish Thistle Awards! 🎉

We’ve been shortlisted in the Best Self-Catering or Exclusive Use category for the Central and East regional finals.

The Scottish Thistle Awards celebrate the very best of Scotland’s tourism and hospitality industry, so to be recognised among so many outstanding businesses is a real honour.

A huge thank you to everyone who has stayed with us, supported us and helped make The Old Millhouse such a special place. We’re incredibly proud to be recognised once again, and we’ll be keeping everything crossed for the regional awards!

VisitScotland

17/07/2026

A summers day at the Old Millhouse moves at its own gentle pace - the lawns stretching down towards the River Esk, the borders in full bloom, and the swim spa ready to cool you off in a heatwave. Comfortable garden furniture around the pool, made for long drinks and relaxing in the sunshine. The log-fired sauna, and the cold plunge for the brave. All of it completely private, completely yours.

This is a house that has stood since 1703, and it has long since learned the art of slowing people down. Ten miles from Edinburgh. A world away from everything else.

The Old Millhouse - where luxury meets heritage.

Check out our website to see if the dates you would like are available. Link in bio.

19/06/2026

Father's Day is this Sunday, and if you're still deciding what to do with the dads in your life, we've put together a whole weekend's worth of ideas all within easy reach of the Old Millhouse near Edinburgh.

Motorsport history at the Jim Clark Museum in Duns. Live Borders

Concorde and a Spitfire at the National Museum of Flight Scotland East Fortune.
National Museums Scotland

Zip lines right on the doorstep at Go Ape, Dalkeith Country Park.
Go Ape!

Wakeboarding and a cold plunge at Foxlake Adventures, Dunbar.
Foxlake Adventures

And the Royal Highland Show is on at Ingliston right through the weekend itself, if Dad's the sort who likes a proper Scottish show.

Then home to the Old Millhouse - an exclusive use home just outside Edinburgh, entirely yours. Five en suite bedrooms, the swim spa, the log-fired sauna, the Orangery, and the River Esk running past the garden. Everyone back under one roof, dinner together, the sauna before bed.

We've got one stay available this Father's Day weekend - arriving Saturday 20 June, departing Monday 22 June. Full write-up and all the details on the blog.

https://oldmillhouse.co.uk/fathers-day-near-edinburgh/

19/06/2026

This is what we mean when we say "summer holiday." Breakfast on the terrace, with mimosas poured. The spa warm and waiting, fruit and something chilled on ice beside it. And beyond the garden wall, the kind of greenery that makes you forget Edinburgh is just ten miles down the road.

The Old Millhouse was built for exactly this - long, lazy mornings outside, the BBQ fired up for lunch, and evenings that drift from the spa to the Orangery without anyone really deciding to move. Five en suite bedrooms. The River Esk just beyond the trees. And private grounds that are completely, exclusively yours for as long as you're here.

If this is the kind of summer you've been picturing, link in bio to check your dates.

15/06/2026

When came to the Scottish Borders this weekend for the Borders Book Festival, we did what any self-respecting fan of a good cocktail and a great Scottish story would do - we went and got ourselves a copy of The Cocktail Diaries.

And now it takes pride of place in the retro snug at the Old Millhouse. Honestly, it couldn’t feel more at home.

For anyone who knows him beyond Outlander, Sam is one of Scotland’s most enthusiastic advocates for craft spirits and the art of a really well-made drink. The Cocktail Diaries takes you from a Boulevardier in Paris to a Papaya Margarita in the back of a van in the mountains of Oaxaca - part recipe book, part spirited adventure, with cocktail stories from some of the world’s best bartenders woven through his own travels. It’s a brilliant read. It also makes a very convincing case for pouring yourself something interesting and settling in for the evening the snug at the a perfect setting.

06/06/2026

Summer in Scotland, and the Old Millhouse is ready for you.

Just a few miles from the heart of Edinburgh - yet the moment you come through the private gates and up the tree-lined drive, the city feels like a world away.

Five beautiful en suite bedrooms, a swim spa the children will refuse to leave, a log-fired sauna, and those sweeping 270-degree views of the garden and the River Esk from the Orangery sofas.

This is luxury exclusive use self-catering at its very best - a whole house, completely yours, sleeping up to ten guests.

Edinburgh is calling. The Old Millhouse is waiting.

There are some Summer dates available - click on the link for availability: https://oldmillhouse.co.uk/old-millhouse-booking-scotland/

06/06/2026

The Old Millhouse just got a rather lovely write-up in The Times - and we couldn't be more chuffed. Badgers, fresh eggs from the hens, a log-fired sauna, and a swim spa the kids didn't want to leave. Oh, and less than £90 per head for ten guests.

"Luxury for badgers; luxury for us." - Ashley Davies, The Times, May 2026

Availability for summer and autumn is filling fast - link in bio to check dates. 🏡

This holiday rental promises more than just creature comforts — the 18th-century millhouse offers wildlife encounters, a sumptuous sauna and all the eggs you can eat

31/05/2026

Two weeks. A roe deer fawn in difficulty, a tiny rejected chick who has decided I'm her mum, and a to-do list that is very much not getting any shorter. 🦌🐣

Spring at the Old Millhouse has been quite the adventure and I've written all about it on the blog. Head over to read the full story on the Old Millhouse website

https://oldmillhouse.co.uk/when-nature-needs-a-little-help/

26/04/2026

Eight very special new residents arrived at The Old Millhouse near Edinburgh two weeks ago… 🐔

Eight rescue hens, around 18 months old, beginning a completely new chapter after never having known grass, sunshine or open space.

They arrived a little scruffy, missing feathers and unsure of themselves but today was a milestone moment as they joined our existing flock outside for the very first time.

Watching them discover freedom, fresh air and the simple joy of being hens has been something rather special.

Life at The Old Millhouse has always been about peaceful surroundings, nature, slower mornings and feeling looked after - for our guests, and now for these girls too.

We’ve shared their story with us so far on our latest blog if you’d like to read it. 💛

🔗 Read more here ➡. https://oldmillhouse.co.uk/rescue-hens-old-millhouse-near-edinburgh/