A Borders Christmas: Marl Moss

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Marl Moss Cottage

This year we are staying at home for Christmas, but last year we set off for Marl Moss Cottage on the Whitmuir Estate near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. Though the smallest of three properties around the courtyard of a converted farm steading, it was remarkably spacious, and we had a quiet, peaceful, relaxing time there. Spot the person in the gallery below who checks out the book shelves before even taking her coat off!

Living room
Living room
Living room (detail)
Kitchen
Bedroom

We arrived on the 20th so had plenty of time to settle in and explore before Christmas Day itself. I’ve already written about our visit to Galashiels, and there’ll be more about the other days later, but on the 25th we walked straight from our front door exploring Whitmuirhall Loch, Lindean Loch, and Selkirk Hill. I remember that walking across the fields to join the walk just before Whitmuirhall was extremely wet and boggy. Fortunately, the ground improved once we reached the route proper.

After walking parallel to Whitmuirhall Loch we passed an old racecourse and the remains of an Iron Age fort.

Whitmuirhall Loch
Old Selkirk racecourse
Iron Age fort

Shortly after the fort we reached Lindean Loch Nature Reserve, nestling underneath a huge TV mast, which we walked all the way round.

Lindean Loch
Lindean Loch
Lindean Loch
Jesse Karl Kaplan 1981-2003
Memorial bench at Lindean Loch

Lindean looks natural, but much of it was dug by hand for reasons connected to the name of our cottage, Marl Moss. I’ll let the information board do the explaining!

Marl Moss Information Board

We then headed down a slope to a minor road. The light was beautiful, the very dead sheep less so, poor thing.

Coming down from Lindean Loch
Dead sheep
Coming down from Lindean Loch

From the road we quickly reached another path to take us on to Selkirk Hill. These were our last pictures because it then began to rain unpleasantly and we still had to find our way back to the sodden field we started from.

View over Selkirk
View over Selkirk and memorial
Memorial to Stewart Roberts

We got home wet and cold, but fortunately  we had Christmas dinner to look forward to. Our tradition is walnut pâté en croûte, and – look – we managed to acquire two bottles of gin on holiday!

Christmas dinner!
Christmas gin

On Boxing Day we woke up to a light dusting of snow which made the cottage and its surroundings look very pretty.

Boxing Day 2022
Boxing Day 2022
In the snow, Boxing Day 2022
In the snow, Boxing Day 2022

By the next day, when we had to leave, there was even more snow. However we got home safely having had a wonderful time.

In the snow
27/12/22
27/12/22

I hope this year’s Christmas will be just as good in a different way. Best wishes to you all whatever, wherever, and whenever you are celebrating this holiday season.

Scotland, UK , ,

60 Comments »

  1. I just got time to sit down and read and appreciate your lovely post, Annabel. The pictures and stories are so enchanting, and now I have one more place on my bucket list. You are such a great gallivanter! Happy Hogmanay and thank you for your wonderful sharing here and on my blog.

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  5. As much as I like to stay home for Christmas, I do think I’d enjoy a Christmas at that lovely cottage. Thanks for the photos, and I hope you enjoy this year at home too!

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  9. Wishing you both a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I tried Gin once years ago and didn’t like it much. Tasted to me like drinking perfume. Tried Tequila as well but that tasted too oily, like drinking petrol. I’ll stick to the sweet clear juice of the humble spud.
    Bob. BSS

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  11. The cottage is fabulous and I can us in there eating a christmas tart with an expresso. Currently keeping cool is a humid hot summer’s day after a sweaty walk this morning. Anabel, wishing you both all the best.

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  15. Looks like you had a wonderful holiday last year in a lovely cottage. It looked even prettier with the soft covering of snow. Your dinner looked very tasty especially being washed down with gin!
    Hope your Christmas this year will be festive, fun and fill of good cheer! Look forward to reading about it!

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  17. I was really hopeful when you started out with those lovely blue skies, Anabel. Sorry it didn’t last, but the cottage looks lovely. Will there just be you two for Christmas lunch this year? Have a wonderful time, however you spend it.

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  18. A cottage Christmas with a dusting of snow sounds lovely. I’d have even been thrilled with the dead sheep, love a good bone/feather/antler find. I think I’d have been tried and burned if I’d lived in different times! Interesting to see where the name of the cottage comes from too.

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  19. Lovely way to celebrate Christmas. We are home as well this year (last year we were in Chile) and we will celebrate with my niece’s family. Should be good though we won’t get a white Christmas this year. (Suzanne)

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  22. We are very far from experiencing a white Christmas in South Africa, so we hope for warmth and bright sunshine, for many birds visiting the garden – and even for a swim in our pool 🙂 🙂

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  23. What a lovely way to spend Christmas, to be able to take beautiful walks and then be rewarded with a dusting of snow and more snow later on the holiday. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas at home this year! xx

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  26. Sounds and looks blissful. Having lived in a converted farm building for 7 years with muddy walks, I’m in need of a city holiday. The snow does make it all look very romantic, preferably from inside a warm, snug room.

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  27. That’s a wonderful-looking cottage, Anabel. I especially love how adorable it looks in the snow. I find that the allure of freshly fallen snow is deeply rooted in both our childhood memories and the enchantment we experience as adults. It evokes a sense of wonder and awe, reminding us of the delicate balance between tranquillity and adventure that nature offers. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day. Wishing you nothing but the best this holiday season 🙂 Aiva xx

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