Wester Steading, Nether Tillyrie, Milnathort
Introduction
I am a retired lawyer, and my partner Linda is a retired social worker. We were both widowed several years back, and got together online during the first lockdown. We moved into Wester Steading together in August 2021. We are both keen travellers and walkers, and apart from our regular holidays frequently travel away for weekends to walk with our hillwalking club. The house is a converted farm Steading in the countryside, but close to the village of Milnathort, and town of Kinross, which between them have a good selection of facilities. It has a private courtyard garden to the rear, which is a good sun trap in summer, and a large lawned front garden. We are located close to both the Lomond Hills and the Ochils, which offer wonderful hill and glen walking with magnificent views north to the Highlands, and south over the Forth river. The lovely city of Perth is a twenty minute drive from here, Stirling half an hour, and it is possible to be in the very centre of Glasgow by car from here inside an hour, Edinburgh even quicker. There are frequent buses to all of these from the village or from Kinross. We have one dog and one cat, and, while we might be biased, I have been assured by many sitters in the past that they are a delight to look after.
Show more...Home & location
The house is a converted farm Steading, about 250 years old. It has four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a discrete shower room. There is a courtyard garden to the rear, and a large lawned garden to the front. The guest room where sitters will stay is a double bedroom on the first floor of the house, one of three upstairs, the other being on the ground floor. It has use of the first floor bathroom, and ground floor shower. The house is situated conveniently for the Lomond Hills, Loch Leven and the Ochils and Dollar Glen. It is possible to be in both the Trossachs and the Cairngorms inside an hour and a half by car, and the cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and Perth are all convenient by car or public transport. Milnathort itself has a good general store and cafe, and a community pub within easy walking distance. Kinross is a little further, but has a full range of facilities, including a Sainsburys Supermarket. There is ample car parking to the front of the house, for up to five vehicles. There are security cameras outside the property, but these are deactivated. There are no cameras inside the property.
Show more...Responsibilities
The sitters will basically be responsible for looking after the pets. The dog is normally walked once a day usually up at the nearby woods at Stronachie, or on the beach at Loch Leven, though there are walks out from the house. As this is a stock farming area, for walks from the house, she will need to be on the leash, but walks quite happily on it. She is allowed the run of the rear garden as well, but needs to be supervised in the front garden, as there are sheep in the next field ( she is perfectly good with sheep, but did once leap the fence to pursue a pheasant, so we keep an eye on her!). The cat has access via a cat flap, but this is kept closed for exit, so she can be let out through the day, but is kept in at night (foxes!). We have a gardener/odd job man who comes weekly, so gardening duties are not an obligation of the sit, but if sitters enjoy pottering, they are welcome to dabble. There are a very few houseplants, which can be watered if dry. Won’t be necessary on shorter sits.
Show more...Meet the pets
JASMINE
10 years
Phyllis
10 years
Sitter Reviews (17)
Homeowner Reviews (0)
None
I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to do this sit it was so wonderful! Jasmine and Phyllis are amazing animals and are the best company! Jasmine is a great walking companion and loves adventures and is very well behaved for taking to the pub etc as well :) Phyllis is very easy going and friendly as well and I am missing them both already! Paul and Linda were fantastic hosts and made my stay very easy and helped with anything I needed and even took me to the shop before leaving as I don’t have a car which was very helpful! They are lovely people and have great recommendations for walks and many books if you enjoy reading as well! The area is so idyllic and Jasmine and I walked along the coast every day and down to Amble I can’t recommend this enough for a visit- the castle is lovely and walks along the River with plenty of great places to eat and lots of birds to see along the coast and marsh between Amble and Warkworth beach. I could go on! Very thankful for my time with these very special animals in a beautiful location for such wonderful people! Hope to be able to sit again in the future!
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We had a lovely week house and pet sitting at Paul's character house. Paul invited us to stay the night before he went away so we all had plenty of time to get to know each other and time for Paul to tell us more about the running of the house and pets Jasmine and Phyllis. We were blessed with good weather and really enjoyed exploring the local villages, beautiful beaches and nearby small towns of Seahouses, Alnwick Amble, Morpeth and Rothbury. We had an excellent meal at the Joiners Arms at Newton by the Sea. Jasmine is a gentle, affectionate and happy dog. She is really well trained and we are missing her company already ! Phyllis takes a little longer to get to know, but within a day she was sitting beside us in the evenings and following us around the garden enjoying having company. We would really recommend this house/pet sit as it was a genuinely positive experience. Thanks again Paul.
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Jasmine and Phyllis are the sweetest-natured animals. Jasmine loves nothing more than long walks and then cuddles on the sofa, she is excellent both on and off the lead with fantastic recall. Phyllis is a source of much entertainment, she's a very affectionate cat and loves to curl up next to you and is also so chatty which is lovely. Paul's home is just outside the lovely village of Warkworth and is a good central point for exploring the county. You're within a five minute drive of the nearest beach which is beautiful. We enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea from the Running Fox in nearby Shilbottle and the Fish Shack in Amble is also highly recommended. Paul provided an excellent and comprehensive Welcome Guide and also lots of tips for walking and nearby attractions.
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Paul and Linda are lovely friendly people and looking after Jasmine and Phyllis was such a joy. Jasmine is such beautiful sweet soul and just wants to snuggle beside you. Phyllis is quite independent but quirky and fun and again would want to curl up beside you. I would thoroughly recommend this housesit would definitely love to housesit next time I’m in the UK.
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Paul was so welcoming and friendly that by the time he had shown me around and we had shared several cups of tea I not only felt at ease taking care of his gorgeous home but also felt I had made a friend. Paul's home is lovely, comfortable and surrounded by breathtaking countryside and beaches. Phyllis the cat was easy to look after is a character that made me laugh during my stay. I would very happily go back to HoundDean House anytime Paul needed me.
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Paul
