Genoch Cottage

Straiton, Ayrshire

Sleeps: 2

» Price Range pw: fr £225

Welcome to Genoch Cottage, near the head of the Girvan Valley in South Ayrshire, a mile from the Galloway forest park in the Southern Uplands of Scotland.

If you need a break, this part of Scotland is truly lovely. The Galloway Hills are one of the most unspoilt corners of the UK - as beautiful and craggy as the Scottish Highlands, on a smaller scale. The river valley is full of walks, and Straiton is a centre for ramblers. As well as walking, there's mountain biking, fishing, and canoeing ... The sea - with sandy beaches, the lovely bluebell woods at Culzean Castle, and even the odd famous golf course - is only half an hour's drive away.

The Garden Flat Genoch Cottage is a former shepherd's cottage which has been recently modernised by its current owners, Liffy Grant, a freelance editor, and her husband Jonathan Meuli, an artist.

The part of it which is available for rent - to a maximum of two people - is called the Garden Flat, which is completely private and self-contained, with its own entrance. It consists of a light and spacious living/dining room with kitchenette, log burning stove, and satellite TV and DVD player, and windows on three sides. Next door there is a double bedroom with french windows opening onto wooden steps to the garden. There is also a modern bathroom. Both the living room and the bedroom have fantastic views across the valley.

The owners do not live on site, and use the other half of the cottage occasionally.

WiFi broadband is installed. There is a phone (free calls to UK landlines) - but no mobile signal.

Outside there are plenty of opportunities to get out and enjoy the country. There is a simply laid out garden (grass, heather and trees).

You can walk from the house, and join up with the local Straiton village path network. The area is also very good for biking - both mountain biking and touring.