Welcome to Drumin Farm Cottage….make yourself at home….
Drumin Farm Cottage is modern, comfortable & stylish. Steeped in local, colourful history & tradition, the cottage is sited in the tiny settlement of Drumin, Glenlivet.
This is a family home, owned by Chris & Claire, both of whom grew up locally & have family on Speyside & Deeside. They use the house regularly throughout the year, however it is available to the public for holiday lettings via our partners Unique Country Cottages.
The cottage comprises 3 x double bedrooms (or 2 x double + 1 x Twin by arrangement) with a spacious, double height, modern living space, which creates a dramatic family room, kitchen & dining space, all with solid timber floors.
It is cosy & snug in winter, welcoming, warm & breezy in the summer.
The landscape of the Highlands fills the windows all year round, with the living space looking out over the River Avon to the Cromdale hills, a view which changes with the seasons & weather.
Sometimes by the minute...
Once part of the Glenlivet estate, which is part of the Crown Estate, Drumin Farm Cottage was home to generations of those who lived & worked on the farm adjacent, now no longer operating as a farm.
As a dark sky park Glenlivet is blessed with extraordinary star filled skies & for the lucky ones a glimpse of the Northern Lights.
Drumin Farm Cottage was fully refurbished & modernised to become a holiday let in 2017, and has been very popular with visitors from around the world.
Let’s start outside…
With a south facing garden, west facing terrace & views that take your breath away…
Our cottage’s spectacular view, out across the garden to the Cromdale Hills, constantly changes with the seasons, light playing on the heather, snow glowing blue in the morning sun. Rainbows are common here, lending to the magical sense of nature which surrounds you.
This garden is a place to enjoy down time with your family, friends & your dog. The outdoor space is well suited to family fun, with games provided such as boules & croquet. The lawn is not just for looking at; go curl your toes in the dew, maybe set up a mat & put in some Yoga practice time.
The living space directly links to a wooden deck terrace with a large sliding glass door. There is a wooden extendable table with 6 x chairs, making outdoor dining a delight on the warm summer evenings, or with blankets on your laps & a fire in the pit come winter.
The garden is ringed by a string of warm festoon lights hung from the trees, creating a sense that this outdoor space is part of the living space.
A high quality charcoal fired BBQ (half drum style with non stick coated twin grills, adjustable charcoal deck & warming grill) with specific BBQ tools, we hope you will try one of the excellent butchers locally (Macbeths / Balifurth Farm (Mr Mustard to the locals) or Mackies) to buy some great Aberdeen Angus steaks, local venison or maybe a lamb chop or two.
The rear garden has a tall panel fence to catch & hold the last rays of the sun, a picnic bench & whirly gig drying rack for washing.
The driveway is graveled with space for 3 x cars to park safely off road, there is also a car park adjacent serving the local cemetery which can be used as overflow if needed.
The garden features some fabulous specimen trees, including native Scots Pine & Lime & is totally secure with fences to all sides & a timber picket fence to the front with secure double gates, your dog will enjoy marking his territory…
Let’s go inside…where Olaf is taking a nap…
This double height space, with cast iron stove & Eames recliner is the perfect place to sit & relax after a day on the hills…
Kitchen
The heart of the home is the generous 55 sqm living space & kitchen; modern, neutrally decorated with solid timber floors & mid-century style furnishings. The dining table seats six comfortably & there are two three-seater sofas & a contemporary Eames recliner for your after dinner dram.
The open-plan kitchen is well-equipped, as both Chris &Claire are avid cooks & is centered on a large island, making it easy to chat while cooking. There is a family size fridge freezer, twelve bottle wine cooler & dishwasher. The single sink & rack area has an eye level window looking north to the castle, you'll find the washing up liquid in a Champagne bottle by the sink ;)
The four burner hob has a convection glass top, with a multi function fan oven.
There are plenty of cookbooks on the shelves & the well stocked utensil drawers are busy but perfect for preparing simple or complex meals; as cooks Chris & Claire take the equipment available to guests seriously, this is a list of the key items in the kitchen:
8 x roasting trays / dishes both glass & ceramic
1 x large / 1 x medium / 1 x small copper bottom stainless steel pans with glass lids
1 x non stick frying pan
1 x stainless steel deep frying pan
1 x stainless steel saute pan with lid
1 x seasoned griddle pan for steaks
A selection of mixing bowls / sieves + measuring spoons
2 x Casserole dish with lids - glass
Slow cooker - for up to 8 meals at a go
Kenwood mixer - large
Hand blender / jug blender
4 x slice toaster
Toastie maker
Variable temp Kettle for coffee addicts
Milk frother / heater
1 x stainless steel stove top espresso coffee maker - 6 cup
1 x French press cafetiere - 8 cup
Chef’s knives – stainless steel + veg prep knives
High quality cutlery - 8 x settings + formal dining sets
12 x Wine glasses / 12 x tumblers / 12 x champagne flutes + 6 x Whisky tumblers
2 x Water jugs + 1 x wine decanter
4 x Cutting boards / mats
2 x Wooden chopping boards
1 x bread bin
1 x 4 slot toaster
1 x microwave
Living space
The living room has a 32” TV with freesat + netflix accounts - feel free to sign out / sign into your own Netflix if you wish.
We have installed a digital bluetooth projector which will hook up to your tablet or phone, allowing cinema display on the 100” pull down screen located by the dining table, which turns the living room into your own cinema for the night. There is a long HDMI cable for connecting laptops to play movies or host massive Zoom meetings.
There are board games & DVD player which can be connected to the projector, just in case it rains….it will.
We love the fact that we live in a Dark Sky Park, as such we have provided a telescope with 300 x magnification, best used on the deck on a clear night - in winter.
There is a cast iron wood burner with logs provided for your first few nights, as well as kindling, fire lighters & tools.
An air filter / purifier is located behind the TV which can be used to clear cooking smells & in the summer is very useful if you happen to have hayfever!
We have a pair of bluetooth speakers which can be connected to any smart phone, so you can disco in the kitchen if you want, or just immerse yourself in a concerto…
The ground floor is also home to the family bathroom, with a full size bath & over bath rainstorm shower accessed near the boot room.
The backdoor enters from the garden leading to a spacious boot room, perfect for all weather gear with a built in drying rack cupboard (on going 2024). The utility room is off the boot room, with a range of low level cupboards, washing machine, iron, ironing board & microwave, plus travel cot / high chair if needed.
…and so to bed…
It is so dark you may need to check if your eyes are open…
There are three bedrooms at Drumin Farm Cottage:
The main bedroom is on the ground floor with a King Size Double bed, high quality pocket sprung mattress, spacious floor area & ensuite with a large walk in “rainstorm” style shower. The window overlooks the garden to the south.
The second & third bedrooms are both on the first floor, with a useful WC / sink off the landing.
Bedroom two “Summer” has a Super King Double which can be split to create two single beds, while bedroom three “Winter” is a standard double.
Both rooms are south facing, offering views across the farmland to the south toward Drumin Wood, and there is a small telescope for watching the birds or deer on the woodland edge in “Summer”.
“Winter” is home to Toffee, Chris’s kids rocking horse.
At night this place is silent, very few cars after around 9pm & it is VERY dark…by which we mean so dark you need to eat more carrots.
There are movement sensing lights on both landings, which are also emergency torches.
