Paws in the Borders

People and their pooches all get a warm welcome at Milne Graden Estate, writes Alison Gray

There are plenty of fishermen who could tell your their Tales of the Tweed, but our party of five, including one energetic Patterjack, a Patterdale Jack Russell terrier cross appropriately named Rascal, were more interested in the Tails of the Tweed.

Our kennel for the weekend was a cottage on the banks of the river Tweed – where you can fish salmon and seatrout from February until November. It is also located next to a Victorian walled garden which has been turned into an epic dog run complete with hoops and jumps for larger pooches as well as smaller obstacles for their dinkier cousins, perfect for the canine mini-break we had signed up to.

Garden House is one of eight holiday properties in the grounds of Milne Graden Estate, a stately pile built in Regency times by Admiral David Milne, and as the first to be developed around 12 years ago, has just had its decor freshened up.

The look is country Nordic by way of pure comfort with crisp white linens in the bedrooms, hard-wearing sisal carpeting throughout and lots of artistic touches including pieces from exhibitors to the Borders Art Fair.

The fire is set and there’s coal, wood and kindling to keep you going but the warm welcome doesn’t stop there.

Plenty of places offer a few bits and pieces to get you started but this is another level of hospitality. There’s a packet of wild smoked salmon in the fridge along with butter, eggs, a large carton of milk, a large carton of Tropicana orange juice and some tomatoes. On the pine kitchen table there’s a bottle of chardonnay, and next to the kettle, tea bags, ground coffee, and a cafetiere, and most splendidly, a freshly baked lemon drizzle cake which is the owners’ signature touch. There’s a beautiful bunch of daffs in the kitchen and a spring bouquet of hydrangeas and tulips in the living room.

But what about our four-legged friend? She receives her own goodie bag complete with dog biscuits, poo bags, lead and a water bowl. There’s a further “doggy bag” in the utility room containing a stake in case you forgot yours.

There’s plenty to do right on the doorstep. We ran along the waymarked Coldstream Path by the river, flushing ducks and a couple of pheasants as we went, and spotted three roe deer. On the weekend we visited we could have gone to Kelso Races on the Saturday and selected tasty tubers at Borders Potato Day on the Sunday. However we decided to venture over the border and headed for Lindisfarne and a walk on Holy Island before collecting

our pre-ordered Lindisfarne oysters (www.lindisfarneoysters. co.uk). A sign cheekily suggests they have been operating since 1381, when it’s believed that the monks of Lindisfarne Priory established oyster beds, having bought an oysterfilled boat from a Scotsman for 100 shillings. Today the family-run business (actually set up in 1989) is managed by Christopher and Helen Sutherland, who supply restaurants, wholesalers and individuals all over the country. We didn’t disgrace ourselves and settled for 25 for £20.

A blast of winter sunshine saw us walk around the grounds of the priory without incident if you discount the dog’s brief roll in something pungent, messing up her nice turquoise fleece.

We’ve never been lucky with lunch options at Lindisfarne, until now. The Barn at Beal (barnatbeal.com), which overlooks Holy Island from the “safe” side of the causeway offers everything from a bar to a campsite, coffee shop and restaurant, not forgetting scampi and chips to die for.

Back at the ranch it was time to relax, made easier by the retreat, rest, and revive theme of the cottage whose owners have collaborated with Neom (www.neomorganics.com)

Clockwise from main: Garden House at Milne Graden Estate near Coldstream; the kitchen; Rascal on Holy Island

to provide a pillow mist for every bedside as well as oils for the living room oil burner and the invigorating wild mint and mandarin shower gel in the bathroom. If you like these aromatic pongs, and I confess that I really do, it’s a treat, and another level of pampering.

However you don’t get to paws for thought for long when Rascal’s around and there’s a ball to play with. It’s not for nothing that her middle name, gifted by friends, is Relentless.

In the evening the four of us and our furry friend made ourselves comfortable on the sofa, lit a fire and settled down to watch a DVD. Wedged next to me Rascal twitched in her sleep, paws gently scrabbling at my side. “What’s she doing?” I asked my sister. “She’s just having the best dreams,” Yvonne replied, “she’s reliving the day and all the running and chasing the ball that she got to do. She’s really happy.”

Due to COVID-19, check website

for trading updates. Three-night weekend or four-night midweek stays at the Garden House start from £484; seven-night stays are from £645.

Garden House sleeps four plus two

guests with two dogs welcome. Book via www.crabtreeandcrabtree.com or 01573 226711.

The Victorian walled garden has been turned into an epic dog run