Kirkwood - Real Farm Holidays & Experiences — Local services in Great Britain

I have been a regular visitor to Kirkwood holiday cottages for more than 10 years. Normally visiting in the spring for a week and then again in the late summer for 10 days or a fortnight. The main reason for my visits is to go fishing for salmon, sea trout and brown trout with often really spectacular results. But this is fishing and more particularly salmon fishing where all bets are off. – You can sometimes do no wrong and there are plenty of fish caught and at other times no matter what you do the fish remain elusive. What I have learned though is that the chances of “hooking up” is largely down to the river conditions on the day; when the river is up and coloured, it is mainly good but when the river is low and clear the chances are low. Anyway, enough of fishing and I will now continue with my review about Kirkwood for those who are not anglers. Firstly, the surroundings are outstandingly beautiful and peaceful. Just to wander through the woods or to stroll in the fields down by the river is a fantastic and relaxing experience with plenty of wildlife in evidence. – Apart from the farm livestock there are otters, deer, foxes, badgers and a myriad of other animals and birds to see. Also, because the land is not farmed intensively the flora is diverse and abundant. - A large proportion of the estate is woodland with some other areas that are not cultivated at all making for a rich environment of biodiverse habitats. The cottages are excellent being well appointed, clean, quiet, comfortable and homely with all of the equipment one might need on a self-catering holiday. The owners and staff are amazingly friendly, helpful and welcoming. – If you need advice, ideas or assistance with anything it is but a phone call or conversation away and that personal touch is worth much. To conclude, anyone looking to get away from it all in a tranquil and beautiful part of the country will not be disappointed. I certainly will be...

I have been a regular visitor to Kirkwood holiday cottages for more than 10 years. Normally visiting in the spring for a week and then again in the late summer for 10 days or a fortnight. The main reason for my visits is to go fishing for salmon, sea trout and brown trout with often really spectacular results. But this is fishing and more particularly salmon fishing where all bets are off. – You can sometimes do no wrong and there are plenty of fish caught and at other times no matter what you do the fish remain elusive. What I have learned though is that the chances of “hooking up” is largely down to the river conditions on the day; when the river is up and coloured, it is mainly good but when the river is low and clear the chances are low. Anyway, enough of fishing and I will now continue with my review about Kirkwood for those who are not anglers. Firstly, the surroundings are outstandingly beautiful and peaceful. Just to wander through the woods or to stroll in the fields down by the river is a fantastic and relaxing experience with plenty of wildlife in evidence. – Apart from the farm livestock there are otters, deer, foxes, badgers and a myriad of other animals and birds to see. Also, because the land is not farmed intensively the flora is diverse and abundant. - A large proportion of the estate is woodland with some other areas that are not cultivated at all making for a rich environment of biodiverse habitats. The cottages are excellent being well appointed, clean, quiet, comfortable and homely with all of the equipment one might need on a self-catering holiday. The owners and staff are amazingly friendly, helpful and welcoming. – If you need advice, ideas or assistance with anything it is but a phone call or conversation away and that personal touch is worth much. To conclude, anyone looking to get away from it all in a tranquil and beautiful part of the country will not be disappointed. I certainly will be...

I saw this advertised inFly Fishing &Fly Tying. It was easy to enrol and the admin was great with maps, kit list etc. The cottage accommodation was luxurious compared to some holiday cottages I have had over the years, en-suite as well. Each cottage had a spacious sitting-diner-kitchen and we all met in one to eat and in another for the talk on salmon life cycle and fly tying. The Kirkwood beat was a lovely stretch of water. Although we had all fished, the tuition started with the basics. Lee who gave the casting tuition was excellent and we all picked up the different casts for both right and left bank fishing. There was one to one tuition from Lee, Mark and our host Anthony. I really learnt a lot. The last day was atrocious with high winds and rain. We went to a beat on the Jardine estate. Instead of a washout we were taught how to cast in these conditions, for me the best thing I learnt. Well that is until I fell in, but all good experience. The meals were amazing, thank you Rachel. A heart cooked breakfast, hot soup and rolls on the beat, and amazing suppers. We were all videotaped casting and seeing this in slow motion was really instructional I really enjoyed the company of like minded companionship. We had a great meal the last night up at Anthony & Anne’s house. Finally I loved all their dogs, I would happily given any a home. A Wonderful experience. Even better the family also do other courses, the wildlife photography really...