Kilconquhar Estate and Country 4BR on Hold, anyone stay here?

[WinniWoman]

We stayed there a few years ago in Tracy's unit. We were there for 8 days total. Our cottage backed up to the horse farm and we were treated every day to the view of the horses and rabbits. We went in June so the sun never completely set. The animals were up at midnight!

Plenty to see and do. We rented a car at the airport in Edinburgh and we did plenty of sightseeing. Really liked St. Andrews and the Isle of Fife. Lots to see and do there.

My husband hated driving on the left and it wasn't relaxing for him. The roads are narrow with the stone walls and so on. We survived but we always had a degree of anxiety every time we got in the car.

The weather was damp and chilly most times. The cottage wasn't very warm. We mostly cooked in the unit, but it was difficult and honestly we hated the food. We couldn't wait to get back to NY just to have a tuna fish sandwich! LOL! Fish and chips were good there, though.

Drove to the Braveheart castle (Stirling) and also to Loch Lomond and the national forest there, though that is quite a drive.

However, we did take a car tour through the resort to go into Edinburgh as the traffic was crazy there. We went to the castle and the guide was kind enough to take us to the Rosslyn Chapel (of Davinci Code fame) as well. We wanted to go up to Loch Ness in the Highlands but it is a very long ride and we decided to try to go with the resort tour guide, but he couldn't get enough people to make it worthwhile, so we did not go. So you can't always count on that. With the trip into Edinburgh it was just our family of 3 but he did the tour.

The cottage was comfortable, but nothing fancy for sure. Yes- the electric thing made us nuts. You have to turn the breakers on and off to use things- even the stove and hot water because electric is so expensive there. I brought a small clothes line with suction cups to hang in the bath tub area so I could rinse out a few things.

 

[Pompey Family]

We mostly cooked in the unit, but it was difficult and honestly we hated the food.

Surely that's a poor indictment of your cooking!

 

[WinniWoman]

Surely that's a poor indictment of your cooking!

We actually didn't like the food we ate in restaurants either. I think as far as in the cottage, at the supermarkets we really couldn't find the convenience foods we would have liked to make it easier to prepare meals in the cottage. You know how it is when you don't have everything you need to cook a variety of foods, like all the spices and such.

We wanted some fast and easy things but was hard to find/do when you are not familiar with what is available and have limited time, as we were in Scotland to sightsee not cook.

 

[Pompey Family]

We actually didn't like the food we ate in restaurants either. I think as far as in the cottage, at the supermarkets we really couldn't find the convenience foods we would have liked to make it easier to prepare meals in the cottage. You know how it is when you don't have everything you need to cook a variety of foods, like all the spices and such.

We wanted some fast and easy things but was hard to find/do when you are not familiar with what is available and have limited time, as we were in Scotland to sightsee not cook.

I agree, it is difficult to cook the things you like to without all the ingredients that you have access to at home. It took a couple of timeshare stays for me to work out what to take with me, usually small bags of herbs and spices, individual stock cubes, a small amount of flour for coating and thickening sauces and small bottles of sauces/oils. I also take a decent set of knives with me. Barbecues are usually the best option for us for dining although I accept that Scotland is not exactly conducive to barbecues.

I'm surprised you couldn't find much in the local Sainsbury's. It's one of the more quality supermarkets and they even sell tuna there! M&S is also relatively close by and they sell a good range of quality ready meals which are handy for those lacking the ingredients or time to cook from scratch.

 

[WinniWoman]

I agree, it is difficult to cook the things you like to without all the ingredients that you have access to at home. It took a couple of timeshare stays for me to work out what to take with me, usually small bags of herbs and spices, individual stock cubes, a small amount of flour for coating and thickening sauces and small bottles of sauces/oils. I also take a decent set of knives with me. Barbecues are usually the best option for us for dining although I accept that Scotland is not exactly conducive to barbecues.

I'm surprised you couldn't find much in the local Sainsbury's. It's one of the more quality supermarkets and they even sell tuna there! M&S is also relatively close by and they sell a good range of quality ready meals which are handy for those lacking the ingredients or time to cook from scratch.

Yeah- well we only travel with carry ons so that eliminates taking all that stuff. There are always issues, like buying tuna means buying mayo for one time use- not to mention that everything was way expensive (British pound vs. US dollar). And- we only put so much effort into food shopping and cooking as we were only there for a week and had better things to do and see. We went to two food stores- a learning experience for sure- like finding eggs on the shelf instead of the refrigerated case.

 

[Conan]

....finding eggs on the shelf instead of the refrigerated case.

"Europe takes a different approach to prevent salmonella contamination. 'The priority in egg production is to produce clean eggs at the point of collection, rather than trying to clean them afterwards,' according to food safety officials in Ireland"
http://www.businessinsider.com/should-you-refrigerate-eggs-2014-7

http://gizmodo.com/why-the-british-dont-refrigerate-their-eggs-1604297251

 

[Pompey Family]

We went to two food stores- a learning experience for sure- like finding eggs on the shelf instead of the refrigerated case.

That's where they're meant to be! There's no requirement to refrigerate eggs, as Conan has already pointed out. The eggs are also stamped with use by dates which is not something that is done in the US, unless you know the provenance of an egg you have no idea when it is safe to eat by! Eggs are also porous and by keeping them in the fridge they are prone to absorbing odours.

A solution to avoid buying a whole jar of mayonnaise is to collect the little sachets of mayonnaise in pubs etc. Granted, it won't be decent stuff, usually Helmanns or similar but should suffice if you don't want to buy a whole jar.

I have to say, I'm impressed that you can undertake a transatlantic trip with just carry on, I struggle to fit everything in a full size case!

 

[WinniWoman]

That's where they're meant to be! There's no requirement to refrigerate eggs, as Conan has already pointed out. The eggs are also stamped with use by dates which is not something that is done in the US, unless you know the provenance of an egg you have no idea when it is safe to eat by! Eggs are also porous and by keeping them in the fridge they are prone to absorbing odours.

A solution to avoid buying a whole jar of mayonnaise is to collect the little sachets of mayonnaise in pubs etc. Granted, it won't be decent stuff, usually Helmanns or similar but should suffice if you don't want to buy a whole jar.

I have to say, I'm impressed that you can undertake a transatlantic trip with just carry on, I struggle to fit everything in a full size case!

If we ever get to Europe again (only been to Scotland-that's it) we are going on a tour. It's too much work navigating everything. I just want someone to take me and show me around and feed me without having to think too much. LOL!


It was tough with just a carry on because of not being able to use the washer dryer. This is why I brought a clothesline. We rinsed out a few things. But Scotland was so chilly and damp it took a long time for things to dry. Brought mix and match. We are very casual- so no dress up clothes.

In the states it is easier with the carry-ons since the timeshares have the washer/dryers.