Discovering the Scottish Borders at Cringletie House

Last updated: 30 July 2023

The year was 1666 when a Crown charter of the lands of Cringletie was issued to Sir Alexander Murray of Black Barony. A house, Cringletie House, was built for his second eldest son.

Over the centuries, the Grade B listed building has passed through numerous families, bought, sold, and eventually restored to what you see today, the charm of the house’s Victorian heritage with the comforts of the 21st century.

Located on the Scottish Borders, 40 mins drive south of Edinburgh, situated on 28 acres of sweeping manicured lawns and mature woodland lay Cringletie House. Just 2 miles away lies the town of Peebles; a thriving market town in the Tweed Valley and one of Scotland’s royal and ancient burghs.

Cringletie House has 13 bedrooms in the main house plus a detached cottage which is ideal for large families or groups with its own hot tub. The house configuration includes four Junior Suites; one with a super-king four-poster room, and three with super-king beds like ours.

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I really loved how Cringletie House approached guest services.  Common rooms in the house are all equipped with a service bell which is connected to the original butler panel. Have a question, or want a drink at the bar? No need to hunt for a staff member, simply press the bell and someone will be along in minutes.   

Bedrooms

Our room for the evening is a junior suite, named Kelso.

Named after a picturesque market town set at the meeting of two rivers, the Tweed and the Teviot. The poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott was a pupil at the local grammar school in 1783 and described Kelso as the most beautiful town in Scotland.

The room featured a super king bed fitted with crisp white stripe linens, down and feather pillows and duvet. Each room was individually decorated, ours had delicately embossed wallpaper with accents of olive and juniper green lining the walls.   

Huggie, the Cringletie House mascot welcomed us into the room wearing the bespoke house tartan. A combination of the Murray and Sutherland tartans, an homage to the original owners, it featured a soft red line with additions of blues and greens imposed onto the Murray tartan. It’s a frequent feature throughout Cringletie House including the carpets that line the common areas.

Central heating has replaced the need for working fireplaces in the bedrooms at Cringletie House. Even so, the fireplace in our room had been tiled with glossy black tiles and a decorative screen, under the gilded mirror sits the mantelpiece adorned with a porcelain figurines and a clock.

The seating area was furnished with two Queen Anne style wingback chairs with dark timber cabriole legs which faced the window, with thick tie-back floral curtains with the views stretching over the estate. A dram of whiskey sat in a glass decanter, perfect for an in-room nightcap.

A welcome change from other hotels were two folding chrome luggage racks to hold our suitcases.  There’s a well-stocked hospitality tray with tea & coffee making facilities, including a compact Nespresso machine with capsules and biscuits.

Considering the Cringletie House stands alone in the countryside, well outside the city periphery, the free in-room WiFi was impressive. The download speeds of 47Mbps and upload speeds of 16 rival that of some London flats! It’s worth noting that guests cannot make best use of the fast connection as access to streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime were blocked.   

Bathroom

Our enormous ensuite consisted of a shower-over-bath configuration which provided consistently powerful water pressure on demand. The large bath, both longer and deeper than the average, was very much welcomed as an opportunity to defrost from the snow outside and rest assured it was robustly tested out by yours truly.

The amenities provided were from Arran Aromatics, a Scottish brand. The Citrus Shores range features zesty scents of grapefruit, bergamot peel and freshly rasped lemons for an awakening full of zing and vitality.

• Citrus shores hand soother
• Citrus shores hand wash
• Citrus shores bath & shower gel, shampoo and separate conditioner  

I was thrilled to note that the towels at Cringletie House were colossal white plush bath sheets which enveloped the most generous of figures, even more so than the two robes provided.

Dining

The Sutherland restaurant dining room hosts dinner and breakfast for guests staying at Cringletie House. With its Italian style hand-painted ceiling commemorating the marriage between Elizabeth Wolfe Murray and George Sutherland in 1904, and the generous space between the tables and over dinner the dimmed lighting made for an intimate dining experience.

Breakfast

The breakfast in the dining room provided both a continental buffet and hot options made to order.  

Cereal, fruit, yoghurt, juice, preserves and a small selection of meats and cheese was available at the cold buffet. With a long drive ahead of us we both chose a robust hot breakfast to keep us going throughout the day.

Somewhat surprisingly, the breakfast menu didn’t have an Eggs Benedict option which is my usual preference so I followed Russ down the route of a hearty full Scottish breakfast. Not one for waste, I opted for a build-your-own, omitting items I’m not particularly fussed with, which lead me to finally settling on poached eggs, sausage, beans, mushrooms and hash brown. In addition, your choice of toast is brought to the table.  

I would have liked to see the option of espresso however it was just filter coffee or tea is on offer.  

Dinner

The timber shutters were closed over the large windows to keep out the winter chill, the heating elevated slightly and the lighting dimmed. It’s time for dinner at Cringletie House.

Less than 15 steps from our room to the dining room, we weren’t kept waiting and promptly seated at a table near the ornate fireplace. I’d have loved to have watch it roaring to life, with the warmth and the flames would only set to enhance the cosy atmosphere.  We’re presented with a seasonal winter-focused menu. The in-house chef goes the extra mile to ensure quality produce is sourced in and around the Scottish Borders where possible, using what’s available to create a seasonally inspired offering.

The atmosphere in the dining room was relaxed. One group of four had the larger round table in the middle of the room, the rest were couples interested in nothing other than their significant other across the table from them.  The staff moved swiftly and efficiently without being run off their feet. They had time to chat with guests at each table and no request was too much trouble.

We spent far too much time on the wine list, absorbed by the pages of personal travel tales and wine recommendations made by proprietors, Jacob & Johanna.

We’re trying a new thing, sampling different red wines to find something that strikes a balance for both our palettes.  Russ favours a robust red while it seems I am slightly intolerant of tannin’s, and therefore more inclined to opt for a lighter alternative like a pinot noir.  I could be shunned by wine connoisseurs for doing this, but we identify three potentials wines from the list which were served by the glass and request a sample of each. We each taste the samples, and somewhat unusually find ourselves mutually agreeing on a South African Merlot with flavour notes of blackcurrant pastille and chocolate and order a bottle to share.

Our fixed price dinner menu (£42.50) consists of three courses with coffee and homemade treats.  My tummy rumbled as I salivated over the menu whilst battling indecision. As a general statement, the amuse bouche isn’t usually something I’m excited about, but at Cringletie House it was spot on.  A petite in-house made chicken and leek pie. Seasonally on point, the tender chicken and creamy buttery vegetables were encased in crisp and flaky puff pastry – in my opinion it could quite easily take a permanent place on the winter menu.

For starters Russ’ choice was instantaneous.  The soup of the day, potato and leek, grabbed his attention immediately, while I continued to umm over the options.  It’s not until I moved my eyes onto the mains that I spot my starter, standing out like a beacon in the night. It’s the Parmesan risotto served with an optional shaved winter truffle. My question here is, why wouldn’t you opt for winter truffle?! The whole bowl was utterly delicious with its pine nut and cheese flavours, it’s a euphoric eye-rolling, toe-curling experience of creaminess that you just can’t replicate at home. I resisted the urge to lick the bowl or ask for seconds.  

For the main event, we both opt for red meat.  Russ has the venison loin with haggis bon bon, while I order the rib eye with ox cheek ragout. Both cuts are sourced from the nearby Tweed Valley and beautifully presented.  We both savoured our meals with notable fervor, washing it down with sips of the Merlot.

The dessert menu wasn’t particularly to either of our tastes which was surprising as we sit at opposite ends of the desert spectrum. Russ with the strongest sweet tooth I’ve ever seen,  and my go-to of a savoury cheese board was missing entirely from the menu. I opted for a blood orange mille feuille with sorbet and Russ makes a pivot from his usual chocolate-laden route by choosing the brioche-coated baked apple. The sorbet was eye-wateringly tart and the zesty flavours entirely cleansing the palette. The baked apple was pleasant, the accompanying cinnamon ice cream perhaps a little too subtle.

Activities

Our stay at Cringletie House coincided on a snowy weekend in February, so much of the activities were reserved for slightly warmer, drier weather.

There’s plenty to see and do in the area. Staff tell me the market town of Peebles is well worth meandering around, there’s also relaxing walks in the countryside, fabulous gardens and castles to explore, and chapels like the Rosslyn Chapel, made famous by Dan Brown’s novel ‘The Da Vinci Code‘.

For the outdoorsy and appropriately dressed, there are numerous relaxing walks in the grounds and garden, pitch & put, croquet, outdoor chess and archery on site.  Guests wishing to go further afield can undertake country pursuits including: Fishing, canoeing (you’ll not catch me doing either of those in February!), golf and mountain biking.  

For this trip I was more than content to keep my entertainment indoors.  There are numerous board games available in the bar, familiar names like Logo game, Scrabble, Best of British. Not one to shy away from a challenge, and after a quick YouTube video on the rules, Russ challenged me to a game of Stramash (aka the Scottish board game) over a nightcap.

I must admit, I would have been just as content to settle into the sofa beside the fire in the Macguire lounge and read as the flurries of snow descended outside.

Final Thoughts

Cringletie House has been beautifully restored, continuing to retain it’s original Baronial charm while providing a comfortable hideaway from the hustle and bustle of city life. Hosts and staff succeed in making guests feel like it’s a home-away-from-home. The bed and breakfast plus a three-course dinner does come in at incredible good value for a weekend away.

Disclaimer: Our stay Cringletie House was complimentary in exchange for an honest and forthright review. This means that whilst our accommodation was free of charge we have been absolutely genuine with our thoughts, feelings, and feedback expressed in this post. This also includes the yummy noises made over dinner and the victory noises made when winning a game of Stramash. We like what we like and we’re not going to be shy about expressing it, after all that’s why you read our posts, right?