Mullingarroch Mill — Moulin historique sur la rivière Spey, 6 couchages

Mullingarroch Mill is a two bedroom house sleeping six, standing close to the banks of the River Spey at Street of Kincardine, in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. The mill worked this water for generations before it became a home, and the setting still carries that history: open fields, old birch and pine and the Cairngorm plateau filling the horizon.



If you love a bit of history, you will enjoy this tale. In 1746, the tenant here was a miller named Gordon, and one night he was woken by Colonel John Roy Stuart, the Jacobite officer and Gaelic poet born a mile or so away at Knock of Kincardine, then a hunted man in the weeks after the Battle of Culloden. John Roy asked to be ferried across the Spey, but sent the miller over first with instructions to splash the oars if government soldiers were waiting on the far bank. Soldiers were waiting. Gordon made the signal, and John Roy slipped away into the dark. He left his dirk behind as a thank you, and it is said to have stayed in the miller's family ever since.



Inside, the mill is straightforward and comfortable, put together for people who plan to spend their days outside and want somewhere warm and easy to come back to. There are two bedrooms, one with a double bed and the other with two queen size, giving room for four adults and a couple of children. There is a family bathroom with a separate shower and bath, a cosy living room with a wood burning stove, a sunroom, and a large kitchen and dining space where everyone can gather at the end of the day. The kitchen is fully equipped for cooking proper meals at home, central heating keeps the whole house warm, and the stove gives it a real cosiness on cold evenings. Private parking sits directly outside the door. A pet is warmly welcomed - though please note the garden is not enclosed.



What surrounds you is the real draw. Abernethy Forest, one of the last great stands of Caledonian pine in Scotland, begins within a couple of miles, and the RSPB nature centre at Loch Garten is close enough for a morning walk before breakfast, with ospreys, crested tits and red squirrels all regular sightings.



Boat of Garten is a stone's throw away, [about two miles], and boasts the historic Strathspey Steam Railway station. You can take the train into Aviemore and walk back along National Cycle Route 7, which meanders through birch and Caledonian pine forests. Boat of Garten has charming cafés, village shops including a gallery, and great places to dine in the evening.



Nestled between Aviemore and Nethy Bridge, Mullingarroch Mill sits within easy reach of all the major attractions the Cairngorms National Park has to offer, in a peaceful location almost untouched by time.