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The Infield on the hill above the patchwork of the Carse of Gowrie and the Tay
Perthshire

Guardswell Farm

A farmhouse, cottages and off-grid huts on a family hill farm above the Carse of Gowrie.

DatesOn their website, for each house
Book on their website
Welcome

The Lamotte family have looked after Guardswell since 2011, on the south-facing side of the hill between Kinnaird and Abernyte, and Anna and Digby run it now.

It is a working farm, run with nature in mind. Hebridean sheep graze the wildflower meadow in front of the Steading alongside a herd of rare Shetland cattle, with Angora goats, free-range hens and two donkeys, and Guardswell Grows, a chemical-free market garden, supplies the farm's lunches and pop-up dinners. Every house and hut is self-catering, most with a Big Green Egg to cook on and the huts with wood-fired hot tubs, and there is no Wi-Fi or television anywhere on the farm. Perth and Dundee are each about 25 minutes away.

The Infield at dusk on the hillside, its deck and two chairs facing the view
Sometimes we just need to be given permission to leave our phone in the car and read a book instead.
Anna Lamotte
Our interviewMeet Anna: A Focus on Guardswell FarmRead our interview
The houses

Each house and hut stands on its own corner of the farm, from the farmhouse by the Steading to the huts up the hill.

The stone farmhouse and its glass conservatory behind a field gate, the hill falling away beyondGuardswell FarmhouseSleeps 10
  • Five bedrooms, one a bunk room
  • A red Aga in the farmhouse kitchen
Check datesThe Cotterhouse's living room, a wood-burning stove against the stone wall and the table laid beyondThe CotterhouseSleeps 8
  • Four bedrooms and two bathrooms
  • At the foot of the farm track
Check datesThe cottage's sitting room, green armchairs by the stove and a long window over the carseGuardswell CottageSleeps 4
  • A king and a twin
  • A panoramic window over the carse
Check datesThe Pendicle on its timber legs at the edge of the field, the farm wood behindThe PendicleSleeps 2
  • A king-size bed facing the view
  • A wood-fired hot tub under an apple tree
Check datesThe Infield at dusk on the hillside, its deck and two chairs facing the viewThe InfieldSleeps 2
  • A glass gable over the carse
  • A stargazing window above the bed
Check datesThe Kailyard, a small black hut on its deck at the edge of the wood, fields beyondThe KailyardSleeps 2
  • A shepherd's-hut-style cabin
  • A wood stove and a little kitchen
Check datesPitmiddle Hut, green and corrugated, on the grassy hilltop with pines behindPitmiddle HutSleeps 6
  • Two rooms, a mezzanine king, a double and bunks
  • An Esse wood stove
Check dates
On the farm

Beyond the houses, the farm has its shared places, open to everyone staying.

Girl Linda, the old boat turned bothy hideaway sitting in the fieldThe boat on the hillGirl LindaAn old boat on dry land on the hilltop, made a bothy with books, a log-burner and a bell. Anna's mother bought her through an advert in the local paper.
The Glasshouse at Guardswell Farm among treesBy the gardenThe GlasshouseThe timber glasshouse by the vegetable garden, one of the places the farm suggests for breakfast from the basket.
The Cosy Room, shared guest space with cowhide chair, map and stone wallsBy the SteadingThe Cosy RoomA shared room for guests close to the Steading, with a log fire, books, board games and a coffee machine.
White donkey at the feeder with the farm behindA working farmThe animalsHebridean sheep, Shetland cattle, Angora goats and free-range hens, and the two donkeys, Hugo and Ollie, who look over the fence by the Kailyard.
Weddings and gatherings
A few weekends a year are kept for weddings in the Steading, and its rooms can be hired for parties, team days and photo shoots.
Events
Workshops, pop-up dinners and markets in the Steading through the year, listed on the farm's own events page.
Where it is

On the south-facing side of the hill between Kinnaird and Abernyte, by Inchture. Do not follow the satnav to the postcode, which leads into Kinnaird village: from Perth take the Inchmichael flyover and climb towards Abernyte, and from Dundee aim for Abernyte and take the road signed Kinnaird. Perth and Dundee stations are about 25 minutes away by taxi.

Close byWhere Anna sends people from the farm, in her own words to our magazine.
  1. The tiered, ribbed concrete walls of a modern museum building curve toward a domed glasshouse and a ship's mast visible along the waterfront.V&A DundeeAnna's day in Dundee is a good coffee first, then the V&A on the waterfront, the city's design museum by the Tay.13 miles 21 min by road
  2. The counter at EH9 Espresso on the Perth Road, Dundee, with a barista at the coffee machine and the price list on a plywood wall.EH9 EspressoOne of the two Dundee coffee stops Anna names to start a day in the city before the V&A.11 miles 20 min by road
  3. Dried flower display above a shopfront doorway on Atholl StreetARAN BakeryAnna heads north to Dunkeld for a breakfast pastry at ARAN, then a look round its shop, Lon, and a walk at the Hermitage.
  4. Shelves of gifts, baskets and jars fill a small shop interiorLon StoreARAN's own shop in Dunkeld, and one of the places that sells the farm's produce when it is supplying.
  5. Woman walks towards a stone hut through autumn woodlandThe HermitageThe walk Anna follows ARAN with: the woods and waterfall of the River Braan, just outside Dunkeld.
  6. Picnic tables on a lawn with a canopy, church spire and townhouses behindThe TaybankWhere Anna stops for dinner on the way back to the farm after a day in Highland Perthshire.
  7. Braised beef with mash and greens served on a white bowlThe Kinneuchar InnOver the Tay in the East Neuk of Fife, Anna's place for a late lunch after an afternoon by the sea.
Directions
Macbeth's Bothy, a white-harled cottage with a slate roof and a green porch, behind a fence and wildflowersCollaceMacbeth's BothySleeps 2 · 3.2 miles
An aerial view shows a black timber cabin with a pitched roof set on a deck in an open field, a bath and seating area visible outside.PerthshireThe Cabin at FairygreenSleeps 2 · 3.2 miles
Attic dining room with fairy lights, framed newspaper clippings and wooden tablesCafeThe Pickled Peacock4.4 miles
Painted milk churns line the path to a rustic stone shop with wooden deckingAttractionsCairn O'Mohr Fruit Wine4.4 miles
Strawberries in Mains of Errol Fruit Shack punnets on a wooden ledge, with the fields of the Carse of Gowrie and the hills beyond.ShoppingMains of Errol Fruit Shack6.9 miles
A stone cottage with a green door and three chimneys sits behind a lawn bordered by shrubs and flowerbeds.KinrossieFairygreen CottageSleeps 4 · 7.2 miles
An aerial view of a golf green surrounded by bunkers and trees, rolling countryside stretching to the horizon.SconeMurrayshallPlace to stay · 9.0 miles
Mills Observatory's sandstone building and white dome on Balgay Hill.AttractionsMills Observatory10 miles
Strawberry Bank's narrow cobbled lane between high stone walls, Dundee.AttractionsStrawberry Bank11 miles
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

Pitmiddle Hut is in Issue 13: The Hut on the Hill, by Karla Rose Hall.

Get Issue 13Read it here