We travelled to the Scottish Highlands on a family trip, a large group of thirteen, of all ages, starting with my grandma at 76, to my littlest cousin at 5. Since our aim was to spend some quality family time, we decided to have a home base where we could hang out and cook at the end of a long day spent exploring. My amazing aunt did all the leg work, and found this lovely house about 20 miles from Inverness, in a village called Tomatin. The house itself is named Tomatin House.
Tomatin House was perfect for us, there were more than enough bedrooms, all with their own quirky character. There was even a kids playroom, a scullery, a large cloakroom and a formal dining room with candlesticks AND candle snuffers! However, all this being said, we spent most of our time in the kitchen, next to the old Aga stove which was always warm. So many fun conversations, so much laughter, and so much good food!
We usually either ate our meals at the kitchen table our outside. However, we had one lovely lunch and candlelight dinner in the formal dining room. Our favorite was how there was a window between the kitchen and dining room to pass the dishes!
I loved the different wallpaper used through out the house, especially the one in our bathroom! Also, all the bathrooms had towel warmers – such a luxury!
The house is great, but the grounds are even more amazing. Right behind the house passes the River Findhorn, great for sunset watching or salmon fishing.
The gardens around the house are lovely, flowers blooming everywhere, providing so many pretty nooks and crannies for picnics! There is even a large tennis court for the more athletic members of your party.
The best part was that we could be as noisy as we wanted there wasn’t a soul around! Just some sheep that hung out around the river…
My favorite rooms were the ones with the prettiest natural light, like this one which leads to the kitchen garden.
Tomatin House is quite an easy drive from Inverness, and a pretty one too! I loved seeing the purple flowers everywhere – especially behind this purple bus stop!
Passing by this purple and stone bridge meant we were going home…
Tomatin House was the perfect place for us to enjoy as a family, I highly recommend it for large groups. The varied rooms, the grounds, the river, all make it an accommodation you will always remember!
Tomatin Village is a stones throw away from Cairngorms National Park, and a host of other cool spots! Read more about what you could do around here in my Things to Do Around Inverness blog post!
How to Book : In order to book your stay at Tomatin House, head to Airbnb (this is how we booked). You could also book directly through their website.
