Slow travelJournal

In this modern world slowing down is a luxury. Take time.

What is a slow travel?

Although hard to pinpoint the beginnings of the slow travel revolution, it seemed to emerge from another cause close to our hearts, Slow Food. They share many core principles: connection with place, connection with people, and taking your time.

Traveling slowly can mean exploring your own backyard, or spending a lot of time in one place instead of a little time in many. It can mean understanding a place - perhaps in a new way, or from a slightly different perspective.

Slowing down at Eastside : The farm

As an agritourismo, Eastside's places to stay are enmeshed with the day-to-day comings and goings of the working hill farm. The wild hill sheep are gathered down from the hills to the farmyard depending on the season and the friendly sheep dogs always appreciate a chin scratch as you pass by the kennels on the way to the nearest hilltop. Do ask us what is happening on the farm during your stay as we're always happy to talk about our farming day.

The summer and autumn hill pastures are awash with a carpet of tiny flowers that we carefully manage as species-rich meadows. Take our wildflower books (or "Picture This" app) out to the hill meadows and discover the wonderful, native Scottish diversity right under your feet.

Take to the moors for an afternoon of bird watching (bring your own binoculars). Spot peregrine, merlin, kestrel, raven, red grouse, curlew, skylark and golden plover. The ring ousel can be found in the moorland gullies, the cuckoo in the Eastside glen and the beautiful doterell migrates over the Pentland hill peaks.

Eastside Agritourism

Farm spa & a good book

The wood-fired spa facilities are the definition of slow travel. Using locally sourced timber to heat water or hot stones up to temperature takes time - well spent. Wood harvested on the farm, cut, split, dried and lit.... Fresh spring water straight from the hill.... A slow spa experience where all the raw materials are harvested and collected on site.... Steam rises from the Westside hot tub under the stars and the flickering fire creates a magical atmosphere in our hand crafted sauna.

Each cottage has a carefully curated book collection for guests to enjoy. An eclectic mix of OS maps, walking routes, bird watching guides, and books on farm life. James and Helen Rebanks come highly recommended for their beautiful and raw depiction of life farming in the uplands.

Slow food & Little sparta

For slow food visit Errington cheese to buy award winning farmhouse cheese direct from the farmers and makers. Pack a picnic blanket and head to the hills for lunch amongst the heather.

The Free Company (just over the hills from Eastside) offer rustic restaurant dining on their farm. They grow most of the produce that makes it to the dining table.

For Pentland culture head to the inspired garden of Iain Hamilton Findlay at Little Sparta or pick up a copy of Victoria Crowe's A Shepherds Life, a beautiful study of Pentland shepherdess Jenny Armstrong of our neighbouring farm, Fairliehope.