Thistle Dhu Cottage

12/06/2024

Our local show is also one of the main events in the area. Always plenty to see & do - and the beer tent is a walk from our cottage.

24 days until Show Day!!
The show field ready and waiting to be transformed 🙌
Excitement building here at Show HQ…

10/11/2023

As tempting as it is to have a cheeky lunch at the Ship Inn, I do have chores to do - including take Jack for a proper walk.

05/11/2023

The aurora was visible from outside the cottage last night, November 4th. Visible to the naked eye but hampered by broken cloud. Unfortunately the cloud got thicker, but not a bad first glimpse for our current guests.

09/10/2023

It’s mum’s birthday ( ) so we’ve gone away on holiday. Can you guess where? So many dog friendly places for us to spend time - I’ll share a proper video later, but special mentions to for lovely welcome, and a huge thank you to .turquoise.aberdeen for making mum feel special on her special day.

10/09/2023

"Always welcome - Always free!"
(for the dogs, that is)
September is has a few dates available for a last minute getaway treat, and October is starting to get booked now, so get over to view the cottage and see if it's somewhere that appeals to you and you doggo family.
September and October often have much milder weather than the rest of the UK so it's a great time to come see the autumnal colours and have a cooler hike in the glens or on our expansive beaches.

Thistle Dhu Cottage: pet friendly cottage & garden

04/09/2023

We’ve snuck out to see mum at work. Dad is pretending that’s not beer he’s drinking. The view, and smells, and sounds are just what I needed today. .

24/07/2023

We lost our gorgeous little girl last week, and I’m still struggling to share this news beyond our closest friends. This is a small tribute to her and notice to my wider circle. Thistle Dhu Cottage also lost one of its mascots. No hashtags on this one.

22/07/2023

Going for breakfast. Got my breakfast. Eated my breakfast. Mum & dad got breakfast. I wants more breakfast.

22/07/2023

A rare getaway for Thistled Dhu Cottage and . A one night stay in Aberdeen, sampling several of the dog friendly bars in town. In some ways the city feels run down, but the range of options and the friendliness & welcome of the bars makes up for it - for a short visit at least.

09/07/2023

***AVIAN FLU - HORRENDOUS NUMBERS AT STONEHAVEN BEACH, DEAD AND DYING AND ALL ALONG NE COAST *** PLEASE SEE ADVICE BELOW ABOUT LIMITING VISITS TO COASTAL BIRDS ***

2 dead birds last Tuesday, 91 by Thursday, and many many more now, so a really sudden and horrific outbreak

I have called SSPCA this morning about a report of dozens of dying kittiwakes between the river Carron and Stonehaven harbour, and of course, they will attend to end the suffering of those on the beach.

If you see dying birds, please call the SSPCA on 0300099999

Also please report to DEFRA if you see several dead or dying birds

Our local council has the unenviable responsibility for collecting and safely disposing of dead birds on the beaches (they have already been notified about Stonehaven)

Links to SSPCA and DEFRA and Aberdeenshire Council will be posted in the comments

Advice from New Arc Wildlife Rescue :

If we want to follow best practice to reduce the risk of humans spreading the disease then I would recommend the following:

• Only visit one birding site per day

• Ensure boots are cleaned after hiking/visiting a site. This can be using a bleach solution although the recommended list of disinfectants and their dilutions for avian influenza can be found in the comments

• Do not touch or move dead birds and ensure your dogs/pets/children do not touch or interact with them

If people follow the above they can rest fairly easily that they are not spreading it around accidentally. We have to remember that the majority of this is spread by the birds, it remains in shallow water, and in the soil etc for quite a while. Thankfully UV is good for destroying the virus so whilst it is peak summer the virus survives for a lesser time when exposed vs winter.

********
Thanks to Catriona for posting this originally.

19/06/2023

A little self indulgence today. We had some time between guests so we went on the road to do a few errands and took time out to meet a friend at the beach for a blether. Jack & Posie we’re very well behaved and enjoyed the time in different ways.

16/06/2023

Jack-a-doodle is waiting for our next guests to arrive. He’s got a few hours to wait so he’s found a shady spot: it really is a scorcher this week.

04/06/2023

Just two dogs catching up on their ZZZZs after another busy day being cute and living their best life.

04/06/2023

Just two dogs at the end of a busy day. Posie & Jack enjoy life in very different ways but both do enjoy their sleeps.

30/05/2023

Summer is here! Thistle Dhu Cottage is ideally situated in the Angus/Aberdeenshire countryside and is surrounded by lovely walks and relaxing surroundings. See the full details on AirBnB, VRBO or our website www.thistledhucottage.scot

20/05/2023

June is coming and so are the Scottish highland games and country shows: a great chance for visitors to experience something uniquely Scottish, including; tossing the caber, throwing the hammer, tug of war, highland country dancing (sometimes with swords!), and plenty of craft stalls. Not to mention all the food!

20/05/2023

We don't mind the competition if it means sharing our wonderful region with more visitors. Don't they look amazing?

We're familiar with the Corn Kist (via 'ZazzyG' and her upholstery class next door). They do some great soups and the cakes are always enticing.

Peel Farm will have to go on our 'places to try out' list.

29/04/2023

Daffodils galore! Not much chance of wandering lonely as a cloud when there are so many fields of these golden wonders to keep you company.

29/04/2023

24/04/2023

Sharing this for two reasons;

Firstly, this is our sister-in-law and we're so proud & excited that she has this venture coming up. What an opportunity for her, but also for any artists wanting to expand their art in a lovely environment.

Secondly, she has a wee bothy for rent, an hour north of us over some stunning hills & scenery, that would be a great stop on a tour of the north east of Scotland, and a good base to use in conjunction with Thistle Dhu Cottage.

Good luck Margaret!

Art courses for students. Studio for artists. Creative environment for all. Quattro Archi is a fantastic building in a beautiful location.

24/04/2023

The connection between Thistle Dhu Cottage and Margaret is that, in addition to being our sister-in-law, she also runs a wee bothy that you can book, just an hour over the hills from us, which is a great complimentary stay if you are touring around Scotland.

But we're also happy to promote her artist in residence venture at Quattro Archi, for any artists looking for a more exotic location than the beautiful Scottish countryside.

Art courses for students. Studio for artists. Creative environment for all. Quattro Archi is a fantastic building in a beautiful location.

22/04/2023

The greatest measure a host can have of their property and routines is to have consistently positive reviews from guests - even more so when they make the effort to put pen to paper and leave a personal message. It's a boost that every host should thrive on because it shows that they truly have made a difference to somebody.

I'll be honest: it's the main motivation for almost all of my efforts with the cottage. Happy guests - happy host!

22/04/2023

What a treat it was to see this vintage gem passing through this week.

I watched it from a low bridge on its way northbound - not as much 'steam' as I'd hoped - then made the drive to Lunan beach to get this shot. I can't believe it worked so well, and of course I only had one chance to get it right. It goes to show what regular flying helps to keep the skills honed.

(all legal requirements complied with)

19/04/2023

A Scottish motorcycle safety campaign is launched this week - timed for the good weather and increase in riders dusting off their bikes. As an ex-biker (are you ever really an ex?) I mainly rode through the milder months, so I appreciate how keen we are, but also how rusty we can be without realising it. Other drivers are generally not so aware of bikes, and they're out to enjoy the weather & scenery too, so it's no surprise that they're often not fully focused on the road. We are all responsible to others and ourselves, so I ask you to please pay a little more attention, and remember that the biker you might injure is somebody's husband/wife, son/daughter, brother/sister - and it might be somebody you know/love.

17/04/2023

Something a little special coming through this week. Unfortunately the cottage isn’t available, but if your in the area….

STEAM TRAIN ON ROUTE TO ABERDEEN Departing on 19th April 2023

The first one is passing our way on Wed 19th April . Timings on links below .

To Aberdeen
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U66229/2023-04-19/detailed

From Aberdeen
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U66234/2023-04-19/detailed

15/04/2023

A little trip to our sister-in-law hotel (related by marriage). Unfortunately I hurt my back doing some work around Thistle Dhu Cottage so the improvements are on hold for a couple of days while I recuperate under the watchful eye of Mrs.Thistle at her work abode. The dogs don’t mind the change of scenery and it’s a good reminder of how life can change in the most innocuous situations. I’ll be back to welcoming guests in days🤞

14/04/2023

“Let slippered dogs lie” is the phrase of the day. Jack will sleep through anything so it’s his own fault. I apologise for the terrible pun, but I’m having a difficult day and this cheered me up. I hope it made you smile. #

14/04/2023

Looking for inspiration for a day out or a short break away? Look no further than the 'Insider's Guide to Angus' - a one-stop guide to the very best of Angus with 100 unmissable experiences split over 10 categories.

Take a look at our Insider's Guide to some of the spectacular Beauty Spots in Angus at https://orlo.uk/1Rd3w, and enjoy visiting spectacular locations including Carrot Hill and the Brown and White Caterthuns.

14/04/2023

Not long now until the epic Bonfest! This annual rock music festival will take place from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 April. Tickets are available online for the main arena with a fantastic line up of bands, and there will also be free live music in various pubs throughout the weekend.

Find out more at https://orlo.uk/utTDN

12/04/2023

Out for breakfast with Mrs.Thistle (aka ) before she goes back to work at . we have a system of swaps which I’m sure is weighted in my favour: we swap my tomato for her black pudding. The dogs get the haggis. A lovely breakfast in the village.