Tig Cottage Holiday Home

30/09/2024

Here's a little secret....
we don't get many cancellations at Tig.
Once people book, they almost always come to stay.

We open up bookings for Tig about a year in advance.
So if you know when you want to stay, make sure you book early.

Or - a top secret tip - if the dates you want aren't available yet, drop us an email at [email protected]....you can either book direct with us, or let me know what dates you're looking for, and I'll let you know when those dates are up on booking dot com

29/09/2024

We’ve been looking forward to sharing this for ages! Our first published review!

23/09/2024

When we go on holiday, we book accommodation that has a "free cancellation" option. It's much more sensible.

But as hosts, we LOVE it when someone books a non-refundable stay. It means we can plan our bills, and our maintenance, and our improvements. It means buying those big red gas canisters isn't quite as scary!

So to encourage people to book a non-refundable stay, we sweeten the deal.
When you book a non-refundable stay, you get a better price.
And you still don't have to pay until you stay.
And it makes us very very happy indeed.

We love everyone who comes to stay.
But we love you just a little more when you book a non-refundable stay 😆

20/09/2024

Some times of the year we make a big deal about the smells around Tig Cottage. Like in Spring, when the wild garlic is in bloom, or in the summer, when you're on the beach and you can smell the seaside, or when you go for a walk in the forests and you can smell all the plants and trees and the glorious fresh air.

But we are now coming into "Farm Smell Time" - when the much needed fertiliser can be smelt anywhere there's farmland. Well, that's an exaggeration. It's not all the time, and it's not for long - but we have no control over where the wind blows.

Tig - being in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by farmland - does get some of this smell...but because we have a septic tank, occasionally we get guests think the smell must be the septic tank.

In the very early days (before our lovely new septic tank!) we had a problem with the tank once. And once you've smelt a dodgy tank, you definitely know it smells different from Farm Smell! It sounds wrong to get excited about a septic tank, but we have a Very Good Tank indeed, and we use Very Good Bacteria in it (the bacteria "eats" the smell), so we're pretty sure we can say "it's not us!" but of course it's difficult to say "no, it's a different p**p you can smell!"

So for the next little bit of time we shall just have to hope we have guests who are used to Farm Smells...or who have no sense of smell!

18/09/2024

When I was little, I had a doll’s house, just like this one. I would spend hours rearranging the furniture until it was “just perfect”, before changing my mind the next day.

Sometimes, we call Tig “the doll’s house”. We look to make it as perfect as possible - the ideal space for our guests to relax with all the comforts of home without the mess and clutter that most of us have!

There’s things I’d like to change - a dishwasher would be great, but there’s no room, fencing off the whole garden would be helpful for dog owners but terrible for our local wildlife, and a hot tub would be luxurious but would bump up the price too much.

If you choose to come and stay with us, we hope you’ll find everything that as you need - and want - it, and that you’ll remember your stay as fondly as I remember my doll’s house!

16/09/2024

So copywriting rules are that we should have three top selling points about Tig Cottage that will make people want to book their stay.

But it's almost impossible to choose what three are the best!

Is it the fabulously remote location, nestled in the heart of the Stinchar Valley?

Is it the Water of Tig that burbles and sings through the back garden?

Is it that so many guests say that Tig feels just like a home away from home?

Is it the nearby beaches - both the beautifully wild beaches at Ballantrae and the seaside-y sandy beach at Ballantrae, or the further afield beaches at Maidens, Ayr, Largs....

Is it the walks - the coastal walks, the hillside walks, the walks around the Galloway Forest or gorgeous, remote villages and towns?

Or is it the way that you just feel calm, relaxed and happy when you're there?

What is it that makes Tig so great for you?

15/09/2024

Well, the dreaded day has come.
Our brave little Nespresso machine has given up the ghost.
So it's time to get a new one!

It can be quite tricky choosing equipment for Tig. I'm always reminded of the guest who was quite upset we didn't have a pizza cutter. I would have been upset too, but we did have one - a very modern "Joseph Joseph" one that is a wheel with a circular handle, rather than a traditional looking pizza cutter.

I'd been quite impressed when I bought it...but hadn't taken the time to think about whether it was really suitable for a holiday home where I couldn't just pop up and go, "look, there it is!"

So the same is true for our coffee machine - it's got to be something suitable.

We can't have a machine that uses coffee beans, because the coffee grounds that are left can't go down the sink without blocking the septic tank (and we know how easy it would be to forget and just tip them down the sink). It's what puts us off offering a cafetière, too, even though Trae Bakes at Craigiemains Garden Centre has locally roasted coffee that would be lovely to offer.

I was very tempted by the latest Illy machines - but the machines are very much a "read the manual first" - and who wants to do that on holiday? Plus, they're quite delicate, and I'd hate for a guest to be in need of their morning coffee only to find the machine came apart in their hands.

I currently have a Philips L'Or Barista coffee machine here at home. It's not the fastest heating machine in the world, and it's "double spout" (that can fill two small espresso cups at once) is really just good for filling your standard mug in half the time.

But it's sturdy (I mean, REALLY sturdy), and the water reservoir is easy to fill and replace. The capsules are really easy to use and its not at all fussy - it'll take any Nespresso compatible capsules, meaning guests can bring their own if they have a particular favourite (we have a variety but we don't have everything).

I'll just have to work out a way to warn people that the coffee machine can be a bit slow in the morning...but then, aren't we all?

13/09/2024

It’s Northen Lights time in Ayrshire again!
This picture wasn’t taken too far up the road from Tig.

We have space in October so book your stay now via our site or find us on Booking dot Com today!

Northern lights over Dunure Castle tonight 🌈🤩

Image - Robin Bates

12/09/2024

Ooh, Vic, that's a bit RUDE!

Well, yes, but lets face it, the immense feeling of smugness when you don't get stuck in a border officer strike, a baggage handler strike or a ferry strike....when you're not stuck in the M25 traffic because of Operation Stack, or the passport control queue, or the baggage reclaim....

Not that it's the MAIN reason for going to Tig Cottage - there's so many MUCH better reasons to go to Tig....but yeah, lets be honest, there is a little bit of smugness, right?

Or is it just me?

10/09/2024

Have you ever considered visiting South Ayrshire in Autumn?

The temperature might have dropped...but so have the visitor numbers, and it's not uncommon to find that you have huge expanses of beach all to yourself.
And the cooler weather is a wonderful excuse to dig out your favourite woolly hat and scarf (or treat yourself to a new one!).

If beaches aren't your thing, then you've always got the fields, woods and forests as the foliage turns rusty red and brown, covering the ground with drifts of leaves that it's almost impossible not to kick your way through, no matter how old you are.

The wonderful wildlife is still around - more visible than ever with the shorter days. Maybe you'll spot deers and stags with their magnificent antlers, or red squirrels in the trees (okay, they're a bit harder to spot). The migrating birds will soon be on their way, and sitting at Ballantrae Harbour as the swallows and house martins swoop overhead, getting their last bit of practice in before leaving, can be magical.

Or maybe, just maybe, you'll prefer to snuggle indoors with a warm drink and a good book, watching the birds and rabbits in the garden at Tig, enjoying the wind down into winter after a hectic summer.

We have availability across the following dates (a two night minimum stay applies):
Fri 27th Sept - Fri 4th Oct (a whole magnificent week!)
Sun 20th Oct - Thurs 24th Oct (A lovely short break without losing a weekend)
Tues 29th Oct - Fri 1st Nov (A marvellous midweek escape)

Book online via our site today - no need to pay until you stay!

(picture is of Croy Shore in South Ayrshire, from Visit Scotland)

10/09/2024

Fancy seeing the Northern Lights?
You could take this plane ride from just £498 for two…
…or you could stay at Tig between October and March for less AND have a holiday!

Sure - we can’t promise you’ll get to see the “mirrie dancers” but they are quite regularly seen in our lovely bit of Scotland.

And even if you miss out on the northern lights, we still have beautiful dark skies, where you can gaze at the core of the Milky Way from the comfort of the garden at Tig, listening to our little river and catching sight of the bats out looking for lunch.

Book online via our website or drop us a message to book!

09/09/2024

Dogs, right?

Crazy, wonderful, adorable, hairy monsters that rule our lives and mean our pockets are filled with p**p bags.

And you think going on holiday without them will be great, because hey, no dog walks, no sneaky dog vomit, no dog hair everywhere, you get the sofa (or bed) to yourself...

But then it turns out that you miss them.
Like, really, really miss them.
Their tail wags, their snuggles, heck, even the doggy slobber.

So Tig Cottage is dog friendly.
Without extra charges.
Because is a holiday really a holiday without your bestest friend?

06/09/2024

Tig Cottage is just on the edge of the Dark Sky area in Southern Scotland - sitting on the deck looking up at the Milky Way is an incredible experience. It's one of the things that makes an autumn trip to Tig so special.

Matthew's tours are awesome if you can make one during your stay!

October availability:
Fri 27 Sept - Friday 4 Oct
Sun 20 Oct - Thurs 24 Oct
Tues 29 Oct - Fri 1 Nov

Minimum two night stay....but you deserve a longer break, right?

The forecast for stargazing tonight and tomorrow is looking great! If you can't join one of my tours, but want to see something special, find the darkest place you can and look west from about 10pm.The brightest part of the Milky Way is on show at this time of year and well worth getting out to see. What looks like pale cloudy sections is actually made up of billions of stars, far away towards the galactic core. 🌟🤩

05/09/2024

OCTOBER AVAILABILTY

Home should be a place where we feel calm, safe and secure.
But far too often it's a place where we rush around, where we're busy, where it's noisy, where the outside world intrudes far too much.

So why not come and find your home at Tig this October?
It may not be your actual address, but your soul will feel at home!

So here's our remaining availability this October...

Fri 27th Sept - Fri 4th Oct (a whole magnificent week!)
Sun 20th Oct - Thurs 24th Oct (A lovely short break)
Tues 29th Oct - Fri 1st Nov (A marvellous midweek escape)

Book online today and don't pay till you stay....top tip...for the very best prices, choose a "non-refundable" stay.

02/09/2024

Our lovely gardener has done Tig’s garden proud again! Our rose bushes are enjoying the last bit of summer, too.

It’s a real battle with Tigs’s garden. Much as something is carefully sculpted and manicured would be great, the various wildlife we have has very chewy opinions about it. Our mole may have moved on, but our bunny friends definitely haven’t.

That’s not to say a picture perfect garden wouldn’t be possible - it’s just the gardener would need to move in to take care of it, and we figure our guests are better served having the whole cottage to themselves.

Plus we like allowing some of the garden to be wild. Better for the insects!

31/08/2024

Scotland is well known for midges, but they’re more of an issue in the west of the Highlands, islands and parts of the Cairngorms, Perthshire and Argyll.

Or - in short - they’re not a problem in our bit of South Ayrshire!

That’s not to say that you won’t get bugs or other insects, or maybe a few midges if you’re sat out at dusk with a nice bright mobile phone screen, but it’s nothing like the issues elsewhere.

So if the fear of midges was holding you back - feel free to book your stay at our lovely Tig!

We now bring you a live midge report from Derry Lodge this evening.

Suffice to say.......we need a frost and we need it now 😉 And so does the person in this tent!! 😱

Top marks to Ranger Rob for snapping this great pic while braving tonight's fire patrol 👍

30/08/2024

Thinking of staying at Tig in 2025?
We're getting pretty busy for late spring and our prime summer dates are disappearing!

We know, it's sooooo much harder to plan things in advance these days, but if you're thinking of staying at Tig next year, you can book now, secure the dates you want AND prices won't go up before your stay!

So lock in the dates, lock in a deal...and book your 2025 stay at Tig today!

25/08/2024

What a glorious photograph!

Loch Ryan is the nearest loch to Tig, just down the road in Stranraer. It opens out to the Irish Sea, and it's where the ferries across to Belfast depart from.

Because Stranraer is one of the nearest bigger towns, I frequently find myself driving past it when at Tig fixing things, and it's always lovely to see.

📍Loch Ryan

24/08/2024

Good news - and bad news…

It’s been a brilliant summer at Tig. We’ve been almost fully booked across July and August and September is very busy too. For the first time in the three years that Tig has been open, it’s felt like we were really standing on our own two feet.

But holiday cottages are seasonal, and the colder autumn and winter months lead people to look towards southern Europe and its sunshine.

It’s a shame because South Ayrshire is properly pretty in autumn, but you’re likely to need an umbrella and jumper, rather than SPF and a bikini.

I say that October and November have “good availability” - what I actually mean is that there’s more spaces than I’d like, so please book!

The obvious way to get people through the door is to lower price - but of course, I’ve got to balance the cost of gas and electric (which rocket upwards) with making prices as low as possible to get people in.

It’s a very thin tightrope, so I suppose we’ll see how well I’ve judged it over the next few weeks.

23/08/2024

What a beautiful view!
This is the magnificent Ailsa Craig out at sea, and you can see it from all along the south Ayrshire coast.

If I was at Tig right now, I think I’d be sat on the harbour wall at Ballantrae, looking out at a view like this myself.

Or I might go for tea at the King’s Arms, or treat myself to a nice glass of wine sat on the deck at Tig listening to the river.

So many choices - and all you need to do is choose when to stay - booking is online via our website!

🎉 Happy Friday! 🎉

Last week, we were quite rightly reminded that many of you work through the weekend, and we want to extend our gratitude to everyone keeping things running - your efforts do not go unnoticed!

Whether you’re on the job or getting ready to unwind, we hope your Friday is a good one 😊

20/08/2024

Our little Tig is noisy today!

Doesn’t it just calm your soul?

Want to hear it in person? Come stay with us!

18/08/2024

It might seem a long time till September....but it's just round the corner, and that means that Northern Lights season is coming back!

Many people think that you can only see the Northern Lights in Norway...but actually, the South West of Scotland gets them quite regularly, due to the Galloway Dark Sky National Park (Tig is just on the outskirts).

We can't promise you'll see any lights, although as the skies get darker, a clear, moonless night means fabulous view of the galaxy (no, honestly!), but with the Northern Lights season running till March, what more excuse do you need to find your best jumper, add a dash of whiskey to your hot chocolate and wrap up warm on Tig's deck, listening to the the waves and watching the stars?

Booking open now till next summer, so book your stay now before you miss out!

16/08/2024

If you take the scenic route from Tig to Ayr, you'll pass the turnoff for the Heads Of Ayr Farm Park.

Problem is, it's easy to whizz past and not realise what an opportunity you've missed!

At Heads Of Ayr, you'll find lots of animals - not just farm animals like donkeys, pigs, sheep, and llamas, but more exotic animals like otters, sugar gliders, fennec foxes, parrots and raccoons.

There's play areas for children, and while the animal areas stay open in the rain, if you don't fancy it, there's a huge indoor soft play barn, a restaurant, Coffee Bar, gift shop, and an indoor animal barn to explore during the (hopefully short) downpour.

And if little legs get too tired (or adult legs have done too much walking) there's a scenic train that goes around the park.

It's a proper family day out, although sadly (due to the animals) dogs aren't allowed in.

Check out their website and let us know what you think!

15/08/2024

Why are you trusting other people with your precious holiday?

It seems like there are more and more strikes and industrial action for the poor souls trying to get abroad for a holiday every year, doesn't it? Whether it's a strike at passport control, or with the airline staff, or some issue causing miles and miles of traffic jams that stop you getting to the airport in the first place, going abroad is a positive gamble at the moment.

Why not take control of your holiday, and have a wonderful self-catering stay in undiscovered, rural South Ayrshire?

Traffic jams won't be a problem - there's multiple ways to get there.
There's no risk of strikes ruining your holiday
You're in control
And me and my wonderful housekeepers are absolutely focused on you having a great time - it's why we're rated so highly by our guests, and why we have so many repeat visitors that have become our friends.

We have limited dates in September available for booking now, and good availability into the picturesque, romantic Winter months.