The Old Brewhouse

The property has beautiful period features and a lovely rural estate setting, with plenty of potential to be a top-notch holiday home. But it needs more care. The basics were clean enough, yet I spent the first hour clearing cobwebs and wiping down grubby surfaces because it really needs a deep clean. The furniture quality was poor, and there was a general lack of effort in making it feel welcoming. It wouldn't take a huge investment to improve things. If you're fine with more of a bothy or student-pad feel, it could still be a good place to stay.

The shepherd's hut was warm and snug, just right for a stay somewhere remote and peaceful. There's wildlife everywhere, and a busy gang of night-shift beavers has changed the landscape quite a bit. Definitely go!

We walked the Cateran Trail through Bamff and stopped to chat with the owners, who were really friendly. Their honesty shop had teas, coffees and food, and the work they're doing there is fantastic. We even saw a beaver, which was a bonus.

Maps we used: OS Explorer 381 for Bamff, and OL53. This was our fourth year, in 2025, at the Gate Lodge at Bamff Farms & Ecotourism. We're already planning to come back next year. Once again, we had a fantastic time, with great views and plenty of wildlife. We get up just before sunrise, which has been our best time for spotting all sorts of animals. This year we saw four beavers, two adults, a juvenile and a tiny kit. We saw more in the morning than in the evening. Two ospreys were around too. They aren't breeding this season, but it was lovely to see the male bond with the female and bring her fish. Hopefully 2026 brings something wonderful for them. There were two barn owl chicks in the on-site box, possibly three, and plenty of deer, wild ponies, buzzards, kestrels, pigs and red squirrels. A flock of crossbills came down in the pine trees, and we briefly saw them again as we left on our last day. No pine martens this year, sadly, though they are around. After visiting the beaver pond in the morning, we take a slow drive to different spots, alternating and sometimes returning to places we like. RSPB Loch of Kinnordy is about 12 miles away. Marsh Harriers breed there, though this year we only saw one adult male. There are also otters, kingfishers, buzzards, ospreys and many other birds. Loch of Lintrathen at Bridgend of Lintrathen is about 6 miles away, and we spent a lot of time watching ospreys fish. At Blackwater Reservoir, around 7 miles away, we park at the top and watch the fishing ospreys. There's also a goshawk across the water from the car park, plenty of buzzards and red kites, and a kestrel family by the car park. Driving slowly around these areas, we've seen deer, hares, kestrels, peregrine falcons, buzzards, red kites and ospreys. Enjoy it all.