Housekeeper's Rooms, Pathhead

What a fantastic place to use as a base to tour the local area, comfortable, extremely peaceful and welcoming,lots of wildlife outside the window. I can't rate this highly enough for those wanting a base near Edinburgh, but please note, there are a lot of stone steps to get to the apartment. But it's well worth it.

We are currently staying in the Housekeepers Rooms (July 2020) as I have family nearby and was a bit wary of staying with them just after the easing of lockdown restrictions. This has enabled us to have a bit of a holiday and to visit family in a socially distanced manner. The apartment is very clean, a good size for a 2 bed with lovely views from the living/dining room over the main lawn of the castle. When we arrived the owners had thoughtfully provided a pint of milk, some biscuits, teabags, coffee, sugar and a small loaf of bread. You will need to bring/buy more of these things for the week of course but it’s nice that there was something on arrival. A few dishwasher tablets are supplied in case you forget them and there was washing up liquid, a sponge, a couple of tea towels, a kitchen roll and a couple of loo rolls, all of which were thoughtful touches and not something I have always found provided in holiday lets. There is a good kitchen with a decent amount of pans, utensils, chopping boards, knives and oven trays/dishes. There is a microwave, fridge freezer and a washing machine. A drying rail is supplied so you can dry your clean clothes. We had a couple of small issues earlier in the week, there were lightbulbs missing from a couple of lamps. When I messaged Harriet, one of the owners, these were quickly supplied. On one day we came back and the blind had fallen down in the twin room. Again the owners were quick to remedy this and it was repaired the next day. So it is things like this that elevate this place above the norm. There seems to be hot water available for baths pretty much all day (it can get very hot) however the shower took a bit of figuring out to get it to work and be warm. I have added a photo of what we eventually settled on as the optimum setting (believe me, we tried everything). I also found that on a couple of occasions it didn’t seem to warm up at all, but when I restarted it, it was fine. In the local area there is quite a lot to do. Obviously it is slightly limited at the moment as a number of places are still closed due to Covid (the Museum of Flight at East Fortune was shut this week, as were some historic Scotland properties, but I believe they are opening again soon), however you can still find things to do. We enjoyed a walk around the glorious grounds and parkland at Penicuik House, which has a car park and walking trails. There is the shell of the old house (I believe it is an Adam House) which has been stabilised and looks fantastic, in much better condition than when I was a child growing up in Penicuik. We also visited Foxlakes adventure park at Dunbar where we did the Ziptrail and the Foxfalls (low ropes over water). My daughter really wanted to try wakeboarding but it was all booked up for about 2 weeks in advance. If you want to do any activities there (and I do recommend it), book well in advance! Close by there is also Vogrie Country Park with outdoor walks and a good play area and Dalkeith Country Park with the excellent Fort Dalkeith outdoor play area (again you have to pre-book). You also have the beaches of East Lothian very close by, so there are a good many things you can do outdoors here and maintain social distancing if you want to. You are quite close to Edinburgh as well, but we have done pretty much everything in Edinburgh over the years and didn’t fancy going in on this trip. So all in all, this is a good spot for a break right by East Lothian and all it has to offer, plus if you do wish to go into Edinburgh, it isn’t far to drive.

Booked to come here for 5 nights for a girly time away from our busy jobs. It’s been wonderful, we had access to Netflix, UKTV and freeview via the tv. There was internet access and a couple of games to play if we needed entertainment. The kitchen was big enough to cook a full meal in and the supplies provided covered a wide range of cooking styles (larger frying pan, pans, wooden spoons, chopping boards etc). The pressure in the shower was beautiful - always appreciate a decent shower. Bathroom was large and airy with plenty of storage. A variety of towels were also available along with a cute little pack with soap, shampoo and body wash. Dishwasher tablets and tablets for the washing machine were also provided, with a small collection of cleaning supplies under the sink. It was a very comfortable few nights away. Everything we could need or want during our time away was available. Everyone we met around the castle were friendly and ready to offer advice on how best to enjoy our time. The grounds themselves were beautiful. The stairs up to the room are difficult for those not fully able but they are beautiful. There is plenty of signage around to direct you to where you need to go. Before arrival we received an email with detailed instructions on how to find our way to the castle and up to our room, along with where to park and codes to gain access to keys. However, the central heating does make some strange noises but we found them rather comical. Overall, it’s been a wonderful time away and we got a lot more than we expected from our stay! Thankyou for making us feel so welcome and for allowing us to experience your wonderful castle and gardens.

The housekeeper’s rooms are quite possibly the best value accommodation we have ever stayed in. Location places it just outside Edinburgh, providing easy access to the city and surrounding area, as well as attractions a bit further afield, for example the highlands. It is inside a beautiful castle, up the very top, so you get stunning views out of the lounge and bedrooms where you can spot deer, hares and pheasants. The grounds provide lovely walks and it is easy to wander into the local village for the bakery, pub etc. The owners, Harriet and Michael, are very accommodating and really are happy to help in any way possible to make the stay perfect. We were even given a tour of the main castle, which was wonderful to have a look around in. It is clear to see why it makes such a lovely wedding venue too. The apartment itself is large and fully furnished with washing machine, dishwasher, microwave etc and kept very clean, with plenty of spare towels etc if needed. Value wise we really found we got a lot more than we paid for, as compared to accommodation in the area (bearing in mind none of these are in a castle!) we got a lot for our money. I would definitely recommend staying here to any families, couples visiting the area. It really is an experience to say you’ve stayed in a real castle.