RELAX & REVIVE @ MILTON COTTAGE, BLAIR ATHOLL, PITLOCHRY, PERTHSHIRE

The listing description was reasonably accurate; the view was great and the surroundings were gorgeous. However, it did not mention that the cottage is actually quite difficult to get to, a long way up a very steep and winding road. We had quite a bit of trouble in cold-weather conditions.

The cottage itself was clean but the property was filthy with farm animal waste. Some may find this charming but we did not enjoy our thoroughly soiled footwear and car.

The cottage appears to have reasonably modern decor in the photographs but on arrival we found it to be quite dingy, like a trip back in time to the 1970s. It was pleasant enough, however, and we enjoyed the Sky, DVD player and fireplace. Another reflection of the outdated maintenance were the heaters, which we had to leave on full-blast while we were inside to keep the cottage at a liveable temperature (only 16-17 degrees) and which sucked up a huge amount of power, requiring a sizeable payment at the end of the week. (About the same amount we pay for an entire month in our house which is about 3 times the size)

The customer service provided was a bit questionable. The pipes were frozen upon our arrival which addmittedly made for a challenging situation but it was not dealt with entirely well by the person left in charge.

We would probably recommend this property to a friend/relative but perhaps only in summer when there is less likely to be issues with access and facilities. Although good luck with the excrement smell in summer, as it was already quite bad in winter.

Otherwise the area was lovely and we had very enjoyable meals in the Atholl Arms and the brewery inn outside of Pitlochry, an interesting visit to the Famous Grouse Glen Turret distillery and were impressed by the Glamis and Blair Castles. The cottage was also within striking distance of Edinburgh which served us well as we were able to do 2 day-trips to the city.