On a January morning in 1938, Pitmiddle’s last resident, James Gillies, left his cottage and the village gradually fell into ruin. The settlement now consists of half-ruined walls reclaimed by the land on the south-facing slopes of the Sidlaw Hills in Perthshire. Guardswell Farm spans 81 hectares between Perth and Dundee and includes guest accommodation inspired by Pitmiddle’s former layout. Huts and cabins are named for pendicles, infields, and kailyards, and they are rented alongside cottages and a farmhouse. A restored steading serves as an events space for weddings, craft and cuisine classes, and a monthly market. The farm also runs a small shop, washrooms, and vegetable gardens while raising cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens.
"On a January morning in 1938, Pitmiddle's last resident, James Gillies, closed the door to his cottage for the final time and walked away through the snow. High on the south-facing slopes of the Sidlaw Hills in Perthshire, the village is now little more than a jumble of half-ruined walls gradually being reclaimed by the land."
"Villagers each had a pendicle, the small area they could farm, a system of outfields, infields and kailyards' a Scots word for a kitchen garden. Anna and Digby grew up on farms and small-holdings nearby, and today they rear cattle, sheep, goats and chickens and tend to the vegetable gardens, alongside welcoming guests to stay."
"The Pitmiddle Hut sits in the old village's pendicle field and the slim volume Pitmiddle Village and Elcho Nunnery in our cabin inspired the names of Guardswell's huts: the Pendicle with its wildflower roof, the Infield with a stargazing window above the bed and shepherd's hut the Kailyard. They can be rented alongside two cottages and a large farmhouse, all clustered around the Steading, once a dilapidated barn that is now a smart events space for weddings, craft and cuisine classes including cheese-making, and a popular monthly market."
#scottish-countryside #rural-heritage #farm-stay-accommodation #livestock-and-farming #events-and-markets
Read at www.theguardian.com
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