Lochhouses Farm, Tyninghame, Near Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland.

Lochhouses Farm & surroundings.
Lochhouses farm adjoins the magnificent sand dunes and beach of the John Muir Country Park. John Muir was born in neighbouring Dunbar in 1838 and became famous for his love of wild places and helping to start the National Park scheme in America.

Lochhouses Farm and its surroundings are steeped in history as well as beauty. It was once part of the Earl of Haddington’s majestic Tyninghame Estate, when in 1892, Robert’s (the current farmer on Lochhouses) great grandfather was given a donkey for his daughter as a little “persuasion” to take on the tenancy of the farm which, at that time, was a poorly farmed rabbit warren – Watership Down could certainly have been filmed here. In fact, Lochhouses has often been requested as alocation for filming – most recently for Rebus and David Copperfield - so take your cameras!

As well as local, wild rabbitsin abundance Lochhouses has now introduced their own Lop-eared bunnies for FeatherDown guests to look after. So they’ll certainly have lots of Easter bunnies!

The coastline near Lochhouses has also been famous in centuries past for shipwrecks as ships missed the entrance to the Firth of Forth on their way to Edinburgh. One wreck carried a cargo of brandy and some men died from drinking too much of the combined mixture of brandy and seawater from the leaking casks. There were of course, also those ships which did prefer to land near Lochhouses in order to offload their smuggled whisky! Lochhouses’ own “shipwrecked” boat is the Honesty Shop!

As well as the beautiful beaches, Lochhouses has extensive lakes andwoodland with deer and pheasant - wonderful and serene for walking, cycling and riding. Robert’s wife, Michele's passion is to ride through the woods and then go for a gallop along the deserted beach at low tide! Feather Down guestscan also ride with the trekking centre next door. Michele is also breaking in her mini-shetland ponies for FeatherDown children to ride this season.

Farming at Lochhouses.
Although mainly an arable farm growing potatoes (some becoming Highlander crisps), wheat and barley (used forDewars whisky), brussel sprouts and turnips (packed forthe local supermarkets) they also keep cattle and/or sheep on the grassland slopes near the sea, part of which is alsomanaged as a wetland for wading birds such as ducks, oyster catchers, swans, geese and moorhens – they’ve also just had a rare,new visitor - a wood lark! Wild birdseed mixtures and grass margins bordering fields throughout the farm attract a multitude of birds throughout the year. Lochhouses also supports the wild grey partridge replenishment scheme, which involves re-creating habitat (Lochhouses just won the Trophy for the best habitat of 2007) and counting the chicks every year – so that will be one of the activities on your bird-spotting list!

The Dale Family at Lochhouses
Lochhouses has been in the Dale family since 1892. Robert now owns and runs the farm with his wife Michele, sons Alex and Bobby and daughter Melanie. Like all children of that age, they are currently exploring other activities; Alex graduated in law at Newcastle University, had a gap year in USA and Australia and is now doing his legal practice certificate in Manchester; Bobby has a place to study motorsport engineering but prefers to drive the rally cars rather than build them (!), but is also running his own computer recycling business; and Melanie is in 2nd year at Newcastle University studying history and politics.

Pets, horses and ponies are welcome .
All pets are welcome, but please keep them under close control.

Your horse or pony is welcome too..
You can bring your horse or pony with you to Lochhouses Farm. There is terrific off-road, woodland and beach riding all around and grazing in the field opposite the site at £ 12 per night. Stabling also available. Please indicate at reservation.

The location of the Feather Down Tents
The Feather Down site is perfectly located in a field next to the beach with a 400 yards easy walk over the dunes to the beach in front. The farmland behind, wetland and woodland are a two minute walk along the animal grazing fields.

There is just unlimited pleasure and diversity for all the family’s tastes – including campfires each night next to the bread oven !

Trips in the Area of Lochhouses.

• We abound with footpaths, trails, beaches, dunes and bridleways – why else would John Muir want to be here too !
• Bikes for hire to explore.
• Pony trekking and carriage driving at the farm next door.
• Whitekirk’s ancient church
• Tantallon Castle, the last stronghold of the Douglas family and destroyed by English cannons more than a century ago.
• Scottish Seabird Centre, North Berwick, with telescopes to view thousands of nesting seabirds on the Bass Rock
• Shooting, fishing and archery at Drem
• John Muir Centre, Dunbar, with wonderful old photos of his life.
• Glenkinchie Whisky Distillery
• Championship golf courses at Muirfield, Archerfield, Whitekirk and numerous others at North Berwick and Dunbar;
• Concorde at the Museum of Flight
• Myerton Motor Museum, Drem
• Whitekirk Rally track for budding rally drivers
• Flying club with mircolites at Drem
• And of course, Edinburgh is only 28 minutes away by train from Drem – so an excellent location for the Edinburgh Festival in August !
  
  

>> Click here to make a reservation at Lochhouses Farm.