NOBLESSE OBLIGE t‘s raining when we pull up the long. forested driveway that hides ('ringletic House from the
main road. the sort of rain that makes you feel lurnpen and ll‘llly even before you have to scrabble about in the back of the car for the three holdalls and a plastic bag that you've packed your weekend‘s worth of clothing in. Suddenly. the luggage is taken and an umbrella held over our heads by a courteous. uniformed gentleman who seems utterly unmflled by our indecorous entrance.
We‘re guided smoothly up a staircase with flowers wound round the bannisters. through cosy. intersecting public areas and corridors to our room. 'lhere‘s a gilt fireplace. a view of the croquet lawn and decanters of whisky and sherry laid out on an Art Deco dressing table. It all fits together snugly. without any of the anodyne. featureless trappings of ‘luxury' favoured by modern resorts. (‘ringletie is just ten minutes from Peebles. and a 40-minute drive from lilinburgh. but it's also a good eight decades away from 2007; a wonderfully time—warped old country house that manages to make its guests feel as though they're ‘weekending' with some unseen. well—off branch of the landed gentry rather than paying customers at a
hotel. For the next couple of days. I‘m going to be Kristin Scott Thomas in (ins/on] Park. and nobody is going to stop me.
A range of activities is available to guests: fishing. golf. a drive to the spectacular (irey Mare‘s 'l‘ail waterfall. or use of the spa facilities at nearby Stoho (‘astle (see panel). However. we repair to the pocket- sized library. which we have completely to ourselves. curl up on the well-stuffed sofas by the tire. get out the Scrabble and ring for the maid to bring us some class-A afternoon tea. Doing absolutely nothing has never been quite so enjoyable.
For all its retro glamour. (‘ringletie is still a luxury hotel: the rooms are fitted out with fluffy bathrobes. beds that favour art installations over headboards and the sort of shower that simultaneously washes and pummels you back into shape for your next big fight. However. it’s the idiosyncratic touches that give the place its charm: the row of bright. patterned wellies lining the grand entrance porch. the china nymph gleefully flashing her knickers in the hall. the bikes hanging vertically off the front wall of the house and the huge. sardonic- looking porcelain cat guarding the sitting room.
The rain clears up long enough for
Cringletie House oozes retro glamour. with beautiful grounds, a glittering Regency dining room and walled gardens. Idiosyncratic touches provide added charm
us to take a turn around the grounds and walled garden. like Jane Alisten characters in borrowed 'l‘echnicolour wellies. Over on the lawn. a similarly attired couple are playing croquet. to the silent applause of two ponies and a Highland cow.
Guests dress for dinner before congregating in the lounge for cocktails and canapes. l was hoping for the odd tuxedo or evening gown. but the other guests are. on the whole. rather less formal than this: fortunately. no murdered aristocrats turn up in the library before dinner. either. We‘re booked in for the Menu Degustation; seven tiny courses of exquisitely prepared French cooking. accompanied by
the in-house sommelier's choice of
wine for each. The menu may be French. and influenced by Heston Blumenthal‘s molecular gastronorny. but the ingredients are distinctly local Scottish scallops and lamb. and all of the vegetables. including the globe artichokes in our relmm'. grown in the kitchen garden visible from the gable window beside us. lilting is a very serious. leisurer and luxurious business here. best conducted in a glittering. Regency dining room under a painted trompe l‘oeil ceiling with cherubirn peering down on you. The next morning we‘re still glowing with the lordly pleasures of good food and service;
the only problem is that. alter living like a lady of the manor. real life will always seem llat by comparison.
Cringletie House is off Edinburgh Road near Peebles. Prices start at £165 for bed & breakfast. See www.cringletie.com or call 01721 725750 for full details.
Getting away from it all r" ;
Shelley O’Neill suggests some other ways to recharge your batteries
I The Flndhorn Foundation is an all-natural holistic retreat on the coast of the Moray Firth in northern Scotland. You can take courses in meditation. sacred dance and inner listening, alongside like-minded people who want to live creatively and consciously. www.findhorn.org
I If that's a bit too much interaction for you. Holy Island. just off the coast of Arran in the Western Isles. has been a spiritual retreat since before the sixth century. when the Celts used the energy of the island’s ancient healing spring to focus their meditation. There's a closed Buddhist monastry on one side of the island. but the Centre for World Peace and Health offers opportunities for inter-faith retreats in a secular environment. www.holyisland.org
I Not prepared to abandon all material trappings quite yet? At the other end of the spectrum. Stobo Castle. a luxury spa just a few miles south of Edinburgh, offers over 40 relaxing, detoxifying and pampering treatments. As you’d expect from a place most famous for hosting Madonna's wedding, your stay won't come cheap, but as ultimate indulgences go, this is the best. www.stobocastle.co.uk
I Still got energy to spare? Bum it all off with a Wilderness Scotland activity holiday. Specialising in adventure weekends across the Highlands and Islands, they’ve got something to satisfy even the most insatiable adrenaline junkie. Walking. abseiling and even photography holidays are all available at
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