Exploring Pitmiddle and Guardswell Farm
On a January morning in 1938, James Gillies, the last resident of Pitmiddle, closed his cottage door for the final time and walked away through the snow. Located high on the south-facing slopes in Perthshire, the village now consists mainly of half-ruined walls slowly being reclaimed by nature.
My children explore the overgrown stones as if uncovering a lost civilization, then run back through the gate and across the grass to our cabin in a neighboring field. Named the Pitmiddle Hut, it is the newest addition to Guardswell Farm, which covers 81 hectares (200 acres) of countryside situated halfway between Perth and Dundee, about an hour and a half from Glasgow or Edinburgh.
“People gradually moved away from Pitmiddle’s way of life,”says Anna Lamotte, who manages Guardswell alongside her husband, Digby Legge, often accompanied by their four-year-old daughter and a cheerful 10-month-old in a vintage pram.
“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.”Both Anna and Digby grew up on farms and smallholdings nearby. Today, they raise cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens, tend the vegetable gardens, and welcome guests to stay.
The Pitmiddle Hut is located in the old village’s pendicle field. The slim volume Pitmiddle Village and Elcho Nunnery found in our cabin inspired the names of Guardswell’s huts: the Pendicle with its wildflower roof, the Infield featuring a stargazing window above the bed, and the shepherd’s hut called the Kailyard. These huts can be rented alongside two cottages and a large farmhouse, all clustered around the Steading. Once a dilapidated barn, the Steading has been transformed into a refined events space hosting weddings, craft and cuisine classes including cheese-making, and a popular monthly market. It also houses a small shop stocked with the farm’s meat, eggs, and Diggers cider, modern washrooms, and a cozy room filled with games and wellies.
The Pitmiddle Hut: A Family-Friendly Off-Grid Retreat
Originally, all cabins were designed for two guests. However, as Anna and Digby’s family expanded, and couples who married at Guardswell returned with pets and children, a larger accommodation became necessary. The Pitmiddle Hut is a 10-minute uphill walk and features a mezzanine bed above the kitchen for adults and a second bedroom with bunk beds and a double bed for children. These two sleeping areas are connected by a central indoor-outdoor space with sliding doors for sunny days. Our stay took place at the end of March, and the thick blankets made from wool sourced from Digby’s parents’ farm, along with Douglas fir planks lining the cabin, created a deeply cozy atmosphere.
As someone who is somewhat reluctant about camping, especially in a tent-loving family, this cabin offered an ideal balance. We built fires in the Esse Bakeheart stove to cook dinner and keep the wool-insulated cabin warm. Soon, there will be an outdoor kitchen and a firepit for toasting marshmallows. My son frequently dashed in and out, retrieving ingredients from the large coolbox on the deck. Although the hut is off-grid, it uses solar power for lighting and a single induction hob. There is a proper toilet, but showers require a walk down to the Steading each morning. This quickly became our favorite part of the day, greeting fluffy Shetland cows, small Hebridean sheep, donkeys named Ollie and Hugo, and a mischievous pygmy goat named Jimmy, who once escaped his pen and disrupted a wedding. It felt as though we had the entire farm to ourselves.
Disconnecting to Reconnect
There is no Wi-Fi, no television, and on my phone, at least, very limited signal. Instead, a basket beside the kindling contains Uno, playing cards, drawing pencils, and a watercolor set. My daughter painted a page with streaks of blue sky and green fields framed by the hut’s large picture window before taking a nature scavenger hunt sheet around the farm, checking off pine cones and primroses.
It would be easy to spend a couple of days simply roaming here, foraging for wild garlic, helping feed the animals, and exploring the Big Wood at the bottom of the farm, where 198 steps are cut into the hillside among the trees. However, with all of Perthshire beyond the Sidlaws and Fife across the River Tay, there is plenty to explore. Options include sandy beaches at East Neuk and Highland hills just beyond the foodie town of Pitlochry, where the Moulin pub and Victoria’s make a delicious detour. We avoided the Munros and instead hiked the nearby Sidlaws, starting at Old Scone Church, rebuilt stone by stone in 1805 when the village moved a couple of miles east from its original site near Scone Palace. The trail climbs through gorse-thick moorland to MacDuff’s Monument and the Lynedoch Obelisk, offering sweeping views toward Perth.
Girl Linda’s Cabin: A Unique Bothy Experience
We returned to the farm just as wet weather arrived and took shelter in the boat-turned-bothy called Girl Linda’s cabin at the top of a field. Scooping up a bottle of Diggers cider and apple juice from the hut, we ran for cover, the children screaming into the wind. We lit candles and the tiniest wood-burning stove as the valley below became shrouded in mist, giving the impression that the River Tay might rise and carry us away. We played Monopoly Deal as the rain pelted the portholes, then started a sing-along with the boat’s eclectic collection of instruments – bongos, guitar, glockenspiel, and a giant metal triangle.
“Let it go, let it go, I am one with the wind and sky …”My daughter’s favorite song suddenly felt very fitting.
A Peaceful Morning and a Return to Simplicity
On our final morning, we woke to milk-glass skies and the rhythmic sound of two woodpeckers in the trees as the sun rose through a fringe of woodland below us. Guardswell offers recorded morning meditations to start the day, gently encouraging pause and reflection. However, stillness was not on my children’s agenda. We quickly put on boots and fleeces over our pajamas and headed for the swings on the hill above the hut. Although Pitmiddle’s simple way of life did not endure in the face of modern advances, for a few days its slower rhythm felt within reach.
Accommodation was provided by Guardswell Farm. The Pitmiddle Hut sleeps six (two adults and up to four children) from £220 a night with a two-night minimum stay.
