So like that, summer is over. Shame. But don’t panic, something even better is upon us: fall. Red wine time. Long walks. Cold but warm. It’s handcuff season, if you will. And that means one thing and one thing only – a stay, baby.
We know the term makes you cringe a bit, but it’s true – fall is the time to spend a weekend, right here in the UK. And if you want a real country getaway, how about settling into the very room where Mary, Queen of Scots used to lay her head, deep in the hills on the Scottish border?
If that sounds like your cup of tea, you’re in luck. You can rent all of Neidpath Castle on Airbnb for £400 a night. After being built by Sir Gilbert Fraser in 1190, the castle was inherited by Francis Charteris, 6th Earl of Wemyss, in 1810. Much has been preserved, and it now features works of art by Mary Queen of Scots, who stayed at the castle in 1563.
From the outside it is quite magnificent, surrounded by what remains of an enclosed garden with tall medieval turrets. But the interior is pretty cool too, with high ceilings, pastel pink walls and cozy period furniture.
There is also said to be a resident ghost who occasionally wanders the halls, named Jean. She was the daughter of her 17th century landlord, Sir William Douglas, and had been forbidden to marry the man she loved.
But legend has it that she became so ill from grief that when her lover returned and he didn’t recognize her, she died of anguish. She likes to hang out in the neighborhood in a long brown dress and a white collar, apparently. Scary!
ICYMI: these castles could soon collapse into the sea due to climate change.
More: stay at this lighthouse keeper’s cottage on one of the UK’s most remote islands.
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