About Scotland

Bed and breakfast with optional Dinner
Small Hotel with good food in South West Scotland, near the sea.
7 rooms. exclusive use sometimes possible
Visit Scotland **** small hotel Automobile Association Rosette

Cavens Country House Hotel

Cavens
Kirkbean
by Dumfries
South West Scotland

15 minutes south of Dumfries in South West Scotland, and secluded amidst 6 acres of gardens, ancient Florence Court Yews and giant Rhododendrons, Cavens Country House Hotel is the ideal place for complete relaxation in beautiful surroundings.

Cavens Country House Hotel

Owners Angus and Jane Fordyce live on the premises and offer a friendly welcome to all who come to stay. This is a perfect place to stop for a night or two if you're travelling around this quiet and unhurried part of Scotland, and also very suitable if you are a party, because the hotel (sleeping 14) can be made available on a exclusive basis, for family re-unions, house parties for friends, shooting parties (excellent shooting close by and Angus can help arrange this), and Christmas and New Year.

Cavens was built in 1752 for the Oswalds, who were friends of Benjamin Franklin. Robbie Burns wrote a poem 'Ode sacred to the memory of Mrs Oswald'. Dumfriesshire is Burns country and there are lots of places associated with him nearby. Founder of the American Navy, John Paul Jones, was born a short distance away, you can visit his house. There are 12 golf courses locally, the closest a mile away. The countryside is rural, unpopulated, with rolling hills, woodland and a natural coastline.

Accommodation:

Cavens has 8 bedrooms all with private Shower and/or Bathrooms en suite, and two with private Sitting Rooms.

Right; Oswald Double bedroom.

 Oswald bedroom
Bathroom

Left and right;
Criffel Bathroom and Double bedroom.

Criffel Double bedroom
Kindar Sitting Room

Left and right;
Kindar private sitting room and Twin bedroom.

Kindar Twin Bedroom

Right; The cosy area with sofas around a log fire - a part of the large and light Drawing Room with windows overlooking the garden.

Sitting Room

Right; A further Sitting Room, also looking over the garden. An after-dinner Malt Whisky never tasted better than in a comfortable chair by a crackling log fire such as this!

Drawing Room

Dining at Cavens:

Automobile Association RosetteAutomobile Association Rosette and "Taste of Scotland."

Dinner is optional but highly recommended. The food is such as you would expect at a private country house; fresh, locally sourced where possible, an emphasis on enjoyment, simplicity and quality.

A sample Dinner menu: changing daily and according to the season with two dishes to choose between.

a parcel of creamed mackerel wrapped in smoked salmon
or
avocado, leaves, and asparagus topped with lightly poached egg
---
fillet of Galloway beef in a cream and peppercorn sauce
or
monkfish oven roasted with a red pepper sauce
selection of vegetables and potatoes
---
iced coffee cream cake
or
caramelised oranges
or
cheeses from Loch Arthur farms
---
coffee
chocolates from Carswell of Kirkudbright.

Dining Room

Dinner is on a 'set menu' basis to taking full advantage of local and seasonal produce.

Angus's cellar has a carefully chosen representative selection of wines from Europe and the New World. Claret, Rhône, Malbec, Chardonay, Chablis, Riesling, Puilly Fuissé, etc.

Cellar

Tariff:

from £40 to £80 per person per night based on two people sharing a room, and including a full Scottish breakfast.

Dinner consists of 3 courses and coffee and is £25.

Special discounted rates apply at certain times of the year and for parties staying two nights or more.

House parties, Christmas and New Year The hotel has 7 rooms and parties may stay at Cavens on an exclusive use basis especially during the winter months. Please enquire.

Smoking in the large Drawing Room only please.

Sauvignon Blanc

To enquire or to book:

Please contact:
Angus and Jane Fordyce

Cavens Country House Hotel
Kirkbean
Dumfriesshire, DG2 8AA
Scotland, UK
Tel: 01387 880234
Fax: 01387 880467
or from outside the UK:
Tel: 44 1387 880234
Fax: 44 1387 880467

Cavens Arms

Please tell Jane and Angus you found Cavens through About Scotland!

Some photographs by Z. Kracun.

View of the garden

Walking: at Kirkbean itself is Criffel, the highest of the coastal hills (1868ft/569 m) with a splendid viewpoint over the Nith estuary and Solway Firth.
Castles, gardens and wildlife: Only slightly further afield near Castle Douglas are Threave Castle and Threave Gardens and Estate and Plant Centre, and a little way eastwards along the Solway Firth near Caerlaverock Castle is Caerlaverock Wild Life and Wetlands Trust where in the autumn and winter and spring thousands upon thousands of wild geese and other migrating birds can be seen from hides and observation towers and in summer trails meander through flower meadows alive with wildlife.

Map of the area:

Map of Dumfriesshire, Scotland