“Ginspirational”
As told by Lynne Read
"My husband Weyland and I bought the Auld Post Office as a little ‘But ‘n’ Ben’ cottage and barn in a semi-derelict condition in 1995. With no running water or electricity, no windows and only a partial roof, it had always been a dream for Weyland to renovate a derelict cottage and fortunately, he has now fulfilled his dream! And, with my father being Scottish, our move from the far south of England felt like I was returning home.
The property such as it was also included 8 acres of farmland. So, we set about planting 16,000 Alaskan Lodgepole Pine trees, which are now around 20 foot tall and give us a lovely backdrop and windbreak for the garden.
It was while we were holidaying in India, chatting about our future retirement, that we thought we’d like to open our home for guests to have bed and breakfast. We knew that the house would make a lovely B&B but that it wasn’t quite big enough so Weyland sketched plans for an extension in the sand! On arriving home, he drew plans to add a two guest-room suite with its own front door. We felt it essential for our guests to be able to come and go as they please and while we wanted to offer wonderful hospitality, we could all enjoy our privacy too.
Gaining 4 stars with VisitScotland and being invited to join Scotland’s Best B&Bs, a group of 4* and 5* B&Bs within our first year of opening, was a dream come true.
Weyland also had dreams for the garden, with the ambition that it should worthy of being open to the public. While he had no intention of actually opening the garden to the public, he was invited to open for Scotland’s Garden Scheme, and in 2018, we were delighted when more than 150 people came for our first charitable open day, including afternoon teas.
We love to travel ourselves and learn a little about other cultures such as during a special trip we made high up in the Himalayas and on a cycling trip across Turkey. The kindness of people on these trips overwhelmed us. They weren’t holidays, they were travel experiences, and we learned to recognise the difference. We believe our own experiences help us to understand a little more about the needs of others when far away from home. If we have it, you can be sure we will share it. We have welcomed guests staying in the B&B from over 30 countries, and it really is a joy to meet so many people and learn about other cultures in our own home. Listening to their stories and being able to share lovely places to visit locally, there are some beautiful clifftop walks, breath-taking beaches, castles, cairns and lighthouses galore just waiting for our guests to explore.
We really do feel so very fortunate to live in our guests’ holiday destination.
A recent addition to the B&B is our Gin Tasting Room. Our gin tasting evenings all began with a little help from our friends, it was February 2016, that 3 couples came to stay to nose and taste and learn a little about Scottish Gin. And so, in the name of research, we helped to gather information for the Scottish Gin Trail.
So, what began with a dozen bottles of small-batch hand-crafted artisan Scottish Gin led us on our botanical nosing and tasting journey. Our Gin Tasting Room has an Art Deco ambience and with over 100 Scottish Gins in-house, we offer guests a unique Gin Tasting Experience. Our guests nose and taste the full flavour spectrum with all the mixers and garnishes recommended by each distiller, many of our garnishes are hand foraged in the herb garden.
I have a stammer, and over the years have gained a level of control of my speech and I have found our gin tasting evenings to be both hugely enjoyable and helpful on a personal level. While I introduce the gins and their provenance, Weyland shares their botanical stories. Our guests have written so many lovely reviews of their gin tasting experience and stay and it’s always wonderful to hear that they have enjoyed their stay with us at the Auld Post Office.
And as for our own favourite gins? Goodness the list could be a long one. Different gins for different times of day for us! If Weyland is cutting the grass, I’ll likely pour him a Daffy’s with a slice of lemon and lime.. it’s quite light and refreshing. But for evenings, his favourite would most likely be Cadenhead’s Old Raj, with a tiny slither of chilli. It’s far too peppery for me.
And for me… I rather like Gordon Castle with lemon, lime and a sprig of mint from the garden, and for a warming evening gin Orkney Mikkelmas with orange and a clove and ginger ale, or Gin Bothy Gunshot, neat with a slither of ginger, both have all the lovely warming spices of Christmas… Like Christmas in a glass.
And of course, the delicious award-winning range of Rock Rose Gin is made at nearby Dunnet Bay Distillery. Weyland’s favourite is the original with a sprig of rosemary or orange peel for a little sweetness, and I rather like the Autumn expression, with blueberries and raspberries, that’s not the recommended garnish, just my favourite way. Not forgetting El-Gin from Elgin, which is also delicious, I love it with raspberries and a slice of apple… it’s like cranachan in a glass.
Our Gin Tasting Experience is available for up to six guests while staying at the auld Post Office and as you can see there’s a gin favourite for everyone!”
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