This central location is ideal for rambling, hillwalking and exploring the East Neuk of Fife, with its sandy beaches and picturesque fishing villages. For golfers, there are many excellent golf courses within easy reach, including the Old Course in St Andrews and Carnoustie in Angus. St Andrews is an ancient university town, famous the world over as the home of golf. From Pitcairlie, the M9 is near at hand, allowing easy access to Edinburgh and the south, as well as north to Perth and the Scottish Highlands.

Accommodation Guide

Pitcairlie presents a rare opportunity to stay in an elegant mansion house beautifully set in its own rural parklands. The Victorian wing of the house has been tastefully restored to provide four impressive guest apartments. These can be booked separately, but can also be taken as a whole unit, offering a total of four double bedrooms, four twin rooms and one single room accommodating 17 persons. The Lodge House provides a fifth apartment.

The Eland Apartment - Sleeps 6

This property is on the first floor of the Victorian wing and reached by stairs. It consists of an extremely spacious and elegant open-plan sitting / dining room with a well equipped modern fitted kitchen area. It has been awarded a Scottish Tourist Board 4 Star rating. There are three bedrooms, one double and two twin, all with en suite shower rooms and WC's. The scale of the main room in this apartment makes it particularly suitable as the main social area where a group has booked more than one apartment.

The Kudu Apartment - Sleeps 4

A two-storey accommodation with six steps up to the verandah and entrance. On the lower floor is a cosy sitting room with gas fire and a small, well equipped kitchen area. A feature spiral stair (unsuitable for small children) leads up the the upper floor containing one double bedroom with en suite shower and wc, one twin bedroom, and a shower room with wc. It has been awarded a Scottish Tourist Board 4 Star rating.

The Sable Apartment - Sleeps 4

This apartment is reached via six steps on to the verandah. It offers comfortable accommodation on a split level. The lower floor comprises a spacious open-plan sitting / dining area with a high vaulted ceiling, gas fire and well-equipped modern kitchen area, while the upper floor contains one double bedroom and one twin bedroom, both with en suite shower room and wc. It has been awarded a Scottish Tourist Board 4 Star rating.

The Garden Apartment - Sleeps 2/3

This comfortable property is all at lower ground floor level. The entrance leads from the garden into the sitting room with gas fire. There is also a well-fitted and equipped kitchen with dining area, one double bedroom and one single bedroom (no window), bathroom and wc. It has been awarded a Scottish Tourist Board 4 Star rating.

The Lodge- Sleeps 2/3

This charming, south-facing Georgian cottage has been renovated to a high standard and provides a cozy haven for a couple, family or small group of friends. The accommodation comprises a large sitting room with open fire (logs provided), a separate dining area, a well-fitted and equipped kitchen with door to garden and patio, one double bedroom with shower cubicle and wash basin, one twin bedroom with wash basin, and a bathroom and wc. It has been awarded a Scottish Tourist Board 3 Star rating.

The Swimming Pool

All our guests at Pitcairlie have free use of our heated indoor swimming pool (23 ft x 12 ft). Internal access to the beautifully finished pool room is available from all properties, except Kudu (which is just a few yards away along the verandah) and the Lodge. There is also a metered sauna. We hope our guests will enjoy our pool, which is just perfect for easing away an energetic day's sightseeing or a hard day on the golf course.

The Grounds

Perhaps the best facility of all is the peace and quiet of Pitcairlie. Guests can enjoy walking in our secluded 120 acre estate with its woods, streams and lakes. The small ornamental lake (small children beware!) beside the main house and garden provides an idyllic setting for sitting out on a summer's evening or setting out on an autumn ramble through the woods and meadowlands. A second, larger lake has recently been formed and stocked with fish. The parklands are grazed by rare-bred sheep and Highland cattle. There is also a children's play area with ponies and a donkey for our guests to befriend.

From golf in St Andrews to the fishing villages of the East Neuk, from the Renaissance Palace of Falkland to the ancient home of the Stone of Destiny at Scone Palace, and more ... use the menu on the right to discover the wealth of experience available in and around the Kingdom of Fife ...


Local History

The lands of Petcarlings originally formed part of the Barony of Abernethy. In 1312, the lands passed into the ownership of the Leslie family, Earls of Rothes, when Sir Andrew Leslie married the daughter of Sir Alexander Abernethy. Sir Alexander had been a supporter of Robert the Bruce, but had later espoused the cause of Edward I and commanded the English garrison at Dundee.

Pitcairlie House dates from the early 16th century and may have been the original home of the Leslies of Pitcairlie. The tower was probably built around 1550 by George Leslie, 3rd Earl of Rothes. The strength of the ground floor vaulting and the thickness of the walls, together with the position of the house on an elevated ridge protected on two sides by the loch and on the other two sides by the burn and glen to form a moat, suggest it was created in a defensive role. The 4th Earl of Rothes granted Pitcairlie to his second son, Sir Patrick Leslie, who afterwards became 1st Lord of Lindores in 1600.

The most famous person connected with the house was a son of Sir Patrick Leslie, namely Major General David Leslie, who was born at Pitcairlie. Having served in the army of Gustavaus Adolphus, he commanded the Scottish forces in the days of the Covenant. During the Civil War, he fought on both sides, at one time leading a dashing cavalry charge which was prominent in deciding the Battle of Marston Moor for Cromwell in 1644. Later in the conflict, he rose to the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the royalist forces and shared in Charles I's defeat at Worcester in 1651. He was imprisoned thereafter, but was created Lord Newark at the Restoration.

Another son of Sir Patrick Leslie became 2nd Lord of Lindores, but his death in 1649 left the estate in financial disarray. This led to the Court of Session granting Pitcairlie to a creditor, John Bayne, in 1667, thus ending 355 years of ownership by the Leslie family.

In the mid 18th century, Pitcairlie was acquired by Colonel James Cathcart of Carbiston, whose family retained the estate until the mid 1960's. There were several notable members of this family, including Major James Cathcart, who had a distinguished miltary career in India; Captain Robert Cathcart, who served with distinction under Nelson at the Battle of the Nile and in the Baltic; and Robert Cathcart, who was appointed Vice-Lieutenant of Fife in 1886.