The Kudu Apartment - Sleeps 4

Located up six stairs to the verandah, the Newburgh Homes are have a large, well decorated open-plan dining room with modern kitchen.  The Homes for Rent are a four star establishment rated by the Scottish Tourist Board.  Containing two bedrooms, one double and one twins, each room has a shower and WC available.

The Newburgh Homes are a gorgeous mansion located amidst green parklands.  The recently renovated Victorian wing contains four spacious accomodations.  These can be booked separately, or as an entire unit comfortably housing 17 people.  The lodge house contains a fifth apartment as well.

    * Open year-round
    * Indoor heated swimming pool and sauna available
    * Furnished and equipped to the best standards including colour TV and video, radio cassette player and telephone
    * Full modern kitchen with oven, hob, microwave, fridge freezer, dishwasher, coffee maker, toaster, etc
    * Central heating (Gas)
    * Provided linen and towels
    * Laundry room with washing machine / drier
    * High chair, cot and baby bath upon request

The Homes for Rent are set in the 16th century on a great 120 acre plot with woods, streams, parklands, and two ornamental lakes.  On the grounds are wildlife, trees, wildflowers, parklands with cattle, rare breed sheep, horses, ponies and a donkey.  The location is on the Perthshire / Fife border, two miles from Auchtermuchty.  It has been featured as Tannochbrae in Dr Finlay's relaunched casebook.  Less than a five minute drive away is the gorgeous medieval village of Falkland, home to Falkland Palace, a Renaissance royal hunting lodge with a connection to Mary Queen of Scots.

This woodland location is perfect for rambling, hillwalking and visiting the East Neuk of Fife, with its sandy beaches and quaint fishing villages.  If you enjoy golfing, many excellent courses are nearby includingOld Course in St Andrews and Carnoustie in Angus. St Andrews is an ancient university town, famous 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.

The Swimming Pool

All the guests of the Newburgh Homes are allowed to use the heated swimming pool (23 ft x 12 ft).  There is internal access to the pool for all apartments (except Kudu) and the Lodge.  In addition we have a timed sauna.  The pool is an excellent way to relax after a long day of sightseeing or golfing.

The Grounds

The Homes for Rent pride themselves on peace and serenity.  Walking around the 120 acre estate will lead to a small ornamental lake (small children beware!) adjacent to the main house and a garden creating the perfect setting for relaxing on a summer's evening.  The second, larger lake, is fully stocked with great fish and the parklands themselves contain rare-bred sheep and Highland cattle.  For the children, there is a play area and petting zoo with ponies and a donkey.

Local Tourism

Pitcairlie is located 2 miles from Auchtermuchty, near to the M9, giving easy driving access north to Perthshire and the Highlands and also to Edinburgh and the south.  Thus it is the perfect base for seeing Fife and exploring farther afield.

Fife is ripe with culture and attractions.  In fact, there are so many things to do that we have provided a brochure for your convenience.

The kingdom of Fife has a wealth of experiences to share and glorious places to offer; from the 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, there will always be something to do at the Newburgh Homes. 

Local History

The Barony of Abernethy originally formed the Petcarlings area.  The Leslie family, Earls of Rothes, obtained the land in 1312 after a marriage betweenSir Andrew Leslie and the daughter of Sir Alexander Abernethy.  Sir Alexander had been a staunch proponent of Robert the Bruce, but later espoused the cause of Edward I and commanded the English garrison at Dundee.

It is thought that the Leslies of Pitcairlie originally built the Pitcairlie House in the early 16th century.  The tower of the house was most likely added later around 1550 by George Leslie.  This home probably assumed a defensive role, indicated by the strength of the ground floor vaulting and the sheer thickness of the walls, in conjunction with the position of the house on top of a ridge protected on two sides by the loch and on the other two sides by the burn and glen to form a moat.  Sir Patrick Leslie then received the house in the 1600's from the 4th Earl of Rothes and became the 1st Lord of Lindores.

Most notably, the famous son of Sir Patrick Leslie; Major General David Leslie, was born at the house and later served in the Scottish army of Gustavaus Adolphus in the Covenant era.  He was most noted for his daring cavalry charge during the civil war battle of Marston Moor for Cromwell in 1644.  Through the war he was promoted to Commander-in-Chief and shared in the defeat of Charles the First in Worchester, 1651.  As a consequence he was imprisoned but later renamed as Lord Newark upon release at the Restoration.

After the death of the 2nd Lord of Lindores in 1649, the house was in a state of financial distress.  The 355 year ownership of the home by the Leslie family was ended in 1667 by the Court of Session awarding the house to John Bayne.

More recently, in the mid 18th century, Pitcairlie was bought by Colonel James Cathcart of Carbiston, whose family used the Newburgh Homes until the mid 1960's.  The Cathcart family contained Major James Cathcart, who had an honorable miltary career in India; Captain Robert Cathcart, who served with distinction under the command of Nelson at the Battle of the Nile and in the Baltic; and Robert Cathcart, who was appointed Vice-Lieutenant of Fife in 1886.