Living A simple green Life: If you're looking for a peaceful and relaxing base for your holiday in South West Scotland, Balkissock Lodge

Welcome

Welcome to my wee blog.My name is Andy ( The Dafthermit ) . For the last 20 odd years i have ben trying to get back to a simpler way of life and finally in my old bus up here in the Scottish mountains i am finally getting there. My time now is spent taking pictures of the highlands ,making films to show the world the beauty all around and writing something that has surprised me having had a few of my stories published , Having picked up a camera and laptop in 2008 i have really enjoyeed the journey the camera has taken me on again having had a couple of pictures in national magazines, last year three of ,my films where shown at the Loch Ness film festival. anyway i hope you enjoy your visit to my wee blog

love and light

Andy

Tuesday, 26 April 2011

If you're looking for a peaceful and relaxing base for your holiday in South West Scotland, Balkissock Lodge

Welcome

If you're looking for a peaceful and relaxing base for your holiday in South West Scotland, Balkissock Lodge will provide you with a comfortable break with a touch of luxury.

Views from around the property over the sea towards Ailsa Craig, Mull of Kintyre, Arran and Northern Ireland provide a spectacular backdrop to the variety of fauna and flora found in and around an acre of gardens.
A warm welcome awaits you with home-baked biscuits and cakes to accompany refreshments after your journey.

Breakfast, taken in the conservatory, is a leisurely affair with a full-Scottish consisting of local produce and home-made preserves. You could choose from a variety of other options such as croissants, porridge or Balkissock Eggs Benedict. Three course evening meals are also served using home-grown and local produce.

Situated close to the Galloway Dark Sky Park, Balkissock Lodge enjoys fabulous dark skies for star gazing and is an ideal base for cycling in the Galloway Forest, fishing on the river Stinchar, golfing at Turnberry Golf Club or walking the Ayrshire Coastal Path or visit Culzean Castle, Robert Burns Centre, Rhinns of Galloway Lighthouse or Logan Botanic Gardens. A 30 min drive will take you to the ferry port and day trips to Belfast and the Antrim Coast are popular with guests.

Howard and Cordelia look forward to welcoming you to Balkissock Lodge and hope to make your visit enjoyable, comfortable and the first of many.

“It was a pleasure to return to Balkissock Lodge...the property has gone from strength to strength. Gardens are well maintained & pleasing to the eye & continue to prove popular with the guests during the warmer weather who make the very most of this location. Housekeeping was found to be diligent & attentive in all areas for which congratulations are worthy.” AA Hotel Inspector

Awards:
AA Awards for breakfasts and evening meals.
Listed in the Independent Newspaper’s 50 Best B&Bs 2011

Wi-Fi available.

Open all year.

If you don't find what you're looking for then please contact us on: enquiries@balkissocklodge.co.uk

visit them here

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A wee film about us on STVs the HOUR SHOW click on STV logo to see the film

Andy the Daft Hermit lives 45 minutes outside Inverness with his wife Mel in an old bus parked in a layby. This current home of theirs is the longest they have ever stayed in one spot. “I’ve been travelling now 25 years,” said Andy Lowe. “Mel’s been travelling 15. One of the reasons we’ve come and stayed up here is because of Mel’s health. I wanted to bring her to the mountains for fresh air and clean water and just a slower pace of life.” Mel has had breast cancer twice, skin cancer once, and for three years believed she had bone cancer after being wrongly diagnosed. Andy’s belief in the restorative powers of the north made them pack up ‘The Black Bus’ that they live in and cross the border into Scotland. New Highland home for hermit couple Andy and Mel “I think we both believe in trying to get to a more simple way of life,” said Andy, “but it’s strange for us because we are sort of hermits, or we like to live separate, but it’s not being anti-social… it’s just the way we are that allows us to be creative.” Andy first began travelling when he left the army. Fed up with bureaucracy he packed a rucksack and left for France and has been travelling ever since. By investing any money the couple have earned into solar panels and wind generators they now live a self-sustaining existence, without electric bills, and collect rain water “straight from Heaven”. “It’s not easy,” said Mel. “There might be time when there might not be enough facilities around, but you always find a way, you know?” Rather than rejecting technology, Andy blogs about his travels online and collaborates with artists from around the world via his ‘Scratchy Heid Film Studio’, which he runs from a static trailer next to the couple’s bus. He explained his philosophy: “My belief is that if you can go through life and you drop dead and you’ve got a balance there that slightly outweighs the good than the bad, you’ve done alright. “Yesterday, with what Mel’s been through with the cancer and all that, I had a woman on one of my sites there that thanked me for the writing, for the positive things, and to me that’s worth everything. You can keep your millions, we’re not interested. That is what we do.” To check out Andy’s artwork and video projects check out his website. MORE FROM THE NORTH