Self Catering in Coldingham
Welcome to Coldingham Loch Fly Fishery, Self Catering in Coldingham. Coldingham Loch Fly Fishery offers quality self-catering holiday accommodation set on a quiet 60 acre private estate, approximately 1.5 miles from Coldingham village and is centred around Coldingham Loch, a beautiful natural spring fed 22 acre loch which offers superb fly fishing for brown, blue and rainbow trout. Fishing is available from bank or boat – booking advisable.
Coldingham Loch is situated in a stunning coastal location a few hundred metres from the highest cliffs on the South East coast of Scotland. There are magnificent walks along the coast from the cottages and just above the loch are the remains of an Iron Age fort offering fantastic panoramic views. The loch and its environs offer a wide variety of bird and wildlife to enjoy as well as some fabulous wild flowers (see our website galleries).
Five holiday lets comprising:
Victorian boathouse, on the shore of the loch with its own fishing boat. This was re-furbished by the current owners in winter 2011 to provide a unique ‘get away from it all’ cottage for guests to enjoy the beauty of this fantastic loch and picturesque scenery from their own balcony and garden.
Lodge – traditional stone cottage (refurbished 2013) which was the old gate house to the estate and three wooden chalets (Elm refurbished for 2014, Sunnyside in 2012) all offer excellent accommodation at a reasonable price for guests to unwind and enjoy this unique and lovely part of the world. Dogs welcome by arrangement.
Both the local area and the Scottish Borders are renowned for being a beautiful area full of places of interest, things to do and fantastic scenery to enjoy. Here is just a small sample of local activities that guests can enjoy.
Wildlife & Walking – there are plenty of walks from Coldingham Loch as the Berwickshire coastal path is about 200m walk behind Lochside cottage & there you will find the highest cliffs on the east coast of Britain. It is a fabulous spot to simply sit and enjoy the views, solitude, and abundant birdlife and if you are lucky you may spot a seal, porpoise, whale or dolphin.
There are numerous walks from Coldingham Loch both along the coastal path and inland and each cottage is provided with a book outlining the various local walks available. And the Southern Upland Way is at nearby Cockburnspath.
Diving & Boat trips – St Abbs is the next village south along the coastal path. The deep clear waters off St Abbs Head offer the diver a rich variety of marine life to enjoy in this marine nature reserve making it a very popular place for divers from across the UK and beyond. There are also boat trips from St Abbs harbour out to the marine reserve in a glass bottomed boat and also for those who enjoy sea fishing this can be arranged from St Abbs or from Eymouth.
Fishing – there are opportunities to fish for salmon and trout on the river Tweed, with its tributaries the Teviot, Yarrow, Ettrick, Leader and Whiteadder. For stillwater fishing, Coldingham Loch is complemented by an additional trout fishing experience to be had at Whinney Loch, a few minutes walk across the road from Coldingham Loch. This lovely 3 acre loch offers fly fishing from the bank for rainbow, brown and blue trout. Contact Ted or Tina Wise for further information 018907 71838. For those who enjoy sea fishing the rocks off Coldingham Bay or at Eyemouth Bay and harbour offer a good chance of a sea bass, mackerel or cod. We have sea fishing rods to use for holiday guests should you want to have a go at adding more fish to the barbeque!
Bird-watching – St Abbs is just along the coast from Coldingham and guests can walk there along the coastal path from the Loch or ten minutes by car. St Abbs Head has one of the largest mainland seabird colonies in Britain and so is an excellent place to observe cliff-nesting seabirds.
Coldingham Beach – a 10 minute walk from St Abbs along the coastal path and you come to Coldingham Bay (also 5 mins by car from the Loch through Coldingham village). This lovely blue flag beach offers good sand & surfing with many rock pools for both old and young to explore. Fantastic walks along both south and north from the beach offer visitors an easy way to enjoy the lovely views and fresh air of this lovely bit of coastline. Pack a picnic and a rug and find your own piece of sand or grassy hillock on which to while away the hours.
Clifftop Discovery Trail – this ‘safari style’ tour of the cliff tops by Land Rover offers a unique and exhilarating opportunity to explore the natural history, geological formations prehistoric hill forts and settlements through seven neighbouring coastal farms along this stunning coastline. For more information visit www.clifftopdiscovery.co.uk
St Abbs Head Nature Reserve – St Abbs Head is owned and managed by the National Truts for Scotland and although best known for its seabird colony the reserve includes approximately 200 acres of grasslands rich in flowers, a freshwater loch and a steady stream of migrant birds in autumn and spring. Information boards give details of the footpaths that cross Head.
Eyemouth – Fishing at Eyemoth dates back to the 13th century and the harbour is still active today. The mouth of the River Eye provides a natural harbour and sandy beaches along with a tourist information centre and the fascinating Eyemouth Maritime Museum situated on Harbour Road. Eyemouth also has local shops, banks and library.
Golf Courses – plenty of courses around for golfers: Eyemouth, Berwick, Duns, North Berwick, Goswick, Dunbar and Coldstream to name a few. Eyemouth is our local course and offers panoramic views over the North Sea. The par three, 170 yard sixth hole at Eyemouth was recently voted Britain’s most extraordinary golf hole. Cardrona, the newest addition to the Borders courses has been given the label of the ‘Gleneagles of the South’…when you play it you’ll see why.
Castles – walking approximately 3.5 miles north along the coast from Coldingham Loch you come to the ruined remains of Fast Castle overlooked by Telegraph Hill, a summit of 170m overlooking the precipitous cliffs of this rugged coastline. A few miles away is Ayton castle, a unique example of a restored Scottish Castle and you have castles at Alnwick, Bamburgh and of course Edinburgh all within an hours drive.
Berwick-on-Tweed – 12 miles south from Coldingham Loch this historic town offers visitors shops, cafes and restaurants as well as the beauty and history of this walled town located at the mouth of the River Tweed.
Lancastrian painter L.S Lowry loved the town and today there is a specially created Lowry Trail for those who want to explore his favourite holiday town. From the top of the Elizabethan Town Walls you can take in some spectacular views over the wide estuary of the River Tweed including Stephenson’s famous viaduct bridge, hailed as one of the finest in the world and which is now lit at dusk.
Theatre, Dance, Music & Film – The Maltings Theatre & Arts Centre in Berwick-on Tweed is the premier performing and media arts venue for north Northumberland and the Scottish Borders, housing a beautiful 325-seat theatre, studio, restaurant, bar and conference facilities. It offers visitors a wide range of live theatre, dance, music, comedy and film. Go to www.maltingsberwick.co.uk
Further afield: The Scottish Borders and Northumberland are areas renowned for their beauty, lovely old market towns and relaxing pace of life. There are numerous walks further afield up or down the coast with some fabulous big sandy beaches in north Northumberland (at Bamburgh Castle, Lindisfarne, Holy island etc). Inland you have the Northumberland National Park, walks along the numerous rivers, historic houses to visit, old towns to enjoy, and for the energetic there are also two of the 7 Stanes mountain bike riding centres at Newcastleton (Northumberland) and Glentress & Innerleithen (in the Tweed Valley, Scottish Borders) . See our Scottish Borders page for further information.
Edinburgh is less than an hour by car from Coldingham Loch or you can enjoy a fabulous coastal train journey from Berwick-Upon-Tweed. Full of history, beautiful buildings and fantastic shopping and of course the Edinburgh Festival this gem in Scotlands crown is not to be missed. And of course the zoo now hosts the first Giant Pandas in the UK for 17 years.
