Fludha Guest House

R.I.P Christine

2011-10-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

Just 20 months after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer and despite chemotherapy and major surgery I am sorry to say Chris lost her battle with this nasty disease on Saturday 29th October at 2:25 pm
She died after spending her last two weeks in hospital being cared for by the wonderful staff at the Alexandria Unit in Dumfries.
Christine remained bright and outgoing till the very end, always showing interest in other people and their lives. Almost the last thing she said to me was to ask me to hold her hand and not let go, I didn't let go till after she had passed away.

Although the disease claimed her life it never, never beat her.

We will be saying a final goodbye to her on Monday 7th November at St Cuthberts Church in Kirkcudbright. The service will be at 1:30. St Cuthberts is the same church we renewed our wedding vows ( on the occasion of our 31st wedding anniversary ) in a fabulous white wedding ceremony just 28 days before she died.

2011-10-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

Gosh, it actually happened! I feel as thought it was all a dream but happily its true. I really did marry my princess! All our plans came together and Christines talent for color co-ordination really showed as every little thing from napkin bows, cars kilts balloons and flowers everything looked like the centre page of vogue

Best Day of our lives. Thanks to all our guests for making it such a wonderful occasion

2011-08-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems that things are finally starting to settle down a bit. Since Chris left hospital it feels as though we have not had a day to our selves. We have had family, friends and neighbours from both near and far visiting and calling all expressing there concern and love for Chris, (and yes me as well :-)) So just to try and keep every body that may be interested "in the loop" I am happy to report that Chris appears to be stable and is home living the life of a retired millionaire (well maybe I exagerate that a bit ) Plans are almost complete for our forthcoming renewal of vows/wedding cermony. Christines dress has just arrived so we will be going to Edinburgh shortly for it to be fitted. All kilts have been ordered and us guys have all been measured up!!
Just 1 month to go now so we are getting really excited. Chris will be fine and a glowing bride on the day.

Very sad to report

2011-08-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

Where do I start.
I am very sad to announce that we closed Fludha on the 26th July 2011 for the foreseeable future.
Christine was told in January that she was now terminally ill. But that on average, people with her condition have approx two years. As Chris is relatively young, fit and incredibly strong willed we thought she had every chance of beating this average. Hence we continued to take bookings and continued working, after all, its what we both enjoy doing. Unfortunately cancer takes no notice of such attributes and Chris took a turn for the worse on Thurs 21st July. Doctors thought at one point that she may only have 4 or 5 days left. However, I am delighted to report she responded very well to some "fancy" drugs and is now home again. It was however a wake up call and we have decided that we need to spend whatever time she may have left in comfortable retirement.
We had grand plans for Fludha and our success to date meant we had every chance of making them all come true. However, we are incredibly proud of what we did achieve. We took a house and converted it into a business that in the 4 years that we were open went from zero to THE ONLY 5 star Guest House in the county and on the day we closed we were ranked as No 1 on Trip Advisor for the whole of Dumfries and Galloway

In other words, we retired at the very top of our particular tree.

I am constantly amazed at how many people read this blog, so I would just like to say a very genuine thank you to all our guest's over the last few years who have made us not only successful but very happy to have been able to share our home with you.

Proud to announce

2011-05-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

That our business "Fludha Guest House" has recently achieved the No 1 ranked position on Trip Advisor as the Top rated B and B/Guest House in the Whole of Dumfries and Galloway.

Visit Trip Advisor to read independent revues about Fludha

This means Fludha now enjoys the Double Accolade of being

The only Bed and Breakfast or Guest House in the whole of Dumfries and Galloway to be awarded
5 Stars by the Scottish Tourist Board

Ranked "No 1 out of 244" Bed and Breakfast's or Guest Houses in the Whole of Dumfries and Galloway by independent revue's on Trip Advisor.

Gosh, we are proud. Many thanks go to all our staff and top quality suppliers without whom this achievement would not have been possible.

Wedding Announcement

2011-04-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

On the 1st October 2011 Christine and I will have been married for 31 years.

To celebrate this momentous achievement we are going to Renew Our Vows in a White Wedding Ceremony at St Cuthberts Church Kirkcudbright. Followed by a reception and Ceilidh (Pronounced Kay-Lee and means Scottish dancing) at Threave House Castle Douglas

Approx 150 guests have been invited (and we hope they all say yes)
When we were actually married I am afraid it was a less than salubrious occasion with just witnesses at a registry office. Christine has never forgiven me for that so now it's time to make amends.

Posh wedding dress, Bridesmaids, Groom and best man in Formal Scottish Kilts (and any male guest who cares to join in) Piper at the Church and Harpist at reception. (Champagne & canape reception before a sit down meal) formal speeches and toasts. All followed by directed Scottish dancing (everyone will want to join in) Bacon butties for those left standing later in the evening. All in all a celebration of our life together which we want to share with those that mean the most to us. No gifts please. We will be seeking to relieve you of some cash though in aid of cancer research, more details nearer the time.

Spring is in the air

2011-04-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

In May this year we will be starting our 5th year in business here at Fludha. It has been an amazing time, starting the business from scratch I am happy to report the business has grown from strength to strength. For the first 3 month of this year alone we are 50% busier than last year for the same period. With bookings for April already exceeding last years total we are guaranteed a great start to the year. This year sees us with a new chef starting. Helen previously ran her own hotel before family commitments meant they had to give that up. So she is well qualified to continue bringing top quality food to your table. I am also pleased to report that after the quiet winter we have managed to retain all our staff and indeed have plans to take on some more. Not to worry though, even though we now have a lot of help we are still a hands on business, here to ensure everything runs smoothly and that the high standards that Chris has set are maintained. The lighter nights are here the weather is warming up, thankfully we don't suffer from natural disasters or have problems with airports so I believe we are going to get even busier. Part of our success must also come down to our competitive pricing structure as we provide the only 5 star accommodation in the area at less than many 3 star hotels, so, why not take advantage and come and enjoy yourselves here in Glorious Galloway. We look forward to meeting you, or indeed welcoming you back!!

Visit the NEW Corridor Gallery

2010-12-14T01:57:00.000-08:00

Christine's fabled "back passage" (we have had so much fun with that) has now been reborn as the "corridor gallery". Now, open plan, warm and inviting the former "back passage" has been converted into a well lit corridor gallery featuring work by local artists, with special focus on images of this beautiful area. Currently featured is work by photographer Phil McMenemy who has his own gallery at Lauriston. His work captures the look and feel of Dumfries & Galloway in beautiful detail.
Also featured is local potter Hannah McAndrew Her traditional slipware pottery is both practical and aesthetically pleasing.
The work of both artists can be viewed and purchased at leisure during your stay here at Fludha

New Guest Lounge at Fludha

2010-12-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

In previous years we have taken the ground floor bedroom out of commission to use as a lounge during the festive season. But, this year we have completed the stable conversion, so we have been able to release an additional ground floor room to be used as a permanent lounge for guest use. So whether its for pre-dinner drinks, relaxing with a coffee after your evening meal or just having a quiet afternoon in when its raining we now have a beautiful comfortable lounge for you to use. For your additional interest and enjoyment we will also be displaying works by local artist which will be for sale

Snow at Fludha Dec 2010

2010-12-07T02:57:00.000-08:00

Snow finally arrived here last night after a fortnight of frost. It really is a winter wonder land. Notice how the banks of the river have remained green, just goes to show how warm the gulf stream is here!! Actual outside temperature is around -4 C

Staff xmas Party 2010

2010-12-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

Well in order to show our appreciation to our staff, who have all brought a little extra something to our offering here at Fludha and without whom we could not have continued this year we thought a Christmas Party where we serve them for a change would be a good idea - a great night was had by all. Thank you!!


From left to right Ashley, Carolyn, The Hostess with the most-est - Christine, Glynn and last but not least Ruth

Yours truly in front of the camera for a change, surrounded !!!

Our Happy band of troupers showing off their new Fludha shirts!!

Don't worry, we did not make them wear the shirts for the party!!

Taking stock

2010-10-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

On the first of October we celebrated 30 years of married life together, and also the news that Christine is now in remission!!!. To celebrate these milestones we decided to treat ourselves. 3 nights away at Thorseby Hall in Nottingham (a 4 star spa hotel run by Warner Leisure). No denying the building was beautiful, nay stunning, and the spa was brilliant and the entertainment was enjoyable, the "luxury ensuite" however was far from luxurious as it sported a std shower with no where to put your toiletries, but worse the room service was very poor. After the 1st night our bed was not made, we got fed up of sending dirty cups back (and we were not the only ones), we had drinks served containing cream that was off and we really did not appreciate being served by waiters and waitresses wearing jeans and with their shirts hanging out, yes I know it might be fashionable but please, not when your supposed to be working. So we felt let down, never mind.
Second stop was Monk Fryston Hall in Nth Yorkshire, despite the fact we were the only people in the bar we had a very pleasant evening, however the morning was spoilt because the shower stopped working half way through taking a shower and would not start again. Breakfast would have been perfect if it had not been for the waitress taking plates away as soon as any one person finished (am I being picky).

Our final stop was at Langley Castle in Northumberland. This was a splendid treat, finally we had found somewhere where the luxury ensuite really was luxurious and the room was nothing short of a "fit for a king" description. But again the service let them down. In the evening we asked a waiter what time breakfast was served and he had no idea, during breakfast we asked for more toast and were treated to an oafish and reluctant grunt.

I do not want to sound like I am blowing my own trumpet but what our little trip made us realise and appreciate is that despite Fludha's much more modest architecture we do offer really excellent service even compared to the above hotels which charge considerably more.

New photo

2010-10-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well Christines hair is now looking lovely, its beautiful and curly and it's almost snow white. Call me biased if you like but I think it's stunning.

Lucky Shot

2010-09-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

Back in the days of 35mm cameras I used to think I was a pretty good photographer, what with my mastery of the depth of field and consummate knowledge of the ASA and DIN functions!! But nowadays with digital cameras you can hardly take a bad shot. However once in a while I still manage to take a "good" one. The picture below was taken only a hundred yards away from our drive entrance and the tide was a spring tide.

If you double click the image you get a better idea

Our view is a constant source of pleasure, to be honest its not always as pretty as the pic above! The river is Tidal and has a 30ft plus difference between high and low tide. This means that when the tide is out (twice a day) it looks like little more than a muddy stream. But variety is the spice of life right?
Heres another shot taken just a couple of days ago from our front door. I admit I used the zoom lens but the shot was special because the river was so blue. Ten minutes after I took this shot it was back to its steely grey colour so you have to be quick to get that "Lucky Shot"

Updated Photo's

2010-07-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

It has just been pointed out to me that the photo of Chris and I on the "about us" page of the web site is out of date. Here's one taken Febuary this year

Unfortunately shortly after this photo was taken Chris lost her hair due to the chemo, It is growing back now and is beautifully white - when its long enough to photo I will put a new one on the web site.

Posh car park

2010-07-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

The second car from the left is a 2 day old Aston Martin Rapide as featured on top gear - the rest are just audi quatro's, porches, bmw's and jaguars my Volvo (in background) was by far the cheapest car in the car park!

A Short Resume

2010-07-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post, lots of things happening this last few months. By far the most important is that my wife Christine has been very ill. I would just like to take this opportunity to thank the very many friends, family neighbours and guests who have supported us through this time. While she is not entirely out of the woods yet she has managed to stay very positive and we are looking forward to a long future together.

Furthermore I would like to thank our staff without whom we would not have been able to stay open and who have all contributed significantly to Fludha's continued success this year

Oh, and by the way I think her new hair style is brilliant!!

FLUDHA

2010-02-04T07:41:00.000-08:00

2010-02-03T09:13:00.001-08:00

Panorama of View from Fludha

Best Pic - Camaflaged dogs!

2010-01-23T17:09:00.000-08:00

I took a lot of pictures while we had snow but I think this is my best one. I even got this published on the BBC

Drinking up time at Fludha

2010-01-23T15:38:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how B/W pics can make a glass look empty! Thanks to my Bro for this picture

Snowy Sunsets

2010-01-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

This cold weather makes for brilliant photo opportunities, I spent about an hour trudging around the house the other day taking photo's as the sun went down, hope you like them

Sledging at Fludha

2010-01-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

Well at 55 I thought I had seen the last of my sledging days, BUT your never to old to have fun so today I seconded the re-cycle bin lid as a make do sledge and had a couple of hours fun shouting "jerronimo" and laughing till my sides ached - passers by applauded but despite being invited, no one joined me. Never mind, after turning the drive into an ice path, I decided to go for the "giant slalom" and started sliding down our embankment I almost made it to the drive, sadly no one saw me but here a a couple of pics of me on the trainng slope!

Valentines Day is coming

2010-01-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

Valentine Weekend Offer's

Saturday night(13th)

Candlelit Dinner, Bed & Breakfast with chocolates and champagne,last breakfast extended to 10am and extended checkout until 12 noon

£90 pp

Make a weekend of it
(12th & 13th) and save £20

2 Nights Candlelit Dinner, Bed & Breakfast,(chocolates and champagne on Saturday) breakfast extended till 10 am on Sunday, plus extended check out until 12 noon

£160 pp

Supplement of £20 per night for Fludha Suite

All the above only available by booking direct on 01557 331443

For more detaails visit our website

Christmas Pictures

2010-01-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

Fludha's decorated oak staircase And Santa ofcourse

Magical center piece Christmas Candle And Christmas Tree

A Christmas Romance?

A few "traditional" type pics.
The heavy frost coated everything making it into a magical wonderland.

It's at this time of the year when the days are at their shortest that we get the most spectacular sunsets.

The house looked like something out of Charles Dickens with all the outdoor lights (these seem to multiply every year).

Fludha Suite upgraded for 2010

2010-01-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would mention that in the main our rates for 2010 have remained unchanged (despite the VAT increase. However we have upgraded the Fludha suite and feel that the new tariff more properly reflects the luxury this accommodation affords. Go to Fludha's Rooms for more pictures and details.

No snow here

2010-01-05T11:41:00.000-08:00

Well only a sprinkling anyway, but it sure is cold - here's me skating on "not" so thin ice

Happy New Year to everybody!

We had a house full of guests for Christmas so very busy – for New Year we had a mixture of guests and friends and family. We all had an absolutely brilliant time – bonfire and fireworks, laughed till our sides split and got so drunk you would not believe before finally crawling to bed at 3:45 am! Getting up just in time to go to a new years day “ceilidh” (prounounced "Kay Lee" and its a Scottish country dance party) and start all over again. Thank goodness its only once a year!

Have a great New Year and watch out for the weather (no snow here but the ice on the pond is about 5” thick!!

Check out Fludha's 2010 rates

Christmas 09

2009-12-07T05:01:00.000-08:00

Well, just in case you are wondering, YES, WE ARE OPEN. Whats more we have some great offers available for late bookers, check out our prices at Fludha's Christmas Tarif and be sure to not leave it much longer as very few places left!

It's my Birthday

2009-11-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

Just had my hair cut and I swear I could double for George Clooney (in my dreams). 55 Years young on the 30th Nov. To celebrate, and let my hair down :-) we are away for a couple of days to Yorkshire staying at our best friends Adrian and Ann who run one of the finest Guest Houses in York. Barbican House

No Floods at Fludha

2009-11-21T02:37:00.000-08:00

Concern has been expressed by guest as far away as Canada after the recent "Perfect Storm" over the lake District and Dumfries and Galloway I just thought I would assure eveyone that Fludha and Kirkcudbright are almost unaffected. Lots of fields have flooded but that s all, here is a picture of the "High Tide"

To compare to normal

Not a Hotel

2009-11-18T13:02:00.000-08:00

Today we had a guest who having looked at our web site booked on the internet for a four night stay. They left 10 minutes after arrival saying it was not what they expected, when I queried this he was a little vague but insisted that although the room was beautiful (room 5) he had expected it to be more like a hotel? I am very sorry they were not happy but I am also puzzled by this as our web site and all our advertising heads up "Fludha 5 Star Guest House". Ah well, you can not please everybody. Just in case your wondering what the difference is, here are a few of the major differences.

	Hotel	Guest House
24Hr Reception	Yes	No
Porter service	Yes	No
Open to public	Yes	No
Bar	Yes	No
Lunches served	Yes	No
Public Rooms	Yes	Sometimes

Fludha is a top class guest house and we do offer exceptional standards of accommodation and service. We are licenced to serve alcohol to guests who choose to dine with us and we offer an excellent menu in the evenings. We do have plans to extend in the future and build a beautiful orangery but at the present moment in time our indoor public space is limited to the guest's own (spacious) room and the dining room.

Galloway Forest Park is the first Dark Sky Park in the UK

2009-11-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

Galloway Forest Park has been officially unveiled as the first Dark Sky Park in the UK.

The award, announced by the International Dark Sky Association, confirmed Galloway as one of the best places for stargazing in the world.
Lighting experts were brought in to ensure the skies above the forest park were pitch black at night.
The organisers of Galloway's bid said they hoped the award would boost tourism in south west Scotland.
The final decision on the award was taken at the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) AGM in Phoenix, Arizona, over the weekend.

IDA DESIGNATED DARK SKY PARKS ACROSS THE WORLD

Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah

Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania

Geauga Park, Ohio

Galloway Forest Park, Dumfries and Galloway

Source: International Dark Sky Association

In praise of real darkness

Part of the selection process involved giving a rating via a sky quality meter, which measures the darkness of the sky overhead.
The higher the sky quality meter reading the better the conditions for viewing stars, with the darkest reading, such as would be recorded in a photographer's dark room, rated 24.
In major cities such as Glasgow or Edinburgh, a likely reading would be about 15 or 16 on the scale. Galloway Forest Park was rated 23 on the scale, giving it a gold tier Dark Sky Park award status - the highest achievable.
Martin Morgan-Taylor, UK board member for the International Dark Sky Association, said: "Galloway Forest Park is a fantastic asset in the now international network of Dark Sky Parks.
"A core aim in creating such a park is to identify and honour protected public lands with exceptional commitment to, and success in implementing, the ideals of dark sky restoration and preservation.
"Its location is ideally situated for access from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast and northern England meaning that many people, including children, may have access to a quality night sky, both now and in generations to come.
"Such skies are rapidly disappearing and less than 10% of people in the UK can now see the Milky Way from where they live."
'Big plans'
Keith Muir, Forestry Commission Scotland's head of tourism and recreation in Galloway, said: "We have boldly gone where no-one in the UK has gone before.
"Tourism is the single largest economic development opportunity for south west Scotland.
"Currently, the Galloway Forest Park welcomes around 850,000 visitors each year and we have big plans to double this over time. This award, the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, should be seen as a universal achievement."
Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham said the worldwide interest in the Dark Skies initiative would put the forest park "firmly in the spotlight".
Galloway Forest Park, which was established in 1947, is the largest of its kind in the UK.
It covers some 300 square miles (about 77,700 hectares), and is managed by Forestry Commission Scotland.
The limited numbers of buildings within the forest park's boundary allows light pollution to be kept to a minimum.

Weather

2009-11-13T13:51:00.000-08:00

Well the weather man got it wrong again today. Forcast was for between 50 and 100mm of rain here today, what we actually had was an almost dry and mostly sunny day, mild and still with hardly a breeze all day!

Little Rascals

2009-11-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

Our pets (Jake & Ruby) can be the sweetest wee beasties, they can also be absolutly frustrating. We are having a wall built and they just love to roll in the building sand- in the rain then race inside - dont you just love em! Any how - heres a couple of "cute" pics - (Ruby is 6 month old today!!)

Check out the sticky bobbels on this pic of ruby by clicking to enlarge picture

Autumn view from Fludha

2009-11-11T04:41:00.000-08:00

This is a photo I took last week from our front door

and this is a photo I took yesterday (admitedly with a zoom lense, an almost perfect reflection of McLellan Castle. Also, if you look closely you can see all the ships in the harbour!

Gift Vouchers

2009-11-11T04:13:00.000-08:00

With the festive season almost upon us do you start to dread recieving loads of presents you dont want. Of course your too polite to say anything, but don't you just wish they would ask you what you would like! Well, I am not saying this is the perfect solution but it is certainly a very nice option. You can now purchase gift vouchers (valid for 6 month) for use here at Fludha Of various value they can be used to either pay for an entire stay or just pay towards a stay. Pay for a meal or Champagne on arrival the choice is yours. If the voucher you want is not there you can email me and I will do my best to create one for you

Change to our Terms

2009-11-11T03:20:00.000-08:00

Because we love dogs and Galloway is a great place to bring them It is only after a lot of heart searching that we have decided to stop allowing guests to bring there pets with them. It's not a case of "one bad apple" we have not had a bad experiance with any of our guests that have brought their pets. It's just that the house is really not suitable. When you come in winter or when its wet (which can be any time of year) and enjoy lovely long walks through our forests or along our coast the dog can not help but get filthy - if you were at home you would have an area suitable to cope with this on your return but taking a pet into one of our rooms is entirely innapropiate. So we are really sorry but pets are no longer allowed.

Brrrrrrr

2009-11-11T01:30:00.000-08:00

Beautiful white frost greeted us when we got up this morning. Last night as the last light was fading a beautiful scotch mist rose from the river, as the sun sank it all glowed pink - stunning. Guests who came in from a walk shortly after said all that was needed to make it perfect was the sound of bagpipes - sorry folks I have not got a musical bone in my body - but living here gives me a song in my heart!
You can view loads more of my photoes at Fludha Web Gallery

Christmas and New Year

2009-11-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

There is still time to book your (child free) break at Fludha during the coming festive season. Check out our seasonal tariff and book online at our website

Food

2009-11-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight (mid Novemner) we have 7 for evening meal. All our current guests are here taking advantage of our autumn/winter special offer - stay 3 nights and get a free evening meal for two!!

My first Blog

2009-11-10T09:34:00.000-08:00

Suck it and see is the old phrase, so here goes. I intend to use this blog to publish my thoughts concerning the business I'm in (tourism) and most especially my own business www.fludha.com which is the only 5 star Guest House, B & B or Hotel in the whole of Dumfries & Galloway