Holly Tree Cottage 18 Main Street Straiton Ayrshire

The conservation village of Straiton in South Ayrshire is the ideal place to spend some time exploring the beautiful area of south west Scotland.

Located in the centre of the village, Holly Tree Cottage is comfortable, cosy and a traditional 200 year old cottage which is available for daily, weekend, midweek and weekly rent.

With a large open fire, two double bedrooms, a well-equipped kitchen and comfortable sitting room Holly Tree Cottage is the ideal place to stay for a romantic weekend, a walking, fishing or cycling holiday, or if you are visiting family and friends in the area.

There is lots do without the need to get in the car. Within a short stroll there is the Black Bull, a traditional pub serving good food, The Buck Coffee Shop with delicious cakes plus a selection of crafts and Straiton Stores selling a wide range of provisions. There are several signposted walks starting from the village, fishing and cycling are on the doorstep too.

Nearby is Galloway Forest Park which is also a Dark Sky Park and is home to some of the world's darkest night skies. There are several locations nearby to star gaze including right outside the back door.

Within the cottage is a wealth of information on the attractions this area has to offer, as a well as books on birds, wild flowers, astronomy and wildlife.

Parking is available outside the cottage and your well-behaved pet is welcome too.

We look forward to welcoming you to Straiton.

The comfortable sittingroom with open fire

About the village

by Andrew Wilmot

Straiton is neatly placed a hundred yards above a sweeping bend of the winding Water of Girvan. Probably the first feature to impress the visitor is the width of the village street with its attractive stone-built cottages. The outline of Craigengower (the Hill of the Goats in Gaelic) forms a backdrop to the settlement itself. On the skyline stands the obelisk erected to the memory of Lt Col James Hunter Blair, killed at the battle of Inkerman in 1854.

The present village was created at the direction of Thomas Kennedy, Earl of Cassillis, in the late 18th century. Some modifications have been made to the original dwellings, notably the addition of another story to some cottages. Stone from a derelict water mill a mile upstream was used. Additional houses have been erected in Dalmellington Road, Knockbreck Road and Fowler's Croft.

Originally the houses were thatched. Some were weavers' cottages in the 18th and 19th centuries, but there were many other occupations for the local folk; joiner, smith, cobbler, innkeeper, coachman etc.

The name of the village has been variously spelled; Stratton, Stratoun, Straittoun. It is probably of Celtic origin and may mean a settlement in a deep or wide valley.