This 4,000-Acre Scottish Estate Has A 1634 Castle And Still Makes Its Own Power

It's not every day you get invited to spend time on a country estate in Scotland. So, when an acquaintance in public relations asked if I was interested in checking out Monzie in Perthshire, I didn't need any arm twisting. I did, however, do some online research to see what I'd agreed to. And I wasn't at all disappointed by what I found.

Located three miles northeast of Crieff and a 90-minute drive from Edinburgh, Monzie Estate, it turned out, is a 4,000-acre working farm with a castle at the end of its drive, a parish church, an old mill by the stream, and a hydroelectric plant that has powered everything here since 1952. I spent three nights in one of the estate's holiday cottages, got a private tour of its castle, and walked trails on land that's not generally open to the public.

It was like having an entire (albeit small) Scottish village to myself. Here's how my stay in this quiet corner where the Lowlands meet the Highlands unfolded, and how you, too, can hang out at one of the most charming (and unpretentious) country estates in the UK.

A Village to Yourself

The first thing I noticed when I pulled into Monzie (pronounced Mun-ee) was just how quiet a place it is. Not just "quiet" as in a lack of noise (you'll hear nothing more obtrusive than birdsong), but also quiet as in, "hey, where is everyone?" Very few people live here, and that's a huge part of its appeal.

My digs for the duration of my stay were the estate's cozy Burnside Cottage. Just steps away from the heart of the village, it placed me within easy reach of Monzie Parish Church with its walled "kirkyard" (Scots for churchyard). Completed in 1831, it has cream-washed walls, an octagonal spired bellcote and, the real surprise, stained glass by Morris & Co., the firm founded by the legendary Victorian designer William Morris. I'd last encountered Morris's work in Cambridge and hadn't expected to find it in a Perthshire hamlet.

Along the road, the old mill beside the burn (Scots for a stream) is now Mill House, the largest of the estate's rentals. Next to it is the power station, a small hydroelectric plant built in 1952 by the current owner's grandfather that still supplies every building on the property, holiday cottages included.

Drinking water comes from an estate spring, which means no chlorine in your bath when you go for that long soak. Add a working sheep farm, a joinery workshop, and a street with next to no traffic, and it felt like I had the entire village to myself. I took advantage of the solitude each morning of my stay, relishing the serenity and the utterly unhurried feel of the place.

A Brief History of Monzie

Intrigued by what I'd seen of this quaint corner of Central Scotland, I dug a little deeper to find out more about it. I learned that Monzie is Gaelic for "field of corn," which made perfect sense given the surrounding farmland and that people have farmed the area for a very long time, as evidenced by the estate's stone circle, old packhorse bridge, and the remains of Iron Age fortifications, all of them reachable on foot from the cottages.

In medieval times, Monzie was the site of the St Lawrence Fair, held every August when farmers and crofters (small-scale tenant farmers) came down from the hills to sell cattle and buy in supplies. By the 17th and 18th centuries, weaving predominated, and the village grew to 200 people and a school that employed two schoolmasters.

An old standing stone near the castle gatehouse comes with a fascinating tale. It's said to mark the spot where Kate McNiven, remembered locally as the Witch of Monzie, was put to death. Legend has it that she was a nurse to the Grahams of Inchbrakie, a nearby estate, and was accused of witchcraft, specifically of being able to turn herself into a bee, among the most bizarre charges.

As punishment, she was rolled down a hillside known as the Knock of Crieff in a barrel and was burned beside the stone, cursing the laird of Monzie as she went.

Is any of this true? Who knows. But if it was, I'm pleased to say the curse didn't stick, as I met the current owners, the Crichtons, and they seemed to be doing perfectly fine. The Crichtons have been at Monzie since the 1850s, and David Crichton and his wife Alexandra (Alex) took it on in 2014, trading the fast-paced London life for 1,500 sheep, 200 cattle... and a castle.

Monzie Estate Today

Remember how I said my visit was instigated by someone I knew in public relations? Well, that someone was Alex Crichton, whom I'd worked with in the past. It was wonderful catching up with her during one of the private castle tours that the estate offers its guests. The tours are as informative as they are informal, so say "yes" when you are asked if you'd like a look inside Monzie Castle.

Hearing how Alex came to find herself running such a big property is a fascinating tale. She and David had been dating for three months when his friends started asking her, with a worried look, whether he had told her about Scotland. He hadn't, but as she pressed on, David admitted, a little sheepishly, that his family had a farm.

After another of his friends asked the same question a little later, Alex did what any of us would do: she asked Google. That farm, it turned out, came with 4,000 acres and a castle. She admits to still finding the whole thing hilarious (her words), and having seen the place for myself, as well as the incredible amount of work the couple put into running it, I can understand David's initial reluctance to share too much about it.

Touring Monzie Castle

A private tour of Monzie Castle is one perk of staying here. Alex leads it, and as it was summer, her two young boys came along too, adding a comic layer to the whole experience. The "cheekiest" moment? That came when a guest commented on a mustache penciled onto an old marble bust in the main hallway. To their credit, the boys didn't try to hide their guilt, and we couldn't help but snigger at their excuse that the mustache was an improvement. I've got two boys of my own, so I fully understood why their mother didn't find their wisecracks and doodles as amusing as I did.

Alex showed us how Monzie Castle is really two buildings. The older half is an L-plan laird's house completed in 1634, three stories of rubble stone with carved dormer heads over the windows, a pedimented doorway with the date on it, and a fireplace with a carved coat of arms of the same year. The newer part is a castellated mansion completed in 1795 with round towers at each corner and a bowed section in the middle.

Then, in 1908, fire gutted the interior and left little standing except the outside walls. The family brought in Sir Robert Lorimer, the leading Scottish architect of the day, who spent four years rebuilding the interior. The building is now Category A listed, the highest grade in Scotland. Having seen much of the still-lived-in castle's interior with Alex and her two small tour guides, I consider myself privileged to have enjoyed the kind of unhurried, unrehearsed experience you don't typically find on a castle tour.

A Stay at Burnside Cottage

Burnside is a delightful one-bedroom cottage that's perfect for two or, like me, someone traveling solo who wants a peaceful place to get away. Set at the foot of a hill beside the burn that gives it its name, it has a private garden and a field of sheep behind it. From the outside it looks like a simple Perthshire cottage, but inside, it's luxury at every turn.

Though the smallest of the five estate properties, it's anything but cramped. A well-equipped kitchen, hand-built by the estate's own joinery workshop, takes up one end and has all the mod-cons plus a cozy dining area. In the spacious living area, William Morris fabrics and wallpaper are a nice nod to the Morris & Co. glass in the church next door, and the wood-burning stove adds a touch of old-world romance.

I like a big bathroom, and Burnside's was a pleasant surprise: underfloor heating, a large double-ended bath, and a separate shower that also has room enough for two. There's also a washing machine, a fridge freezer, an oven and hob, and a microwave, all of which count in a self-catering property where the nearest shop is a short drive away in Crieff. There's an electric vehicle charging point, and the Wi-Fi works a treat.

Why You'll Love Monzie, Too

What most impressed me about my Monzie stay was the unique feeling of having a country estate and a village almost completely to myself. It was like I’d been handed the keys to the realm. I’ve toured plenty of grand houses run by trusts and ticket desks, where the family left generations ago, and their heirlooms are behind velvet ropes… and certainly not within reach of the youngest family members and their doodling habits.

Monzie’s nothing like that. This is a working estate that a family inherited, along with the roof repairs, the sheep, a power station that needs daily attention, and yes, the headaches. Alex and her family aren’t so much curators of Monzie Estate as custodians juggling their day-to-day lives to keep all the pieces working together.

When you stay here, you get to see first-hand what goes on behind the curtain at a country estate. Kids race through rooms, building boyhood memories, while their parents manage not just them, but a cottage rental business and a busy working farm. And in Alex’s case, all while still running a successful PR business. It’s country life seen from the kitchen door rather than the gift shop, and I’m not sure you can book that anywhere else.

Tips and Tactics

Given Alex's background in public relations (she still runs her own PR firm, in addition to managing the estate) and the fact I now have the good fortune to consider her a friend, not just someone I once worked with, I know she'd be pleased if I provided a few additional details about Monzie.

Here's what you need to know to enjoy this lovely country estate for yourself.

• Ask about the castle tour when you book, rather than after you arrive. Tours are complimentary for cottage guests, but are subject to availability, so the earlier the request goes in, the better. Monzie Castle also opens for a short public season each year, with tours at 2 pm and 3:30 pm, booked in advance by email.
• Minimum stays are two nights off-peak and three nights at peak times and weekends for the smaller cottages.
• Getting there is easy by car, and awkward without one. The hamlet lies on minor roads off the A822 and A85, 18 miles west of Perth, 50 miles from Edinburgh, and 47 miles from Glasgow. Every property has free parking, and some come with EV charge points.

Oh, and tell Alex that Bryan sent you.