Heather Cottage Lauder

Heather Cottage is on the main street in Lauder. It's a traditional stone cottage, what you'd call a two up, two down. It sleeps four, but that's because there's a double sofa bed in the living room. So it's really a one-bedroom cottage, best for a couple or a very small family. It's got a 4 Star rating.

You get a little enclosed garden out the back. It's paved, with a table and chairs. Useful for a morning coffee.

Inside, it's all on two floors. The stairs are typical old cottage stairs. They're a bit steeper and narrower than modern ones, so just take care. The kitchen has what you need: oven, hob, fridge-freezer, and a Tassimo coffee machine. There's a washing machine too. Bedding and towels are included.

The bedroom has a double bed, plenty of wardrobe space, and a travel cot is there if you need it. The bathroom has a bath with a shower over it.

Lauder itself is small. You can walk to the local shop and a couple of pubs in five minutes. One of them does food. The town is handy for getting out into the Borders. Edinburgh is about half an hour's drive north if you want a city day.

For local walks and history, you're close to the Thirlestane Castle grounds. For wider planning, the Visit Scottish Borders site is useful. There's local fishing and a golf course nearby too.

You can bring one well-behaved dog. They need to stay off the furniture and you have to clean up after them in the garden.