Undiscovered Scotland

 

Trigony House Hotel & Garden Spa stands within its beautiful gardens just off the A76 a little over a mile south of Thornhill and some 12 miles north of Dumfries. The location is ideal, close enough to the main road to catch the attention and business of passing motorists who might glimpse it through the trees, yet far enough away to feel as if it is in a world of its own. Which in many ways it is: what you find is a wonderful oasis, a sublimely relaxing country house hotel that feels like a real country house that happens to take house guests. And a country house hotel offering outstanding food. You can read our dining review for Trigony House Hotel here.

The origins of Trigony House date back to the building here in the 1700s of a hunting lodge by the owners of Closeburn Castle, which lies a little over a mile to the south-east. The hunting lodge seems to have been rebuilt during the Edwardian era, and much of what you can see today dates back to a major refurbishment that took place in 1938. Amongst other changes, this resulted in the magnificent Japanese oak panelling in the hall, and the art deco styled staircase and double height windows on the landing.

The name is intriguing. "Trigony" sounds distinctly un-Scottish, almost as if it had been relocated from Cornwall or come from the imagination of J.K. Rowling. The name seems to have been originally applied to a triangular area of land immediately to the south, and as far as anyone knows the hotel derived its name from where it stood.

You approach Trigony House via a curving drive that turns off the A76 a little to the north of the hotel. This brings you to the east end of the main building, complete with its remarkable covering of ivy. The doorway is obvious, and visible above it is the inscription "The Lord bless thy going out and coming in".

Beyond the entrance is that truly splendid oak panelled hall. Off to one side is the comfortable guest lounge, which offers a wood burning stove for winter days and, like all the hotel's public rooms, a view of the lovely garden. The next room along on this side of the hotel is the dining room, which has French windows opening into the garden, while completing the range of public rooms is the bar, which occupies the furthest corner of the building.

It is worth mentioning at this point that Trigony House Hotel prides itself on being dog and pet friendly, and dogs are permitted in all the public rooms apart from the dining room. On arrival dog owners are presented with a welcome pack which, amongst other things, includes information on local dog walks. If you are less dog friendly, don't let this deter you. The standard of the hotel's housekeeping is very high indeed, and the dog-allergic member of the Undiscovered Scotland team had no problems during our overnight stay.

There are nine en suite guest bedrooms at Trigony House Hotel. The classic rooms offer either double or twin bed accommodation and look out over either the gardens at the front of the hotel or the woodland at the rear. The superior rooms have super king-sized beds or twin beds and a larger en-suite bathroom than the standard rooms. The Garden Suite offers more space, plus a lobby, a private conservatory, and a private garden. The level of fixtures and equipment is very good in all the rooms, and ours offered everything you'd expect from a top-quality hotel. The hotel can add up to two extra beds into some superior rooms for children.

A rather special feature is the Trigony Garden Spa. Hotel guests can book exclusive use of this boutique micro spa, set in a secluded corner of the hotel's beautiful garden with wonderful views towards the Kier Hills to the south-west. The spa comprises an outdoor wood-fired Swedish hot tub; a Finnish sauna cabin with stunning views; and a treatment room complete with a range of natural beauty therapies.

The age of the building, and in particular its modest size, means that accessibility is not straightforward, though access to the public rooms is reasonably good, and the Garden Suite is on the ground floor (though split level).

It doesn't take long at Trigony House Hotel to kick off the cares of the world beyond the gardens and truly relax. The small scale of the hotel contributes to the sense you get of being guests in a friend's country house, and the approach taken by Jan and Adam Moore and their team to ensuring your stay is an enjoyable one contributes enormously to this feeling. The result is a hotel that sees lots of returning guests, and one we would without reservation recommend to friends and family looking for an "away from it all" break. And that's before we even start to talk about the simply outstanding dining on offer: you can read our dining review for Trigony House Hotel here.