Intro Robert Burns was deeply familiar with the rolling hills and indented coastline of Dumfriesshire. For many years it was his homeland, and, as above, he often wrote of its natural beauty. In fact if you should go on to hear this song (A Country Lass), sung perhaps by Jean Redpath on one of her marvellous CDs, you’ll hear one of his loveliest and sweetest works.

Cavens was built for Sir Richard Oswald in 1752, whose estates stretched all over Dumfriesshire and into Ayrshire. He was a friend of Benjamin Franklin and indeed of Robert Burns who wrote An Ode Sacred to the Memory of Mrs Oswald upon her death.

Not far from Cavens is the village of New Abbey doninated by the lovely ruins of Sweetheart Abbey. To quote our friends at UndiscoveredScotland.co.uk: "The story of the founding of Sweetheart Abbey is held to be a testament to the enduring power of love. On 10th April 1273 Lady Devorgilla signed a charter establishing a new Cistercian abbey here in memory of her husband, John Balliol, who had died four years earlier. Thanks to the Reformation her later endowment of a college at Oxford University in his name turned out to be a more enduring memorial.

Lady Devorgilla's love for her departed husband extended to carrying his embalmed heart around with her in an ivory box with enamelled silver trimmings. After her death in 1289 she was buried in the sanctuary of the abbey church she had founded, and on her instructions the casket containing her husband's heart was buried beside her.

The guide book tells us that in tribute to her love for her husband, the monks in the abbey she had founded chose thereafter to call it Dulce Cor or Sweetheart Abbey."

This country house hotel is a wonderful place in which to bide in this pretty and well-managed countryside; a fine billet from which to mount expeditions to points near and far in Dumfries and Galloway, and return ready to appreciate its restful and classy charms.

The hotel Approached by a private drive through trees and rhododendrons, romantic Cavens (with the ring of a Champagne house to its name) is by design smartly plain and modestly proportioned. A smart white building, the ‘other side’ of which is grander and faces out to old Irish yew trees and several acres of walled gardens, it fits perfectly with the contours of the land and is one of Dumfriesshire’s best hotels.

Bought a some years ago by Angus and Jane Fordyce, returning Scots, the house has since been refurbished with care and attention to detail. The manner of the revamp is restrained and in a knowing country house quality: good herringbone carpeting; matt and elegant Georgian colours; interesting pictures; tasteful fabrics; interesting objets; fresh flowers and, throughout, a certain simplicity.

Now well established since opening with the Fordyces at the helm, the recognitions are coming in: 80% and a rosette from the AA for 2006, and a red tick from Scotland the Best 2006 - which also named Cavens one of the top 10 places in which to hold a house party.

By the old Scots pine balustrade the glare of a distant ancestor looks down from his lofty hanging space. In the hallway there are hunt paintings and in the quiet of an afternoon the sounds of a grandfather clock marking the moments. Pop into the downstairs loo and you’ll be able to have a peek at framed menus from The Ritz and Grosvenor House: Angus spent many years there and now brings his acquired skills back to his native land.

During the day, afternoon tea is served at 4.30pm – or pre / post-dinner, the two Sitting Rooms are big, relaxing and unstuffy. The smaller, recently refurbished room is a picture of elegance. You can relax by open fires or by windows with garden views. Tatler, Scotland, Vogue, Jaguar, The Field are among the magazines laid out. Fresh flowers sit among photographs and ornaments. A small drinks menu features the Fordyce’s coat of arms: In Arduus Fortis, ‘strength in adversity’.

Plus+Point A new feature is a small room off the sitting room where a PC with wall-mounted flat screen and broadband, fast access is set up, all ready and waiting for free use by guests. A comfy chair and privacy. This is the right set up and we wish more hotels offered it!

Bedrooms All the bedrooms are individual and distictive. There is, though, a common theme of tasteful and restrained real country house quality.

The delightful Oswald bedroom is fresh and bright, finished in blues and creams with a willow-type pattern to the fabrics. In all rooms the Sealy beds are new and highly comfortable; on this one a grand welcoming letter in the hotel compendium lay open. This room has a charming sun-lounge style Sitting Room that overlooks the gardens, and has a convenient additional sofa bed. There’s a lovely old antique desk. The original old bath has a good shower, too, and we spied Molton Brown-brand toiletries and the best, big white towels.

Nithsdale, a double room, is finished in a duck-egg blue and has feminine lace touches to the décor. There’s a power-shower to be enjoyed and, like all rooms it has fully controllable heating, nice pictures, and a restful, quiet feel.

The large Criffel Room is a wonderful, barrel-vaulted space. Dark matt green walls are offset with bright yellows and beige. The huge bed looks deeply inviting. Old glass-doored cupboards, or ‘presses’ as we say in Scotland, are now bookcases. Radiators are neatly and elegantly boxed in.

So, as you can see, there are different styles and types of rooms. Telephone and see what might suit you best; check out the hotel's own website for pictures of each room.

Dining at Cavens is a country delight. We dined again this year and, with colleagues from the States, savoured the whole experience. The dining room continues the handsome, choosy, classy feel. Lovely rose-patterned drapes surround the picture windows.

Large round tables are well-spaced and light sparkles on silver and crystal. Fresh linens and big white plates. A rhododendron in a small silver vase. Nothing is over-fussy: Cavens is simply not that kind of place.

Menus offer a couple of choices per course and dinner is an astonishingly well-priced £25. Yes, you read that correctly. Twenty-five bucks. Notwithstanding this, the policy is to source the very finest, and then not to overwhelm the natural produce with wildly elaborate creations. Again, if you have preferences or dislikes, mention when booking. The selection on the dinner menu may be short – but the quality is high.

“Honest-to-goodness quality, country house dinner party food”, is how Cavens sums it up. “The strength is in the eating, not the showing!”

Recent menus have included:

Starters
Smoked Breast of Duck
or Salad of Avocado, Beans and Leaves, topped with a lightly-poached Egg
or Smoked Scottish Salmon

Main courses
Breast of Corn-fed Chicken with Cream, Mushrooms and Tarragon
or Pavé of Salmon with Lemon and Dill
or Rack of Galloway Lamb with a Dijon, Thyme and Oatcake Crust

Desserts / Cheese
Tarte au Citron
or Home-made Pannacotta with Basil Syrup
Cheeses from Loch Arthur Farms

This year we had, for starters, Pan-fried Scallops with Lime and Vermouth: the roasty-edged, generous shellfish came with the classic, pale sauce and the freshest of leaves. Just right - and just delicious. A vegetarian at the table soon scoffed the Red Onion and Goats Cheese Tartlet alternative.

Local Solway Salmon with Homemade Dill Tartare Sauce, or Fillet of Galloway Beef in a Cream and Green Peppercorn Sauce - the main course choices. Both dishes were perfect, and how much we enjoyed dining on such local, top-notch stuff. "I don't think I have ever seen such an area - anywhere. Such beauty, mile after mile, hour after hour - as we saw on our travels in Dumfries and Galloway", said Edinburgh Festival performer Mira Reid from the California Institute of Performing Arts. And as the food from this superb area is superb, why not enjoy it at source?

Cheeses from Loch Arthur Estate were on offer next, as was the mouthwatering dessert, the simply-named and meltingly sinful Chocolate Pot. Coffee and delicious chocolates (made in Kirkcudbright) are served in the sitting room after dinner. We sat by the log fire and enjoyed a dram or two. A perfect evening.

Breakfast is hearty and, again, based on superior ingredients. Good baking; local yoghurts; home-made granola museli; fine kippers and free-range eggs. It’ll all go down nicely in a peaceful environment, free from the hustle and pace of bigger places.

Leisure Cavens arranges all kinds of country sports. Down in the vaulted cool of the cellars there’s plenty of space for guns and tackle. Fishing and shooting, golf and more… it’s all handy. Many groups enjoy taking the house and having a house-party atmosphere in privacy.

Birdwatchers are in a richly interesting area: RSPB reserves are nearby and, at our last visit, the Guide noted rarer finches and flycatchers. Angus will do whatever is required to set you up with the sport you fancy.

Be sure to visit Kirkcudbright, the artists' town. A little further there's the woodland reserve at Castramont near Gatehouse of Fleet (the most amazing bluebells in early summer, perfect for autumn walks too), Cairn Holy I and II, and Whithorn, Cradle of Christianity. There are botanic gardens, castles and good places to stop for lunch. Galloway Forest Park is the UK's biggest: spot the wild goats and magnificent red kites.

Links We hope that you find these links helpful:

Golf courses

Kirkcudbright

Drumlanrig Castle & Buccleuch Estate

Dumfries & Galloway

Wigtown - Scotland's National Book Town

Whithorn - First in Scotland’s Past

Sweetheart Abbey

RSPB (birdwatching) Reserves

The Reviewer's View Gary McLean "Unlike some smaller country houses, there is plenty of space at Cavens. You’re not cheek-by-jowl with your nearest fellow guest. Rooms are roomy and you can lounge expansively in the lounges. Offering splendid value for well-bred quality, this country house is nicely balanced between informality and excellence. Drawing upon the family motto as mentioned above, of adversity, there is none here; and we at the Guide are sure that you’d find a stay, brief or happily longer, a quality experience and a taste of Scotland at its country best."

Awards / Look & Book Box™ status This hotel has been reviewed by the Guide and any HotelReview™ awards are detailed above. Star quality gradings are awarded by the Scottish Tourist Board. The hotel is a Reviewed Member of HotelReview™ | Scotland so the Look & Book Box™ features are ONLINE.

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Disability Information: Unsuitable for wheelchairs, sorry.

Ghàidhlig: Bidh Ghàidhlig ri fhaighinn an seo a dh’aithghearr! Tapa leibh.

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