The Edinburgh Reporter June 2019

16
FEATURE
Teddy Bears Sleepover
Five years ago the Children's
Library moved into its new
location beside the Central Library.
It is a lovely bright space specially
designed for young people to sit
and enjoy reading. To celebrate
the birthday some guests came
along to spend the night there.
Children arrived with their teddies
and had storytime. There was time
for some bear crafts, making teddy
bear bookmarks and then a snack
before bedtime
Night night Twilight Sparkle!
Night night Rabbie
Night night Tigger and night night
Spiky
Night night Slinky and sweet
dreams Mimmy
Night night and sleep tight Bear.
We’ll come and get you in the
morning.
The teddies settled down for a
sleep and then the children went
home. But then.... the teddies got
up and started playing snakes and
ladders and dominoes! They tried
out some painting and listened to
audio books. They had a late night
picnic with their Bookbug friends,
and they all tried climbing as high
as they could go...
Then they got sleepy and were
ready for bed, so they went back
The Edinburgh Reporter
to the tent where they snuggled
down with one final bedtime story.
After a good night’s sleep they
had breakfast in the morning and
then waited by the front desk to be
collected by their owners.
With thanks to the Digital team
at the Central Library who looked
after the teddies during their stay.
The Caley celebrates
100 years of Hospitality
The Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh
– The Caledonian, recently joined
in the global celebrations to mark
100 years of Hilton hospitality. The
hotel stepped back in time for one
night only and was transformed
into the Gatsby era.
Over 200 guests were
entertained by flapper girls, a
champagne tower, ice sculptures
and live music - including a jazz
band and saxophonist, harking
back to the last century.
Flavours from around the
world provided an array of food
experiences, from ceviche, which
was created by head chef, Dan
Ashmore at The Pompadour to
BBQ shiitake mushrooms from
Mark Greenaway, one of his new
sharing dishes at Grazing. Guests
were also taken on a trip down
memory lane sampling the various
food and cocktail inventions from
Hilton over the last 100 years,
including Waldorf Salad, Red Velvet
cake, Eggs Benedict and Pina
Colada.
Having started out in 1919 by
Conrad Hilton, this month Hilton
Hotels & Resorts across the
world are individually marking the
milestone with a series of events.
Dale MacPhee, General Manager
of the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh –
The Caledonian, said: “Ever since
Conrad Hilton created the brand,
we’ve led the industry with our
innovative approach to products,
amenities and service – we were
the first hotel to be listed on the
Stock Exchange and the first to
install TV’s in bedrooms.
“Today, Hilton Hotels & Resorts
stands as the stylish, forward
thinking global leader of hospitality
and Hilton UK was ranked third - in
all the UK industries - as one of the
best places to work, which is an
absolute credit to the brand on its
centenary.”
Cringletie A perfect break in the Borders
by Robin Gauldie
Looking for a perfect weekend
break on Edinburgh's doorstep?
Look no further than this fabulous
Borders mansion. Cringletie House
offers elegant dining, cosy nooks
and 14 roomy, stylish rooms, with
country walks and a sprinkling of
heritage attractions nearby.
I was charmed by Cringletie
House.
As we roll up the drive to
Cringletie House, sunning itself
in its lushly floral setting above
Eddleston Water, a deer bounds
through the field nearby and two
plump cock pheasants strut on the
tree-shaded lawn. The makings
of a nice pie, I suggest to general
manager Jeremy Osborne, who's
there to greet us. He tells me the
story of a bygone owner, James
Wolfe Murray, who used to take
pot-shots at rabbits from his
bedroom window - after luring
them from their burrows with his
silver flute.
Just north of Peebles, a half-hour
drive from Edinburgh in summer,
Cringletie is a lovely place for a
cosy short break at any time of
year, but it was just about perfect
in spring on my visit, when its leafy
grounds were bursting into bud
and the surrounding lawns were
splashed with daffodils.
And there's a fabulous Tasty
Sunday package on offer which will
allow you to extend your weekend.
David Bryce, doyen of Scots
Baronial, rebuilt the dilapidated
17th century pile in the 1860s,
turning it into a turreted,
red-sandstone Borders mansion
that delights fans of romantic
historical fiction. In its
19th-century heyday the estate
spanned several thousand acres
of pastures, moors and riverbank.
Its domain has dwindled, but the
gardens are a lovely place for a
pre-dinner stroll. Appetite duly
whetted, the Sutherland Restaurant
awaits on the first floor, reached
by a grand, softly-carpeted walnut
staircase.
Originally the house's ballroom,
this is fine space, with a ceiling
graced by Italianate frescoes and
bears the interlinked initials of
George Sutherland and heiress
Elizabeth Wolfe Murray, who
married in 1904 and promptly had
the house done up in the latest
style.
Potting bunnies from your
bedroom window is not the done
thing these days, but Cringletie's
menu is often bursting with locallysourced
game - including rabbit,
grouse, pheasant venison from
suppliers like Tweed Valley, in
nearby Peebles, along with rabbit,
grouse and pheasant.
The 17th century walled
garden supplies the kitchen with
home-grown produce vegetables,
fruit and herbs and flowers that
dress up the restaurant's tables.
You'll also find locally sourced
treats like seafood from nearby
Eyemouth, and Pentland brie and
other cheeses from Clarks of
Penicuik, and Border lamb from
Braehead in Selkirk.Â
From the other side of Scotland
come Atlantic cod and the
Stornoway black pudding that
makes an appearance in my amuse
bouche topped with a perfect coin
of crunchy beetroot and a tart
sliver of grapefruit. The wine list is
curated by Villeneuve Wines, the
long-established Peebles vintner,
and has a strong New World
accent.
It's back to Scotland for afterdinner
drinks in the bar, where
you'll find an elegant sufficiency of
malt whiskies - including innovative
offerings from some of Scotland's
upstart distilleries alongside
artisan ales from the pioneering
Traquair House and Broughton
breweries, not far away.
And so to bed, in a room that is a
veritable cocoon of softly-coloured
tartans and snow-white linen. So
cosy, in fact, that getting up next
morning is a challenge but the
lure of Cringletie's full Scottish is
irresistible.
You could easily spend all
weekend pottering around the
grounds and playing a game
of croquet or a round of pitchand-putt.
If you're feeling more
adventurous, you can wet a
line in the Tweed, go riding,
or rent a bike at Alpine Bikes
(tweedvalleybikehire.com from
£25 a day) to ride through miles
of woodland trails at Glentress
Forest. Richard Hannay fans
can discover the life story of his
creator at the John Buchan Story in
Peebles.
It's hard to fault Cringletie: good
food, home comforts, beautiful
surroundings and unobtrusively
excellent: staff don't hover, but
materialise at the push of a bell. All
in all, this pocket-sized mansion is
a find.
Cringletie House Hotel
Edinburgh Road
Peebles
EH45 8PL
Tel: 01721 725 750
www.cringletie.com
Getting there: Cringletie is around
20 miles (around 30 minutes drive)
south of Edinburgh on the A703.
Robin Gauldie is a freelance
journalist and author of numerous
travel guides including the new
Eyewitness Guide to Scotland,
published by Dorling Kindersley. He
lives in Leith.