Our family of 6 will be in Scotland next summer and would like to spend 3 nights or so in a Bed & Breakfast in the Edinburgh area. I would like to be in the country ... ideally in an "older" house ("castle&quot ... close enough to go back to Edinburgh to see the sites and maybe catch a day tour of the Highlands. Any specific recommendations?

Some considerations...

What is your budget ? There are several castles outside Edinburgh which do accommodation, but they tend to be quite posh hotels rather than B&Bs (e.g. Dalhousie - where I got married ! - Borthwick, Dundas & Airth). B&Bs tend to be fairly modest family homes although many (particularly in the city) are Victorian & a few are Georgian. Would you consider an historic pub ?

Are you planning to spend a lot of time in Edinburgh & if so how do you plan to travel in & back ? Parking in the centre is difficult & buses to the countryside aren't great - is being on a bus route a consideration ?

Finally, when in the summer ? If August you need to move quickly.

This is probably a bit too far out of Edinburgh, but I'll share it anyway because it is an older, castle-style house out in the country. We stayed here last year and found it to be quite interesting - it dates from the 1600s with a similarly old graveyard on site. The owners are slowly restoring it. Not a luxury property, but comfortable and full of character.

It is about 30 minutes outside of Edinburgh, 10-15 minutes west of the airport, and close to the town of Linlithgow, which has train service to Edinburgh (and also is an interesting town with a large ruined castle). You'd need a car if staying here, as this really is out in the country.

Carriden House
http://tinyurl.com/8ltq5

I always have trouble w/ the Visit Scotland search url mr_go gave you. So just in case here is another link to Carriden House

http://www.a1tourism.com/uk/carriden.html

Just a bit of advice tho' if you have 3 days I would definitely stay at least one night IN Edinburgh. As Caroline says - driving and parking in Edinburgh is a real pain. But you don't need a car in the city anyway so if your itinerary has you starting from Edinburgh, I would stay the first day/night (or 2 days/nights) in Edinburgh and then pick up a rental car and head out to the countryside. You can see a LOT of Edinburgh in 1+ day but if you are commuting in from out in the country that will really eat into your time.

Carriden House would be a good choice for what you what you want outside of town. There is lots to see in the area and it definitely is "castle-like" for the cost of an midscale B&B.

Hi
Have a look at www.invereskhouse.com
M