Netherton Farm Lodge

Nestled in the beautiful Aberdeenshire countryside at the stunning Fetternear Estate, sits a charming farmhouse and lodge named Netherton. Found on the Chic Scotland directory, Netherton Farm Lodge is the most wonderful escape to the country and is a fusion of both the countrysides of Scotland and France reflecting the heritage of the owners. A few weekends ago we were very kindly invited along to stay for the weekend to switch off, unwind and enjoy the beauty of Netherton Farm Lodge and its breathtaking surroundings.

 

 

 

 

After a gorgeous drive over to the Inverurie area, my husband and I arrived on the Friday evening and were greeted with the warmest welcome. Our lovely host Noelle who is the owner and designer of Netherton Farm Lodge along with her husband, showed us around the beautiful lodge and made us feel very at home. Upon entry the lodge absolutely takes your breath away, with its stunning wooden interior, charming farmhouse decor and big beautiful windows which make the most of those incredibly scenic views all around! The beautiful wooden staircase leads up to two immaculately decorated rooms, one named ‘MacDuff’ after the owner David’s Clan which is decorated with a reflecting Scottish theme featuring beautiful tartans and cosy sheepskin rugs and the other named ‘Les Cevennes’ after Noelle’s southern french upbringing in which the decor has a charming French feel with the most beautiful furniture and jugs filled with garden roses reflecting this. The walls are adorned with the most fascinating and beautiful pictures, old photographs taken on the estate in days gone by and wonderful old photographs of France! The excitement of spending a whole weekend here was real as the fire roared and we settled in for the evening!

 

 

 

 

Noelle had very kindly arranged for us to have one of her cheese and charcuterie boards that night, which was the most spectacular treat and really was a thing of beauty!! It arrived just as our mulled wine was bubbling on the stove and was a sight to behold! The presentation of the spread was absolutely beautiful and the attention to detail went above and beyond, as it did throughout the whole lodge! The cheeses and cured meats were all carefully selected and sourced from Scotland, the green tomato chutney was homemade and out of this world, and the accompanying figs, celery and radishes were so fresh they complimented the board to perfection. It was absolutely incredible, and almost too beautiful to eat!! But eat it we did and once we dug in we nibbled away at it throughout the evening, washed down with mulled wine as we played board games by the fire. It was the perfect way to spend our first evening at Netherton Farm Lodge and was the best way imaginable to switch off and kick off our weekend!

 

 

 

 

Waking up the next morning was so exciting, as it was starting to get dark when we arrived the night before so as the sun began to rise we really got a first glance of the surrounding scenes. It was an absolute beauty of a day and as the sun came up we were blown away by the views that the lodge has fully taken advantage of with its huge glass windows so that guests can soak up every inch of them! There were grouse in the fields and birds chirping in the garden, and although we really weren’t that far away from home it felt like we were a million miles away! The scenes and sounds of the countryside were utterly blissful and the location of Netherton Farm Lodge is utterly perfect for enjoying them. The view from the bedroom in which we were staying looks across the fields and over to the nearby hills, a landscape I could admire all day long! In the hallway there are big beautiful roof windows which flood the space with light and are perfect for catching a glimpse of the birds flying by. But the downstairs living space is the real showstopper with a huge glass wall making the most of the unbelievable view of the fields and rolling hills that seem to go on forever. And as if that wasn’t enough there are even more windows, a wall of glass patio doors all along the other side of the room meaning that you can’t miss a thing and I can imagine on those warm Summer days must be a delight to throw wide open!

 

 

 

 

We watched the sun rise as we sipped on pots of tea, accompanied with local honey, bread and homemade Netherton Jam which was all waiting for us upon arrival tucked up in the most beautiful welcome hamper. It was such a gorgeous November day for exploring so we packed our flasks along with Noelle’s homemade cake and headed off on an adventure. With so much to see and do on the doorstep of Netherton Farm Lodge we walked for miles exploring the grounds of Fetternear Palace and on to the utterly charming local town of Monymusk, exploring Monymusk House and finishing off with a walk along the beautiful River Don. All walked out we headed back to Netherton Farm Lodge for Sunset and got the fire going to warm up our toes after a day outdoors! We watched the sunset from the comfort of the lounge with the best view of it from that big beautiful window and snuggled up as the fire roared and we settled in for another cosy evening.

 

 

 

 

And what an evening it was! Just as we were about to head to bed I got the AuroraWatch app ping on my phone to say the Northern Lights were on and visible from Scotland! We switched off the lights and through all the windows could see that it was the clearest night and the stars were incredible! If we were ever going to catch a glimpse of them tonight would be the night, as there was no light pollution around so it was the perfect opportunity. We got wrapped up and headed out for a wander and just a stones throw away from the lodge looking up at the sky, there was that green Aurora glow on the horizon!! It was absolutely magical, and I am now determined to work on my night time photography skills so that I can one day capture them, fuzz free!! We awoke early the next morning all excited, and headed downstairs for a slow Sunday morning to soak up Netherton Farm lodge for one last day! We enjoyed endless pots of tea as we admired the sunrise views and had a leisurely brunch full of local and homemade Netherton delights. It is the most gorgeous space to enjoy and such a joy to spend time in!

 

 

 

 

We packed our bags and got ready to leave Netherton Farm Lodge after a truly wonderful weekend. Before we left I was so glad we got to have a really lovely catch up with Noelle and we got to hear all about her background and a bit more about Netherton Farm Lodge. We got to hear such wonderful stories from her and it really was a delight to have such a lovely big chat! We talked everything from work, adventures, baking and gardening. It turns out we have a lot in common! A truly lovely lady and the most welcoming and accommodating host. Noelle and David pride themselves in welcoming every guest as they would their family, and really do go above and beyond to do just that! Every detail throughout the lodge is seen and appreciated, from the homemade cakes and condiments and the locally made cosmetics in the bedroom to the garden posies dotted throughout every room and the fresh petals sprinkled on the towels! Netherton Farm lodge truly is the perfect place for an escape to to the country, and being just half an hour from the nearby city of Aberdeen is perfect for city dwellers whether they are looking for a nearby break that feels a million miles away, a base for exploring or an inspiring change of scenery for remote working. It is a real Aberdeenshire gem and we can’t wait to visit this very special place again soon!

 

Hollie x

 

~ Our stay at Netherton Farm Lodge was gifted. Thank you so much to Sarah at Chic Scotland for organising and to Noelle and David for their wonderful hospitality and for having us as their guests! ~