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Windy Days on the Golf Coast of Scotland

© Stuart Buchanan MacWatt

If you intend to hit a ball around one or more of the many famous golf clubs near Edinburgh this summer, the recently opened Fenton Tower may just be the ‘19th hole’ for you and your party. This 16th century fortress near North Berwick in East Lothian once provided a safe haven for King James VI. It was later sacked by regicide Oliver Cromwell during the Civil War waged against his son Charles I and lay derelict and roofless for 250 years. The picturesque ruins have undergone a $£ million transformation into luxurious 5 star accommodation for up to 12 guests.

For your money you have a helicopter landing pad, 7 foot thick walls, en-suite rooms, a Great Hall, an intimate vaulted stone dining room and under-floor heating in the cream-colored stone tower which overlooks 20 acres of private grounds and angling water.

You also have the services of chef manager Wayne Moran who is on hand to provide fine dining as well as a rib busting Scottish breakfast. He will rustle up just a light snack or picnic hamper for you to take with you on your day’s jaunt and prepare a luxurious evening banquet with fresh wild salmon or venison served with fine wines for your return that evening. Enjoy a warming nightcap of Fenton Tower's exclusive 25 Year single malt whisky from Glenfiddich. The owners bought a cask of the joyful liquid and had it specially bottled at the distillery. The distillery's Malt Master describes this particular nectar with glowing admiration as having "subtle oaky notes, depth of taste and vibrant finish".

East Lothian which abuts the Firth of Forth is a golfer's paradise. No less then 15 courses lie within 10 miles of the massive front door of Fenton Tower, and 85 more within a 30 mile radius. Muirfield, regarded by many as the best, albeit controversially sexist and snooty, golf course in Britain and Ireland, is just 3 miles away. Its sacrosanct 'Men Only' fairways are closely guarded by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers who are notoriously picky about who plays there. Since the Club has been known to turn away even such luminaries of the sport as the late Payne Stewart, two-time US Open Champion, what you score on the course could be of less interest than how you get past the Club Secretary to play off at the first tee. Male visitors who pass muster are accepted on Tuesdays and Thursdays.