Guest Information - Redroofs by the Woods
Welcome to Redroofs; we hope you will have a lovely time staying here! We have left a small welcome basket in the kitchen along with some semi skimmed milk in the fridge so you can have a cuppa on arrival.
If you experience any problems with the house, please let us know immediately and we will do our best to sort these out.
In case of fire:
Leave the building. The exits are the front door, the door out from the utility room, and the door out from the sunroom. The bedroom windows are also escape routes.
Raise the alarm. If the alarm has not already gone off, there is a “break glass” alarm point by the front door.
Call the fire service. Telephone 999 from any phone, and ask for “Fire”. The address of the property is “Redroofs, Balgavies, Forfar”. Please do not give them the postcode for directions; instead the property can be found using Google Maps, searching on “Redroofs, Balgavies” or using the following reference: M78F+58
The what3words address for the property is https://w3w.co/shiny.shed.homecare
Fire fighting: If you believe it is safe to tackle the fire, there is a fire blanket in the kitchen, and a water mist fire extinguisher in the utility room which is safe to use on most fires in the building including electrical fires.
Fire alarms: There are smoke/heat alarms throughout the house. In the unlikely event that the alarm goes off, if you believe it is safe to do so, you can turn off the alarm (and/or check where the alert came from) at the control panel, which is in the cupboard opposite the map wall outside the yellow kitchen.
An indicator light will be on against one of three zones – zone 1 is the west (guest) end, zone 2 is the east (private) end, and zone 3 is the barn.
The key to turn the controls on is hanging above the panel. Once on, press the “Silence Alarm” button to stop the sirens, and the “Silence Buzzer” button to stop the beeping from the control panel.
If the alarm goes off and we are in, we will obviously come through to check that all is ok!
In case of other emergency:
Police, Ambulance: If you need the emergency services, call 999 from any telephone. Please do not give them the postcode for directions; instead the property can be found using google maps, searching on “Redroofs, Balgavies” or using the following reference: M78F+58
The what3words address for the property is https://w3w.co/shiny.shed.homecare
Local emergency services:
Doctor: there are various GP practices in Forfar including Ravenswood, Lour Road, and Academy practice. There is a minor injuries centre called Whitehills in Forfar. For any local medical treatment, please phone NHS 24 on 111.
Dentist: Castle Street Dental in Forfar, 92 Castle Street. Phone 01307 462825 and if you need emergency treatment, they will be able to direct you to the appropriate on call service. Alternatively, High Street Dental Practice is on 01307 463239, or the newer Forfar Dental Care is on 01307 552083.
Medical emergencies: The nearest A&E department is at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee (35 mins drive).
Pharmacies in the area: Davidsons in Friockheim and in Forfar; there is also a Boots and a Lloyds chemist in Forfar.
Shops and Food:
Local shops: nearest small shops are in Letham or in Friockheim (pronounced “Freak-ham”). In Forfar you can find a whole range of local shops plus Tesco, Asda, Aldi and Lidl supermarkets, as well as local butchers, bakers etc. Our local delicacy, the “Forfar Bridie”, is on sale in Saddlers or McLaren bakeries. Brechin has a Co-Op and an Aldi.
Takeaway food: you can find a range of British, Indian, Chinese, and Turkish food in Forfar and Brechin.
Farmers markets: Forfar Market is on the 2nd Saturday of every month, running from 9am until 1pm at the Lowson Memorial Church, Forfar. You'll find a variety of exhibitors from food, drink, crafts, fresh meat, fish, veg and more. Montrose Market is on the 1st Saturday of every month, running from 9am until 1pm at the Ballhouse Car park, 97 High Street, Montrose.
In the house:
Wifi: The guest wifi network is “redroofs”, and the password is also “redroofs” – easy!
Smoking: The house is strictly non-smoking. If you need to smoke, there is a sand-filled container beside the patio furniture in the back garden for cigarette ends.
Candles: Candles and naked flames are not permitted in the house.
Toilet paper: We buy from ‘Who gives a Crap’ who are a really fun and ethical company who donate some of their profits towards building toilets in countries where people need them. If you have liked this toilet paper, and would like to order some, you can get £5 off your first order, and we get £5 off our next order too. Simply use this link: https://whogivesacrap.mention-me.com/m/ol/ic9ip-ian-gray
Shampoo/body wash and conditioner: We provide full size bottles in the showers which we refill. The brand is ‘The Scottish Soap Company’ and the essence is Sea Kelp. We hope you like it, but please leave the bottles here at Redroofs so they can be used by others.
Toothbrushes & sanitary products etc: If you find yourself having forgotten to pack the essentials, you’ll find some supplies in a box in the utility room glass door cupboard.
First Aid: there is a green kit in the utility room cupboard with the glass door. This also has a tick remover in it.
Hot water bottles can be found in the utility room cupboard. Use with care and at your own risk – don’t fill with boiling water. If you have used these during your stay please leave with your used towels as you check out, and we can make sure the covers are laundered.
Speaking of Hot Water: please be patient when waiting for the hot water to come through the taps – it has to travel all the way from the other end of the building, and can take some time!
Keys: the key to the front door is on the hallway table. The same key also operates the back doors, and the swimming pool. Please ensure that the doors are locked overnight – they can be locked from the inside using the thumb-turn.
Kitchen provision: we never like to go on self-catering holidays with a carload of basics. Therefore, please find some basic provisions in the kitchen cupboards for your use.
Along with pots, pans and casserole dishes, there is a slow cooker, a tiered veg steamer and a bread maker (with book of recipes). On top of the fridge, there is a basket with plastic plates etc for going out on a picnic. There is a microwave and a freezer in the utility room, plus a washing machine (washing detergent in the cupboard above the washing machine.) The dishwasher is in the kitchen, and tablets are in the cupboard below the sink.
Hoover, broom, mop & bucket, clothes drying rack, iron and ironing board are stored in the cupboard opposite the map in the kitchen corridor. You can use your en-suite heated towel rail to dry laundry if you need to, or use the line outside – pegs are in the utility room.
Bins: the silvery-grey bin in the kitchen is for general waste - you'll find bin bags for that under the sink. There is a recycling cupboard to the left of the cooker, and a food waste caddy under the sink (with compostable bin liners also under the sink). When you need to empty your bins (please do so when you leave!), you’ll find wheelie bins in a wooden bin store through the gate to the cabins.
Angus Council is among the best performing councils in Scotland for recycling. Please help us by putting your waste into the correct bins:
General non recyclable waste goes into the purple bin (use a bin bag found under your sink.)
Paper, card and cardboard go directly into the blue bin. (Don't put them in bags first.)
CLEAN plastic bottles, food pots, tubs and trays, tins/cans and cartons go directly into the grey bin. (Don't put them in bags first.)
Bags of cooked and uncooked food waste into the brown bin. (Line your food caddy with a liner, found under your sink.)
CLEAN glass bottles and jars go directly into the white bin. (Don't put them in bags first.)
TV: The TV in the lounge is “powered” by an Amazon Firecube, which offers Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and NowTV (for Sky channels) amongst other things. There is an Alexa in the sunroom and one in the large lounge if you want music or radio. In the kitchen there is a Bose radio with cd player. Games can be found in the sunroom.
Logburners: Please feel free to use the log burners as you choose; there are firelighters and matches provided in the utility room cupboards. Logs and kindling are provided in baskets by the log burners, with additional logs in the sunroom. If you run out, we can refill your log basket for £5.
Fireguards are provided and must be used when small children are in the building.
If you need to empty the ash, please use the metal ash bucket and scoop in the store cupboard. DO NOT return the bucket to the cupboard if it contains ash – please leave it outside the front door and we will dispose of the ash safely.
Instructions for the double sided log burner in the main lounge: Open the door on either side, place two or three firelighters in the bottom, and arrange two or three layers of kindling over it in a criss-cross pattern. Light the firelighters, and place a log or two carefully on top of the kindling. Make sure that the levers at the bottom of the windows are fully to the right on both sides.
After 10 minutes or so when the fire is going well, you can move one or both levers towards the left to reduce the rate of burning, should you wish. The circular vent on top of the stove should be open (anticlockwise).
To add more logs, close the circular vent before you do so. Open the door slowly (to avoid lots of smoke coming out), add a couple of logs gently, close the door, and then open the circular vent again.
Instructions for log burner in the sunroom: Place two firelighters in the bottom, and arrange two or three layers of kindling over it in a criss-cross pattern. Light the firelighters, and place a log or two carefully on top of the kindling. Pull the bottom lever out fully.
After 10 minutes or so when the fire is going well, you can push the lever in to reduce the rate of burning, should you wish.
Heating is by biomass with a boiler in our barn. The pipework travels quite a distance to get to the end of the house, so please bear with the time taken for the taps to run hot! The underfloor heating (or radiators in the kitchen) are controlled by a thermostat in each room. We have set the heating to be on regularly, but you can adjust the temp a bit in each room using the thermostat. Underfloor heating is best if left on to tick over at lower temperatures. The exception is the sunroom, which has a log burner and an oil-filled electric radiator – please make sure this is turned off when not in use!
The Swimming Pool is available from May to September, during which time it is heated by an air source heat pump. That means that at the start and end of the season, especially if the weather has been cold, the pool may be a bit cooler too. It is a small pool of about 20 sq m, 1.1m deep. Use of the pool is entirely at your own risk; there is no lifeguard of course, and if you have children, they must be supervised by yourselves at all times. No diving please. The pool is treated automatically with a chlorine dosing system to keep it safe for swimming. You'll find swimming robes in your bedrooms, but please don't bring your house towels to the pool - pool towels are available in the pool room.
The pool is available to you between 10am and 6pm, bookable in two hour slots. Please book your pool session by clicking here:
https://koalendar.com/e/redroofs-pool
Your main door key also operates the pool door. Wind up the pool cover completely before you go into the pool, and please remember to recover the pool afterwards and lock the pool room door.
The garden: the gravel area at the back of your holiday let is exclusively for your use. There is a laundry line for washing, and pegs are in the utility room. We keep our gates closed beyond the holiday let, towards our yard. This is because we don’t want the dogs to get out onto the roads.
We’re doing some work on the meadow, so please take extra care to watch out for holes and other trip hazards!
For the summer months there is a BBQ and seats outside. The seat cushions are in the storage bench on the veranda by the sunroom - we would appreciate it if you put the cushions away overnight to keep them dry. There is also a fire bowl in the wee green shed at the entrance to the driveway.
Stargazing: if it’s a particularly clear and starry night, please feel free to give us a call and Ian can set up some astronomical binoculars for you to have a look.
Birdwatching: Please feel free to use the binoculars that are in the sunroom while you are with us.
When you leave
Checkout is at 10am on your final morning. Please leave the house as you found it, including emptying the bins and recycling. Just leave the door unlocked - please make sure you leave the key on the hallway table where you found it!
Contacting us
If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Call Ian on 07881 518854, or Lindsey on 07865 081369.
Out and About - Place to Visit!
There’s lots to do both close at hand and further afield. If you find somewhere that is not on this list, but you recommend it, please let us know! Visit Angus has a website and Instagram page with great suggestions for places to visit, and it links to various ‘Angus tours’ such as peaceful outdoor retreats, history & heritage tour, and enjoy food & drink tours! See also the leaflets and maps in the basket in the hall.
Please be aware of ticks, especially if visiting the forest. Ticks are active year-round, particularly between March and October, and can cause serious illness, so care needs to be taken to protect against them. See this page from Forestry and Land Scotland for further information.
Very close by
Walks in the local Montreathmont Forest. (pronounced “Montrimont”) This 1700-acre forest is just beside the property. The land is managed by Forestry and Land Scotland, and the majority of the paths have been cleared following storm Arwen in 2021 which took huge swathes of trees down. There is a wee notebook with some walks written out, but we recommend you download the OS maps app onto a mobile device, as if you find yourself a bit disorientated, the app is great for showing you where you are!
Please be aware of ticks, especially if visiting the forest. Ticks are active year-round, particularly between March and October, and can cause serious illness, so care needs to be taken to protect against them. See the separate factsheet from Forestry and Land Scotland for further information.
Balgavies Loch (pronounced “Bal-guise” like “disguise”) The loch is a wildlife reserve run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. You can get to it easily; on foot it takes around 45 minutes, but there are one or two parking areas around the loch.
Bird-watching – ospreys!
Nature walks
Before or after, eat at:
Auld Bar Café, Letham – attached to Letham Craft Shop – dog-friendly; does takeaways
The wider area - Angus
Angus is a fabulous county for exploring, and as well as a range of leaflets in the basket in the lounge, there is the Visit Angus website mentioned above. We have the glens of Angus on one side, and the beautiful beaches on the other. Just north of us is the Aberdeenshire coast, and a short drive south takes you to Dundee to a very cultural city!
Aberlemno is a small nearby village which has three large carved Pictish stones dating from the 7th and 8th centuries AD
Arbroath Abbey
Arbikie
Distillery near Arbroath selling award-winning gin, whisky and vodka.
Arbroath coastal path – along cliffs to the north and along shore to the south
Before or after, eat at:
Ashbrook Garden Centre – includes café; inside & outside seating
The Bell Rock – fish and chips restaurant
But ‘n’ Ben, Auchmithie – restaurant
Serendipity – café; inside & outside seating; near Mackays factory with its factory shop (jams etc.)
Vin-Tealicious – café
Ice creams at Arbroath harbour!
Arbroath is also a great place for fish and chips, and freshly caught fish and Arbroath Smokies can be bought from many of the small harbourside fish shops.
Backwater Reservoir – for walks
Before or after, eat at:
Peel Farm – café with inside & outside seating; gift shop; local produce shop; nature trail (with children’s activity sheet)
Wee Bear Café – summer opening only; inside & outside seating; dog-friendly
Barry Mill – National Trust for Scotland
Before or after, eat at:
Gather, Carnoustie – café and delicatessen; dog-friendly
Carnoustie Golf Hotel – coffees and meals for non-residents; dog-friendly
Station Hotel, Carnoustie – bar, coffees and meals for non-residents
Brechin is only a ten minute drive away, where you will find:
Brechin Castle Centre with plants, gifts and coffee shop
Caledonian Steam Railway Experience – for pre-bookable rail excursions
Includes The Whistle Stop café – seating inside & outside (on platform!); dog-friendly
Crombie Country Park
Before or after, eat at:
Milton Haugh/Corn Kist, Carmylllie – café; inside & outside seating; does takeaways; farm shop
East Haven – for beach and coastal path
Before or after, eat at:
Gather, Carnoustie – café & delicatessen; dog-friendly
Carnoustie Golf Hotel – coffees and meals for non-residents; dog-friendly
Milton Haugh/Corn Kist, Carmylllie – café; inside & outside seating; does takeaways; farm shop
Station Hotel, Carnoustie – bar and meals for non-residents
Edzell Castle – Historic Scotland
Before or after, eat at:
Sinclair’s Larder – café and restaurant; inside & outside seating
Tweedie’s – café and shop
Forfar Loch – for walks
Before or after, eat at:
The Mill – café and restaurant; dog-friendly
Panzerotti – Italian restaurant; does takeaways
Tiffins – café
The Range – café at Forfar Golf Range
Glamis Castle (pronounced “Glarms”)
Home of the Bowes-Lyon family – including the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
Café and restaurant available there
Also: Glamis Corner Shop & Café, together with various other shops, cafes and art galleries in the wee town of Glamis, including a gin bothy!
House of Dun – National Trust for Scotland
Café on site; inside & outside seating
Or go into Montrose:
Charleton Fruit Farm – café; inside & outside seating; farm shop; gift shop; children’s play area
Roo’s Leap – restaurant
JM Barrie’s Birthplace, Kirriemuir – National Trust for Scotland
Before or after, eat at:
Peel Farm – café with inside & outside seating; gift shop; local produce shop; nature trail (with children’s activity sheet)
Wee Bear Café – summer opening only; inside & outside seating; dog-friendly
Letham Craft Shop – unrivalled in the area!
Includes the Auld Bar Café – café and restaurant; dog-friendly; does takeaways
Lintrathen
Wee Bear Café – summer opening only; inside & outside seating; dog-friendly
Loch of Kinnordy Reserve – RSPB
Outside Kirriemuir
Nature trails
Before or after, eat at:
Peel Farm – café with inside & outside seating; gift shop; local produce shop; nature trail (with children’s activity sheet)
Wee Bear Café – summer opening only; inside & outside seating; dog-friendly
Lunan Bay – beach and walks
Before or after, eat at:
Second Chance, Inverkeilor – café; inside & outside seating
Imrie’s Hotel – next to the beach road, sit inside or out
Campsite Coffee Shop – right next to the beach car park, seasonal opening
Monikie Country Park
Before or after, eat at:
Sweet Nix Coffee & Cake Shop, Monikie – inside & outside seating
Montrose Basin – Scottish Wildlife Trust
Visitors’ Centre; walks and hides, excellent viewing gallery with telescopes and binoculars
Before or after, eat at:
Charleton Fruit Farm – café; inside & outside seating; farm shop; gift shop; children’s play area
Roo’s Leap – restaurant
Also in Montrose:
The Mo Playhouse – an independent cinema in Montrose (it used to be the local swimming pool!) with café & bar
The beach at Montrose – for walking and sea swimming, with the Traill Pavilion Café on the seafront offering breakfast through to afternoon tea
Murton Farm & Nature Reserve
Winter opening hours – closed Mondays and Tuesdays
Animals and activities for children (adults go free)
Walks in nature reserve
No dogs
Includes a tearoom with inside & outside seating; does takeaways
Rescobie Loch – fishing
Rural locations
House of Farnell – seasonal openings; Swedish café with themed gift shop (e.g. Christmas)
Kescoweth Coffee Shop – breakfast, lunches and afternoon tea with rural views
Tayside Forestry
Pine Cone – café; inside & semi- outside seating; dog-friendly cabin and gift shop
Aberdeenshire
Cairn O’Mount – for the views
Before or after, eat at:
The Clatterin’ Brig – café and restaurant; lovely views; inside & outside seating
The Arch Café, Fettercairn – café and restaurant
Balmakewan Farm Shop, Marykirk – café and restaurant
Castleton Farm Shop, Laurencekirk – café; dog-friendly
Gannets, Laurencekirk – café
Gourdon – for the harbour
Quayside Restaurant (& takeaway) – fish and chips plus
Grassic Gibbon Centre, Arbuthnott
Café; exhibition; gift shop; children’s play park
Johnshaven – for the harbour and walks
Hidden Treasures – café
Dundee
Broughty Ferry Castle
Before or after, eat at:
Bowman’s – café (also in Monifieth)
Iced Gems – a very small café
Murray’s – fish & chip restaurant and takeaway
The Urban Beach at the Glass Pavilion – café and restaurant; inside & outside seating; dog-friendly
Willows – café
RRS Discovery
Includes a café
McManus Art Gallery & Museum
Includes a café
Verdant Works
Includes a café
The V&A
waterfront art gallery with café
Fife
Over the Tay Bridge and towards St Andrews you arrive at Tentsmuir Forest, for wonderful beach and forest walks. On the edge of the car park you can find the Salt & Pine Café, for crepes and paninis.
Note that you will need £2 (coins only!) for the car park.
A bit further on and you come to the historic city of St Andrews and the very characterful coastal towns of the East Neuk of Fife.
Perth & Kinross
Alyth Den – for walks
Before or after, eat at:
Nonnina’s Kitchen in Alyth Cyclery, Alyth – Italian café & restaurant; does takeaways
Glenshee – for ski-ing, views & walks
Before or after, eat at:
Wee House of Glenshee – café and restaurant; inside & outside seating; gift shop; tourist information
Meigle Sculptured Stones Museum – Historic Scotland
Before or after, eat at:
The Joinery – café; inside & outside seating; does takeaways
A Brief History of Redroofs
Originally part of the Balgavies (pronounced Bal-guise, as in disguise) Estate, the building first appears in the county valuation rolls in 1908 as Balgavies Sanatorium, built by Miss Agnes Lowson. Lowson was a well-known philanthropist in the area – a number of other sites are linked to her, including the large “Lowson Memorial Church” (Church of Scotland) on the way in to Forfar.
During the First World War, the building was used by the Red Cross as an auxiliary hospital (see the bronze plaque in the hall), together with Briar Cottage in Glamis Road, for “soldiers who had come to grief on the battlefield and who were in a convalescent stage”[1].
Of the numerous stricken soldiers who benefited by a holiday at Balgavies Sanatorium, one was Private Harry Smith of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers. Private Smith, who belonged to Dundee, was a prisoner of war in Germany for six months, but was fortunate enough to be chosen as one of those who were exchanged for German prisoners in British hands. He was very surprised at the appearance of the German prisoners being exchanged. They were comfortable, well clad and smoking cigarettes, while he and his colleagues had hardly enough to put on their backs. His own rig-out was made up of a pair of French boots, a pair of Belgian trousers and a French jacket with a cap made out of the jacket of a deceased Belgian.[2]
In 1917, Agnes Lowson lost her appeal against the conscription into the army of “her gardener, who, she claimed, raised the vegetables for her sanatorium, which had been turned into a Red Cross hospital. The presiding Sheriff commented that it was a pretty tall order to keep a man out of the Army to grow vegetables for 14 wounded soldiers.”[3]
By 1918, the Sanatorium also had an attached house (possible Redroofs Cottage next door?), and a caretaker (William Wells).
The OS Map of 1927 shows the building under the new name of Balgavies Home of Rest, and that name is shown on the valuation roll from 1930. By 1939, the Home of Rest was formally occupied by Forfar Infirmary, and it may have been around this time that it was used for patients from the Jute Mill in Forfar.
Use of the building obviously declined, and by 1957 it was unoccupied. In 1960 it was purchased by George and Helen Adam, and given a new lease of life as a private house with the name Rosewood.
In 1972, Rosewood was purchased by John Armstrong-Payne, and given yet another new name – Redroofs. We had heard that the building was something of a local landmark, because the roof was indeed bright red – the tiles have significantly faded since then!
The swimming pool was added around 2000, when the owner at the time was recovering from a heart attack and wanted some regular swimming therapy!
In 2014, then owner Celia Minaar developed the area at the west end of the property as the “Centenary Bee Garden”. She did indeed keep bees there, and the centenary in question was that of WW1 – with the war in mind, Celia’s intention was to create a space for peace and rest.
The current owners of Redroofs moved here in August 2021, and have been developing it with the intention of it being a place for rest, relaxation and restoration – very much in keeping with the history of the site! 2024 saw further development of the site to include two “glamping” style cabins – see this page for more information, and if you are interested in booking these, please contact us via info@redroofs.scot.
[1] Forfar Herald 9/4/1915
[2] Forfar Herald 28/5/1915
[3] A.B. Whyte, Forfar: Some Aspects of the Great War, Part One, p116
Rest. Relax. Restore.
info@redroofs.scot
07881 518854
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Comments and feedback
We are a new venture and are striving to continually improve our service. If you have any suggestions for things that you feel could be made better, we would really value you telling us directly so that we can put things right. Your feedback will help us improve our service. If you’ve loved your time here (which we hope you will), please tell your friends and leave a great review on the website that you booked with! If you would like to come again, please do contact us directly, and if we can we will give you a discount over the website price.
Thank you, and enjoy your stay,
Ian and Lindsey
info@redroofs.scot
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