Prestonfield House

The house that stood here first was burned down in an anti-Catholic student protest, which left Sir James Dick, Provost of Edinburgh, in need of another. He went to the King's architect, Sir William Bruce, fresh from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and in 1687 got a white-harled mansion at the foot of Arthur's Seat, with Salisbury Crags standing over its trees. It still has twenty acres to itself, with peacocks and Highland cattle on the lawns. Since 2003 it has belonged to James Thomson, who created The Witchery, and he has not toned anything down. The Winston Churchill Suite has red velvet walls, a gothic day bed and a collection of militaria. In a private dining room, a chandelier blazes over black and gold damask.

Recommended for couples who want Edinburgh by day and a country house by night. The Royal Mile is five minutes away by car and Holyrood Park begins where the estate ends, so the complimentary electric bikes can go either way: into town, or out along leafy paths towards Arthur's Seat. The gym is in a restored tea house. A later Dick, Sir Alexander, was a physician who won a gold medal for introducing rhubarb to Scotland, and entertained David Hume and Benjamin Franklin here. The estate still grows it, for a restaurant that could only be called Rhubarb, and the kitchen has honey from the house's own bees as well. Children of any age are welcome, and may dine there until eight, after which the candles are left to the grown-ups.