The stunning historic Scottish house that's home to amazing cafe, fairy walk and snowdrop festival

This Scottish estate is a magical place to visit for all the family.

The snowdrop is one of the first signs that the cold and dark of winter are on their way out. For those that love to see the return of these delicate white blooms, a Scottish estate has the ideal day out.

Cambo Country House and Estate, an historic venue and visitor attraction situated on Fife’s stunning coastline, is home to a renowned Snowdrop Festival, now in its 16th year, which will return in February.

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Cambo estate is the birthplace of this annual snowdrop celebration and home to the UK’s Plant Heritage national collection of snowdrops.

The Erskine family - who own the estate - and in particular, Catherine Erskine’s dedication to preserving, expanding, and meticulously cultivating snowdrops for generations, has turned Cambo into a haven for ‘galanthophiles’, who return annually to witness the spectacular display of 200 specialist snowdrop varieties carpeting the estate, and to purchase snowdrops ‘in the green’, for their own gardens.

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As one of the earliest flowers in the year to bloom, the delicate snowdrop is much loved, and often seen as a symbol of hope as winter ends and we look ahead to springtime and warmer weather.

At the heart of the estate sits Cambo House, home of the Erskine family since the late 1600s. It remains a family home to this day for James Erskine and his family.

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The House is also available for private hire as a venue for weddings, celebrations, and corporate events throughout the year, and whilst it’s not usually open to visitors, as part of the snowdrop festival, Cambo House will be opening its doors for a limited period, providing an opportunity to book and enjoy a tour of the house, learn about its history and what life was like to live and work there. Cambo House will also host a series of live music events from the ‘Cambo Kitchen’.

In addition to Cambo House, Cambo Gardens, there’s also an award-winning cafe that’s known for its ‘amazing, home cooked’ food, which includes toasties, soups, savoury tarts and home baking.

There’s also a gift shop, plus visitors can also explore the magical woodland walks to Kingsbarns beach, book a session in the beach sauna to feel rejuvenated, or join an outdoor skills and movement class with WildStrong to enjoy an increased sense of wellbeing from spending time outdoors.

Snowdrops come into bloom in the grounds of Cambo House at Kingsbarns, Fife (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)Snowdrops come into bloom in the grounds of Cambo House at Kingsbarns, Fife (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Snowdrops come into bloom in the grounds of Cambo House at Kingsbarns, Fife (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

The estate is also home to the Kingsbarns Distillery, offering whisky and gin tours with tastings, plus Kingsbarns Golf Links, a Worldwide Top 100 ranked course, which is open from late March to early November.

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If this all sounds like something you’d like to make a weekend of, you can stay in the house of one of the off grid cabins. Cambo House can accommodate up to 37 guests in 18 Victorian style guest bedrooms, divided between five elegant suites and four spacious guest wings.

For something a little less grand, Cambo also offers two off grid cabins, designed and built by Scottish sustainable travel pioneers, Off Grid Travel.

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