Our holiday at Doddy Weir House (formerly Denis Duncan House)
My friend Gillian and I both visited Denis Duncan House in April and were honoured to learn that we were the first guests to stay there since Leuchie became the new owners of the holiday cottage. We both loved the garden, privacy and how quiet the house was.
We immediately felt comfortable in both the house and environment. The house was brilliantly equipped for disability needs, Gillian particularly liked the amount of clear space in each room for her to walk with her crutches.
I found the accessible downstairs bedroom to be fantastic as it’s harder for me to walk too far and there were plenty supports in place to help me. Leuchie House were particularly helpful in bringing over the extras we needed such as adaptive cutlery, perching stool and walker. A wheelchair was supplied although we didn’t need it as we decided to stay within the house and garden.
We both live with a neurological condition called Functional Neurological Disorder so for two disabled ladies to go on holiday by ourselves, without our carers, was quite a brave thing to do. However, as soon as we were at Denis Duncan House, we felt safe and secure.
The accessible facilities were great. We mostly just used the shower supports, but for people with less mobility there was everything possible to use.
We would both highly recommend Denis Duncan House, and for anyone considering it, we would say ‘GO FOR IT’! If we can manage without our carers, then those who do wish to stay there with their carers, friends or family, it is an ideal place for a superb holiday.
We found it really helpful that all the facilities are in one place, that there was plenty of space and that there is a beautiful garden with lots of natural beauty to look at.
I spent a lot of time in the conservatory crocheting and reading, or just watching nature - sheer bliss for relaxation and getting away from the stresses of living with a disability.
The benefit of a place like Denis Duncan House is the feeling of calm, security and peace, knowing that everything except food is provided and all you have to do is arrive, be welcomed and enjoy your holiday.
We are going to save up and come back again next year. This holiday helped us to grow in confidence, knowing all our needs were met and all we had to do was enjoy each other’s company with lots of relaxation and laughter.
The house has been incredibly well thought-out for all disability needs. It offers such a safe place for respite and is a wonderful peaceful sanctuary.
