Welcome to Gylen Park.
This is my eighth year on Airbnb and I am delighted to be offering accommodation in my wonderful caravan / cabin which I call “Galley Cabin".
Situated on the remote end of Kerrera Island we are in the perfect spot to “get away” from the hustle and bustle of modern life. We are situated with the most stunning of views.
So if you’re looking to step out of the usual tourist traps then this is the place for you.
Please read the full discription before booking.
Thanks.
The space
Galley Cabin is situated overlooking the sea and islands beyond Kerrera.
The Galley Cabin is a 6.8 metre long by 2.4 metre wide (internal space) caravan, that has undergone a transformation from a standard caravan to something much more comfortable and interesting. I have put in hundreds and hundreds of hours of work to create a space that I hope will satisfy all your needs while you are visiting this amazing island.
This is not a modern luxury caravan, but if there is such a thing as “very comfortable rustic” then I hope to have achieved this. This caravan is perfectly suited to couples or single visitors or two friends who don't mind sharing one room with two beds.
There is a heated shower room as shown in the photos. The electric shower is not a power shower as we do not have mains water pressure, but has plenty of hot water. It is spacious and will do the job! I provide all the towels you could need.
The kitchen is equipped with two induction hobs, a modern microwave, toaster and full size fridge. There is of course a kettle and all the utensils and cooking equipment you could need.
There is NOT a freezer but if required, it is not a problem for you can use the one in my house. There is also NOT an oven but there is the microwave that I am told can do many magical things if you know how to use one but if not there is an instruction manual.
I provide free tea bags and ground coffee (there is a coffee plunger) sugar, salt, pepper and olive oil.
There is an endless supply of wonderful fresh spring water from the tap !
The caravan has a double bed with freshly laundered linen and comes with a double duvet and plenty of extra bedding, if required. I can make up a single bed if two beds are required but you need to let me know at the time of booking. The second bed is made by converting the small table and seating area, as shown in the photos, into a bed.
There is a flushing toilet inside the caravan (see photos) and a wash hand basin and lighted vanity unit. There is also an additional outhouse loo just for you too!
There is a full size double sink with draining board and tea towels are provided.
There is a spacious seating area and dining table and an additional table with seating, if it’s not converted into a single bed.
Heating is provided by two electric heaters. One is a large fan heater with an electric flame and will heat the place up quickly and the other is a smaller heater with a thermostat that you can set to whatever temperature you like the room to be at while sleeping.
There are new blinds on all the windows.
There is constant hot water in the shower but the dish sink and hand basins need to be filled with hot water from the kettle. (I am hoping to upgrade this but due to constant bookings it’s going to be hard to fit the works in).
There is storage space in overhead cupboards and also a wardrobe for larger items.
There is no television because there is no TV reception at the caravan or on the property, so bring a book!
The WIFI has now been upgraded and we have better wifi than ever before with good average speed but this is dependent on weather and satellite availability.
There is MINIMAL mobile phone reception at The Cabin (except EE or Vodafone) or around the house so you can get some peace from the constant chirping of phones. Phone reception can be gotten by taking a short walk up a local hill or using the WiFi and apps.
Outside there is a private seating area with fantastic views over the sea and surrounding islands. There is a charcoal BBQ and you can either bring your own charcoal or leave a donation for using ours. Please let us know in advance if you think you may want a BBQ so that we can make sure it’s cleaned and everything is ready for you.
The Cabin is within our grounds (please see photos) of our property and is situated with the best possible view out the main window.
There are eight adults living at Gylen Park and three children aged between 8 and 14. We also run a volunteer program where people come and help to us to develop the gardens, look after the wild areas and tender the thousands of young trees we have planted. There can be up to two volunteers staying.
We have a really big garden with huge areas of cut grass and we are slowly creating a network of pathways that, one day, will lead (you) our guests around this stunning property. The creation of the gardens and woodland is ongoing and the property reflects that with signs of activity all over the place. There are stockpiles of timber and stone in various locations ready for use will one day be used to make the place even more beautiful and enjoyable for future guests. You are most welcome to ask me about the many projects and how they will unfold into one of my many dreams.
You are welcome to explore the property. There is a large wetland area that has the beginnings of a path along it and we have plenty of resident wild ducks. The creation of many wildlife areas has seen a massive increase in bird numbers as well as many more butterflies and bees feeding on the nectar of the many hundreds of flowers we have planted.
The property is at the very end of a road to ‘nowhere’, so if you want to explore ‘nowhere’ then it’s just outside the garden gate! Walk out and get lost in this truly wild and beautiful place.
The local landscape is like something straight out of Lord of the Rings, with many small beaches and jagged cliffs. There are ruins from forgotten times and deep dark woods, open grasslands and hidden lochs, babbling burns and secret caves. Stunning views are around every corner, and all in all, if you love the wild outdoors then you will love it here.
The island has a traffic exclusion policy which means you CANNOT bring your car across onto the island but will have to LEAVE it parked on the mainland. It’s free parking near the Gallanach Ferry but due to limited spaces it is sometimes worth arriving half an hour earlier so that you can wait for people getting off the ferry to leave. You can then park in one of the vacated spots, get yourself organised and get the next ferry in a leisurely manner. We will pick you up from the ferry on the island side and drive you down to where we live. We will also drop you off at the ferry when you finish your stay with us.
The carpark on the mainland is in the middle of nowhere so you will need to bring all you need and though there is very little crime in these parts its always recommended not to leave valuables in your car.
The ferry to the island costs approximately £4 return per person. Please see the ferry website for all sailings and information, type ‘CALMAC Ferries’ into your internet browser and then in the search page write "kerrera" and you should find the info on the sailings.
PLEASE REMEMBER
The last ferry TO the island is at 5.55pm and you MUST not be late or you will miss the ferry which would mean you finding alternative accommodation at your own expense. So plan to arrive on time or better still come for an earlier ferry than the last.
You need to let us know what ferry you are arriving on at least 24hrs in advance so that we can arrange to pick you up. Failure to do this could mean that you have to walk the 2 miles to where we live! If you do miss your ferry please try and contact us and we will do all we can to come and get you. Failing this you can leave your bags at the ferry port and walk down to us and we will go back and get your bags.
We will pick you up in a large 4x4 Land Rover, so bring as much stuff as you like except the kitchen sink as it’s already here.
There are NO SHOPS on the island and only one cafe (TEA GARDEN) this end of the island, which is open 5-7 days a week but shuts at 4pm. The Tea Garden / Cafe is closed from the end of September. The cafe serves food and drinks and is about 20 minutes walk from where we live and is very close to Gylen Castle (No entry fees). There are no pubs or any other amenities at this end of the island so bring all your must have items like beer and chocolate! There is a small restaurant and public house by the Marina at the NORTH end of the island, which will take you approx 1.5 hours to walk to (and 1.5 hours to walk back!)
Because of the nature of the property with ponds, cliffs and work related sites this is not a suitable environment for young children, the children that are here have grown up around here and know how to stay safe.
We have tried to provide all you need for your stay, we are on site nearly all the time so if you need something then we will endeavour to help you.
Check in time is from 4pm and check out is before 10am. This gives us time to clean the caravan ready for the next guests. If we are not booked up then we can be more relaxed about these times.
There are a few miles of hard surface tracks / roads on Kerrera but if you want to explore the best parts then you need to be prepared to go "Off Road" with stout footwear and rain jackets are advisable. We have a small selection of wellington boots for people to use but we hope to have a full range soon.
A map of the island is on the wall in the Cabin.
We will ask all our guests about ideas to make the experience better for future visitors and will act on these ideas as soon as we can if it is possible and affordable.
Thanks to our guests so far for giving us some great ideas.
Thanks for reading and I hope we will see you soon.
Guest access
The Galley Cabin and gardens and 😁
… the rest of the island 😊
Other things to note
PLEASE CONTACT ME through this Airbnb site. Please ONLY phone in emergencies. ALL correspondents should be done through the Airbnb mail system as this is WHAT I CHECK on a regular basis. Thank you.
