'Siskin' Woodland Eco Cabin on the Black Isle

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Tiny home hosted by Clive

2 guests
1 bedroom
1 bed
1 bathroom

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Enjoy the simple life in Siskin Cabin! Stay in a unique hand built timber cabin in our Permaculture woodland garden on the tranquil Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands. The cabin combines environmentally friendly features, artistic touches and rustic charm for a truly sustainable holiday in a comfortable and relaxing spot amongst the trees. The Green Tourism Gold rated cabin is ideal for eco conscious travellers who want to experience simple living surrounded by everything the Highlands offers.

The space
We designed and hand crafted the cabin ourselves to create the kind of place we would love to stay, and we hope you love it too! It is situated in a pleasant, private glade in our woodland garden. It sleeps up to two people in a double bed, with cooking facilities, a compact dining/seating area, a compost toilet and bucket shower in a small en suite bathroom. The cosy space has a wood burner with firewood supplied from our own woodland. French doors open onto an outside deck with table and chairs, and a view across the wood and neighbouring fields, ideal for relaxing after a day exploring the area, and maybe spotting the Red Kites swooping overhead or sheep in the field in front!

Instead of wifi there are games and books, and a radio to keep you entertained. Low voltage lights and USB phone charger are powered by a solar charged battery. There are also rechargeable lanterns as well as a speaker to play music from your smartphone.

In the kitchenette you have cooking equipment and essentials (oil, salt, tea, coffee, sugar), a double gas hob, sink and storage (there is no fridge but a cooler and ice packs are supplied). Fresh drinking water, which can be heated on the gas hob or wood burner, is supplied by a foot pump. An old whisky barrel has been repurposed as a shower tray where you can fill the bucket with heated water for a short shower. Organic cotton bedding and towels are provided, with cosy blankets to snuggle into on chilly nights while you watch the flames crackle in the wood burner.

A stay here is ideal for people with an interest in nature, sustainable living, eco tourism, organic food or Permaculture. There is plenty of wildlife around, with many animals, birds and insects frequently seen and heard. Guests are welcome to explore the small woodland, following the meandering paths, and even a boardwalk over the bog garden. There is a stile over the fence for pleasant, easy walks to Monadh Mor or Redcastle. We are ideally located for travellers on the North Coast 500, but why not take some time to explore the Black Isle and its hidden treasures such as cycling, dolphin watching, history, woodland walks and tranquil coastal villages such as Cromarty, Avoch and Rosemarkie.

The woodland is within a 2.5 acre Permaculture Learning Action Demonstration (ScotLAND) garden. This is part of a network of homes, smallholdings and community projects across Scotland which showcase what can be achieved using Permaculture, a framework for creating sustainable ways of living. The household and gardens are being transformed using Permaculture design and techniques to create an ecologically balanced habitat, and this ethos is continued in the construction of the cabin. Wherever possible low-impact materials have been used, for example, locally milled larch and sustainable certified timber, sheep's wool insulation, green sedum roof, rainwater harvesting, low VOC natural paints, organic towels and recycled wool or plastic bottle mattresses, duvets and curtains. They have been furnished with upcycled and hand-crafted items using beechwood cut and milled from the woods around you.

We are a Green Tourism GOLD rated member, this certification recognises the commitment of tourism businesses which are actively working to become more sustainable. Gold awards are acknowledged worldwide as an indicator of good environmentally-friendly practice, as well as acting as a hallmark of ‘green quality’.

Note that we do charge a cleaning fee, as due to the off grid nature of the cabins, there is a significant amount of reseting between guests which we feel is justified by the additional costs and time. For example cleaning and maintaining compost toilets, refilling water tanks, emptying and cleaning the woodburner, and restocking firewood and kindling, as well as the usual cleaning and laundry!

Where you'll sleep

What this place offers

Garden view

Kitchen

Free parking on premises

Private patio or balcony

Shared backyard – Not fully fenced

Indoor fireplace: wood-burning

Unavailable: Smoke alarm

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Guests

1 guest

4.97 out of 5 stars from 32 reviews

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Where you’ll be

Tore, Scotland, United Kingdom

Siskin cabin sits in the woodland of our organic garden and domestic smallholding in Kilcoy, on the Black Isle, surrounded by rolling farmland and woodland. Coast, Forest, Mountain, Loch and Glen are all within easy reach, by bike, public transport or car, for stunning scenery and wildlife. Nearby are Inverness and Dingwall for transport links, eating out, nightlife, entertainment and activities. We are only 20 minutes from a bus stop with regular services to Inverness so perfect for car free holiday using public transport, or cycling. There is a farm shop and garage with small convenience store at nearby Tore and also a small shop at Garguston Farm. There are further convenience shops at Muir of Ord and Conon Bridge, with larger supermarkets and other amenities in Inverness or Dingwall, both approximately seven miles away.
We are in an area of farmland and an estate so there may at times be farm machinery working in the area!

Hosted by Clive

Joined in February 2013

32 Reviews
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We are Clive and Julie, who live on the Black Isle, just north of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. Here we run Black Isle Permaculture & Arts, and as well as being our home, we offer eco friendly tourist accommodation, occcasional workshops, creative residencies and volunteering opportunities focused on regenerative living and gardening with nature. Here we have created an organic Permaculture garden and woodland for food, wood fuel, habitat, well-being, abundant foraging, leisure and education. We self built our eco cabins and wanted to make them unique, sustainable and somewhere that we would love to stay ourselves! We don't get to travel quite so much these days but loving having our guests here!

We are Clive and Julie, who live on the Black Isle, just north of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. Here we run Black Isle Permaculture & Arts, and as well as being our home, we…

During your stay

We live in the house and work from home. We’ll get you checked into your cabin and show you how everything works upon arrival (while observing physical distancing!). We will be available to assist you through your stay if needed, and one or other of us is usually around the house or gardens!

We live in the house and work from home. We’ll get you checked into your cabin and show you how everything works upon arrival (while observing physical distancing!). We will be ava…