Loch Fleet
Lake · Highland
United Kingdom
"Boban and Lizzie, the owners of this bespoke, off-grid cabin, met in Zanzibar. He was running traditional dhow cruises, she was a doctor volunteering in the local hospital. In 2015 they moved back to Golspie, the Highland village where Lizzie grew up. While she completed her GP training, Boban started to renovate their new home, a ruined blacksmith's cottage that's now an off-grid retreat where they live with their young family, chocolate Lab and hens. The Loch Fleet Hideaway, located a caber's throw across the saltmarsh, was Boban's next project. With its smart tin roof and covered decking, and picture windows giving uninterrupted views through the rustling grasses to the shore, it's a birdwatcher's dream bolthole. Curl up on the veranda with a glass of wine as the sun starts to sink, and listen out for the curlews' haunting cry. It's a mesmerising sound - a mindfulness moment straight out of the BBC Springwatch school of meditation. Next on Boban's agenda is a whisky distillery in the grounds of Dunrobin Castle – the fairytale fortress that is Lizzie's ancestral home. Highs It's Springwatch - or Autumnwatch - on steroids; the reserve is home to waders, buzzards, pine martens, otters and harbour seals Clamber up the ladder to the mezzanine for stargazing through the window in the roof We loved curling up with a gourmet breakfast in bed: delivered in a wicker basket to your door Complimentary tickets to the Duke of Sutherland's ancestral seat, Dunrobin Castle, a turreted chocolate-box confection, for booking through i-escape Lows The price of staying in a nature reserve with walking trails is that people might occasionally wander past For heat and hot water it's DIY - you need to keep the wood-burning stove stoked Some might find the decor a little spartan, but the simple, pared-back design means you focus on what's outside The extra double bed on the mezzanine is accessed via a steep, narrow ladder, so take extra care if little ones are sleeping there" - Lucy Gillmore
