For kin
One day they’ll say, “When we were kids, we found a place to call home, a family cottage that became a midwinter fortress. The floor was lava, and there were owls each night, and always crumpets at breakfast.”
Or, something like that, anyway.
In places where lochside retreats are eclipsed by peasouper fogs, and sea-crafted gales are carried in on the wings of sooty shearwaters, your motley crew (and the dogs, too) will always be found together. Here’s to time away with your homefolk, to tallying up the seconds between lightning flashes and thunder claps, and the careful cherry-picking of Monopoly tokens.
These weathered seasons are for luxury hideaways. For teaching the children the cosy curriculum: discovering herbs in the garden at dawn, squeezing lemon wedges over cast-iron puffed pancakes at lunch, and melting boiled sweets into stained glass sugar cookies for last lesson. What you feel most has no name but cinnamon, blankets, puzzles, chuckles, and rivers of honey flowing from the drizzler.
Elemental
Pitlochry, Loch Rannoch, Scotland, UK
Quietly stylish and perched above a sparkling Scottish loch, Elemental's remote location promises hideaway magic for nature-lovers: just what faraway weekends are all about
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
From: £1,995 per week, £1,495 per short break
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Four kayaks for the loch (available from March - October)
Little Eden
Perched on the quiet eastern shores of Loch Lomond and with glorious mountain views, this private and romantic self-catering cottage is perfectly romantic and wildly gorgeous.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
From: £2,395 per week, £1,795 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Two fire pits and secluded bay on Loch Lomond, perfect for launching kayaks and SUPs
Usonia
Like a New York loft with white bricks and polished oak floors, but tucked away in Scotland's Melrose, Usonia is a luxury forest home with a sauna and hot tub on St Cuthbert's Way.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests (4 adults and 2 children)
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
From: £2,250 per week, £1,695 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Sauna, hot tub, yoga deck, and compact kettlebell gym
Solas
Luskentyre Beach, The Isle of Harris, Scotland, UK
Settled above the paradisiacal shores of Luskentyre Beach on the Isle of Harris, Solas is a modern self-catering home seemingly perched on the edge of the world.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
From: £3,595 per week
Pets: One medium well-behaved dog will be considered on prior request
Features: Wood-fired hot tub, spa area with sauna, shower and yoga deck
Haute Hibernation > For Kin > UK > Scotland
