A Kitsch Cabin For Christmas
Being born in January, for a long time I laboured under the illusion that I should somehow inherently love winter. But, like many, as the evenings shorten and getting home in daylight seems a distant memory, I cannot help but slump into a familiar ‘ugh’ mood where everything - even seeing beloved friends and cooking favourite foods - suddenly seems an effort.
As shop windows begin to glimmer with the promise of Christmas, I find myself envying hedgehogs and other British wildlife that ready their homes for an extended sleep - and have more than once insisted that, surely, humans should be permitted the same? Many is the November afternoon I have hidden-away beneath a heavy quilt, safely ensconced in the pages of a whodunit, only braving the icy kitchen floor to refresh the tea pot or toast another crumpet.
Then at some point, this avoidance seemed to make it worse and so it was I forced myself out of hibernation and determinedly - with some effort - into embracing each season as it unfolds, safe in the knowledge that spring lurks in the distance and tea can always be carried in a flask.
And thus it was, in the spirit of getting-on-with-it, I found myself on the banks of Loch Lomond, over 450 miles from the newsstands and leaden skies of London, on a 2,000-acre estate at Monachyle Mhor.
A stylish place to stay, eat and explore, but also - should you wish - to hunker-down in the company of an excellent wine list, the hotel spans a converted 18th-century pink farmhouse plus outbuildings, and has 15 bedrooms featuring beamed ceilings, fireplaces and excellent views of the loch. There is also a cosy drawing room with roaring fire and separate snug packed with board games and books.
As the Scotsman navigated our borrowed 4x4 upwards through familiar (to him) lowland terrain, I pointed out that the sheer clarity of the light was unreal. Quick to laugh he was proud to point out that is, of course, what clean air looks like - as though the glass has been removed from the car windows and everything has come into HD.
On arrival, keys are proffered from the lodge-style reception, and guests are shown to their accommodation - in our case a well-trodden path through woodland to The Cabin. Described as kitsch, cool and charming, this ‘room’ comprises of a reclaimed bothy, with kitchen and living space - and obligatory wood-burning stove - and an outdoor fire pit with a plentiful stack of dry wood.
Beside the bothy is the Ferry Cabin - an old waiting room from the Port Appin ferry terminal on the Isle of Lismore, that was due to be carted away for scrap, before the owners reclaimed it. Today it offers cosy beds laden with sheepskins, as well as uninterrupted views up Balquhidder Glen.
Being the organised type, and with the Scotsman hoarding cases of Burgundy as if there’s a war on, this self-sufficient setup was ideal was ideal for re-heating some homemade chilli as the red warmed gently beside the wood-burner.
For those looking to be sociable and save on candles - the cabin has no electricity! - the hotel’s stylish restaurant serves refined Scottish dishes, made with ingredients from the estate and its kitchen garden.
Taking to my assigned role of fire-starter-and-maintainer with furrowed determination, it was only when the rain really set in that I could be lured away by a large glass or red to dry off and settle-in to watch the immaculately-timed storm that cracked open the by-now already-dark sky.
The Cabin comes with a designated bathroom located around 50m away in one of the hotel outbuildings - admittedly I did not realise this pre-arrival, but it mattered little.
Loch Lomond and the surrounding Trossachs are beautiful in spring and summer, but there is something about embracing the climate and stopping and watching the weather unfold that really sold me on staying here in the cooler months, and so long as the air remains that clear, I am yet to think of a reason not to return.
For more information visit http://monachylemhor.net
