My parents founded the business, Portnellan, in 1980, and I took over in 2000. My partner, Lucy, and I are both full-time – we live on site – and have 20 properties over 90 acres of lochside land near Crianlarich. We average just shy of 700 bookings over 48 weeks a year.

What is your most popular property?

An Caisteal – also known as Munro Cabin – is a Swedish designed eco-home that was finished in 2019. It was hand built by local builder John McAfee, a friend of over 30 years, and the interiors were designed and finished by Bo Concept.

An Casteal sits next to the Ben More burn waterfall, and was designed to bring our accommodation offering up to a higher level.

It is a concept build with really high spec – an Ashley Ann Kitchen, and features such as triple glazing, a natural larch finish, and a zinc roof for a contemporary feel. It is a really sophisticated Scottish country holiday home.

It has huge ceiling-to-floor windows to take in the views, and to make sure it is bathed with plenty of natural light. And it faces East, so looks right down Glen Dochart over Loch Iubhair and up to Ben More.

What is the main market?

It varies depending on the time of year. Generally we have an international market through the high season from all over the world – from Central Europe, Asia and the Middle East, mostly families.

And then on the “shoulder” seasons we get the home market from across the UK.

The international market grew hugely after the three-year spell when we had the London Olympics, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, and the referendum. Those events really kickstarted our product in the international market and seemed to put us on the map.

Visitors come for one of the most spectacular areas of the country. They want to go for self-catering for flexibility with friends and family, but we’ve found the market is really ready for something that is high-end.

How does the business operate day to day?

Lucy and I are the core staff, we have a head housekeeper who is almost full time, and then we employ seasonal staff as required.

This year is a massive challenge for us, many of staff have gone to work abroad and that has really put the pressure on us – we cannot be shy about putting on the Marigolds!

It is a kitchen-table business at the moment, but growing the number of properties we have will require another level of management.

What are the plans for the future?

We are inside the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, so we have to work closely with planners and be very careful with what we build.

We currently have planning permission for another 16 properties. Five of these will be timber houses and there’s also an exciting project of 11 properties in a clachan style, including a black house with a thatched roof, a town hall design, and one based on a traditional church. It is unique, and while inside will be all mod cons, as the market now requires, from the outside it will look like it has been there for hundreds of years.

What advice would you give someone wanting to buy their first holiday home?

It is all about location, accessibility – to the Central Belt and airports, and you have to find something with a wow factor to nudge it ahead of the competition. For instance, we’ve found our access to water is really popular, and we offer fishing and boating free of charge.

But to make a holiday home pay, you must have a good grip of your operating costs. You can look for capital growth, but that is slow at the moment, and with one property it is very difficult to make it pay because you can’t rely on economies of scale.

How is the work/life balance?

Like every hospitality business we work long hours but it is very seasonal. From March to October, we don’t get time off. And winter is time for refurbishment.

That said, the online nature of the business means we can go for a weeks’ skiing with the family early in the year, but still work remotely.

Where is it? One and a half miles east of Crianlarich, Perthshire, overlooking Ben More and Loch Iubhair in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.

What is it A four-bedroomed, four-bathroomed Scandi-designed modern house with huge windows and luxury interiors. It sleeps eight, and has an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area, plus an extensive outdoor deck. It has both a lift and a staircase, and luxury features such as a designer woodburner and a jacuzzi bath. The house is also dog-friendly.

What to do The surrounding Portnellan estate offers outdoor activities, including free use of rowing boats and kayaks, plus salmon and trout fishing. There is also a games room, gym and a visitor centre with a shop.

Available From Easter to October with prices from £290 per night.

See www.luxurycottages.com/cottages/munro-cabin/

Interview: Cameron Taylor on his holiday home business in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park