Tour a luxury romantic Loch Lomond getaway ideal for a cosy winter break

The Mackenzies never looked back after encountering this Loch Lomond cottage while hiking.

A pretty cottage glimpsed on the West Highland Way has turned into more than a pleasant memory for Kevin and Vanessa Mackenzie.

The couple first walked the route in 2014. “We were doing the walk self-guided and it was near the end of day two when we saw a small cottage tucked away in the trees,” Vanessa remembers.

Picture: Unique Home Stays

“The owners of the cottage had put a sign at the end of the garden and it said: ‘You’re only 2km to Rowardennan’. It was so unexpected as there aren’t many buildings there. The cottage was so pretty and the sign so sweet. That was the first time we saw it.”

Kevin and Vanessa enjoyed the West Highland Way so much, they did it again the following year and again were charmed by the cottage.

Shortly afterwards, Kevin’s father died, and keen to keep his Scottish connections, Kevin decided to use his inheritance to buy a property in Scotland.

“We couldn’t believe it when the Loch Lomond cottage appeared for sale, and we recognised it immediately,” says Vanessa.

Picture: Unique Home Stays

“We knew we wanted something we could rent out as our current situation wouldn’t allow us to move to Scotland permanently, so a holiday cottage seemed like a good idea.”

There was plenty of interest in the cottage, but Kevin and Vanessa had established a good relationship with the owners, and were delighted when their offer was accepted.

“The previous owners had bought the cottage in 1982 when it was derelict, and it appeared to have been their life’s work to convert it into a holiday home for them and their family.

Picture: Unique Home Stays

"They made an amazing book that tells the history of the cottage including the step-by-step renovation.

"They did all the big stuff; they improved the track to the cottage, put in mains water, electricity and BT, and added a toilet inside (the previous one had been an external sand toilet).”

However, when the Mackenzies took it over in 2017, while the cottage had all the basics, it needed an upgrade.

“Though habitable, it had last been refurbished in the 80s,” says Vanessa. “There were lots of different shades of pine, orange quarry tiles on the floor and it was very cold.

"As an old mill cottage, there’s a lot of water around it and it felt quite damp too.”

Picture: Unique Home Stays

The layout consisted of an open plan kitchen and living room, bedroom and small bathroom downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs.

“We made the decision to lose the bedroom downstairs and move the bathroom into the bedroom, which was next door, and the bathroom became a utility room and WC.

"We’re both keen walkers and we walk all year round, so a utility room where we could dry all our wet gear made sense.”

Warming up after a walk was also a priority and the night storage heaters were removed and replaced with underfloor heating throughout.

Picture: Unique Home Stays

The existing wood-burning stove was retained and wood-effect tiles from Karndean laid, offering a practical but warm solution underfoot.

“I’m really pleased with our wood-effect tiles,” says Vanessa. “They’re so realistic that when the chimney-sweep came to sweep the wood burner flue, he told us he couldn’t sign it off on safety reasons because he thought the floor was made of real wood.”

Picture: Unique Home Stays

A new kitchen was also fitted and whilst it came from a high street store it looks anything but.

“We’d become aware of a company called Unique Home Stays who specialise in unique holiday lets and we contacted them and asked if they thought our cottage was unique enough?

Picture: Unique Home Stays

"They said ‘Yes’ straight away, and when we started the renovations, they recommended us to a fantastic team of builders and designers who came up from Cornwall and did all the work for us.

"However, the suppliers they would normally work with weren’t in the vicinity, so when it came to the kitchen they installed a standard Wickes kitchen and then came up with the idea of using pallet cladding as a splashback and end piece. I love the effect, it’s one of my favourite things in the cottage.”

Picture: Unique Home Stays

The pallet effect continues in the shower room and WC, but in the shower room it’s been sanded, painted and fitted horizontally, while in the WC, it’s been used as a sink unit.

Vanessa is delighted with the look. “I also really like the six tiles at the back of the sink. I found them in a bathroom showroom in Bournemouth; they were being discontinued and were about to be thrown away.

Picture: Unique Home Stays

"The lights in the bathroom are from Garden Trading. It’s actually outdoor lighting which for a bathroom is very practical.”

When it came to the colour scheme, Vanessa took tips from the team, although she was dubious at first.

“One of the designers suggested we paint the woodwork and all the doors dark, but lighten the walls, which is the opposite of what I would have done.

"However, the grey shades work well, especially on the staircase, which is now a real feature.”

Picture: Unique Home Stays

Being located at the edge of the banks of Loch Lomond and within both the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park and a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the other main feature of the cottage is, of course, the surrounding environment.

Surprisingly, the garden was the one part of the project that didn’t need a complete overhaul, despite Vanessa being a gardener by trade.

Picture: Unique Home Stays

“The garden is incredibly well stocked and is full of acer trees which are a passion of mine,” she says.

“The previous owners also built a cascading garden with three ponds that flow into each other before babbling out into the Ross Burn, and it’s just beautiful.

Picture: Unique Home Stays

"The setting is amazing, and it still astounds me every time we’re here.”

Kevin and Vanessa may have only owned their cottage for a year, but it sounds like this could be a long-term love affair.

Picture: Unique Home Stays

Little Eden is available to rent for long weekends and holidays through Unique Home Stays.

Words Nichola Hunter