Go wild at Wilderkin
A lockdown project has grown into an inviting base for a countryside break, says Cat Thomson
If you need some quiet solitude, then consider booking a stay at Wilderkin Cabin, which you can book via Kip Hideaways, a website that curates unique holiday property escapes.
You may have seen Kip’s co-founder, Sarah de Vere Drummond, in a recent appearance on Dragons’ Den, where she came away with a joint offer from Gary Neville, Touker Suleyman and Peter Jones. Sarah co-founded the business with Liz Simpson in 2019, and the pair pride themselves on offering guests one-of-a-kind staycations that are the perfect blend of style and simplicity.
Wilderkin Cabin is a perfect off-grid spot located just a few miles from Edinburgh near West Linton. The quaint, tin-roofed wooden cabin nestles into the landscape, overlooked by the Pentland Hills. The owner and environmental artist, Lotte Kravitz, spent an idyllic childhood growing up nearby and built the cabin, with help from friends, as her lockdown project.
She loves sharing this special, nature-filled place with guests; her favourite feature is the lochan, which was excavated earlier this year. The cabin is a slice of paradise, located down a bumpy track and surrounded by crab apple trees and wildflowers, with more than a hint of a fairytale setting.
There is no Wi-Fi and only limited mobile signal if you walk up a small hillock. I guarantee you won’t want to bother after unpacking and unwinding. Within minutes, I was happily surrounded by nature, listening to ponies contentedly munching grass, as the geese honked their welcome overhead.
The larch-clad post-and-beam cabin is just 6 metres by 3 metres but feels spacious inside and provides the perfect bolthole for two. The roof is fashioned from tin sheets, and the interior walls are made from locally sourced, storm-felled hemlock, with floorboards made from Douglas fir. The heating is courtesy of a log-burning stove; just wheelbarrow more logs down from the woodshed as required. There is an electric hob, small fridge, and a separate shower room with a composting loo.
A nice touch is the crockery made by George Perry Pots, who creates ceramics using self-collected clay; his dishes are decorated with glazes made using rock and wood ash. There are books and board games, and Lotte’s dad even donated his precious vintage record collection and player, so you can dance like no one is watching.
The surrounding views of the Pentlands and bucolic landscape are bewitching, and you can even stargaze from the comfort of your bed at night. My favourite part was relaxing in the wood-fired zinc hot tub, listening to the wind whistle through the branches. If you fancy a skinny dip to cool down, there is the lochan nearby, or if you are still craving civilisation, the bright lights of West Linton are just a stroll away.
Wilderkin Cabin is available from £170 per night, min two night stay, sleeps 2 people, is dog-friendly and has a hot tub and swimming pond – 30 mins from Edinburgh