Botanical grand tour - Fairy Green Cabin, Dunsinnan
Fairy Green Cabin on the Dunsinnan Estate was the next chapter of my Botanical Grand Tour. The timing felt just right — late summer light on stubble fields, wildflowers still blooming in the meadow, and the first hints of autumn colour in the Perthshire hills behind the cabin. I arrived on balmy Monday evening and the sun was glinting off the vast stubble fields around the cabin. I wasted no time in getting to know the beautiful interior of the cabin and went for an evening stroll around the stubble fields taking in the vast skies and quietness. As a mega bath fan I was SO excited to try out the outdoor bath, which is nestled on the cabins deck surrounded by foliage and with an incredible view out over Dunsinnan Hill. The cabin is stocked with the most delightful Laura Thomas toiletries, a brand I adore and have had the pleasure of working with before, so I scooped up the calming bath salts and headed to the deck in my Sitting Suit while the bath filled and birds chirped all around. Pure heaven!
The cabin itself has a considered, minimal design, where a clever mix of textures and textiles transforms the compact space into a calm, welcoming retreat. Built entirely from Scottish materials - cross-laminated Sitka Spruce grown in the Highlands - it carries a sustainable core with interiors clad in pale timber that create a warm, cocooning atmosphere. Every detail has been carefully chosen; luxurious linen bedding, soft woollen throws, sheepskin chair covers from local farms, and beautiful handmade crockery by Jay Frazer Ceramics. Together these elements shape a space of quiet harmony, inviting guests to slow down, relax, and take in the surrounding landscape.
I woke up early the next day after a hugely comfortable sleep and hit the button to draw up the electric black out blind to reveal the stunning early morning light creeping across the fields. From the bed I drank my morning coffee and took in the stunning meadow just outside the large window, plotting my makes for the day.
I headed out into the morning sun, secateurs in hand, ready to select the perfect blooms which would capture an essence of this landscape through my series of Dunsinnan intaglios. The meadow was bursting with colour and life, from poppies to chamomile, cornflowers and clovers - a heady mixture of forms and shapes I could use to celebrate this Perthshire landscape.
As well as working on my series of intaglios, I created a set of bespoke casts to remain at Dunsinnan as part of my exchange for the residency. Once the plaster was poured and left to set, I took advantage of the sunshine and headed into the nearby hills. The heather was in bloom, harebells nodded along the paths, and the panoramic views from the top of Dunsinnan Hill stretched endlessly. I gathered sprigs of heather, harebells and corn to add to my intaglio series, small fragments of the landscape carried back into the work.
Tucked deep in the hills I stumbled across a small lochen, perfectly still and inviting. I was tempted to swim, but a sudden downpour sent me hurrying back to the cabin — where a hot outdoor bath felt like the better choice. As the weather shifted again, I spent a quiet afternoon cosied up on the big bed, catching up on admin while looking out across the fields. Rain clouds swept by, the light returned, and from bed I watched a vast rainbow arc across the stubble fields — one of those fleeting, perfect moments that felt like a gift.
One of the perks of this trip was my best friend, and fellow artist, Hatti Pattisson lives nearby so she can round for an evening bbq and a sleepover. Alice, who has created Dunsinnan alongside her husband, also cycled over for a glass of wine around the fire pit and gifted us a very cool pair of caps which I didn’t take off for the rest of my stay. After Alice left, Hatti and I got to work on supper which we cooked on the fire pit, despite the rain starting the pour down (we are true Scots who won’t let the rain dampen a good time ha!). After a cosy coffee in bed and a lot of chatting, laughing we packed up and headed into nearby Dunkeld for a coffee at Aran Bakery and a mooch before I dropped Hatti home and returned to the cabin to carry on with the intaglios.
One of the perks of this trip was my best friend, and fellow artist, Hatti Pattisson lives nearby so she can round for an evening bbq and a sleepover. Alice, who has created Dunsinnan alongside her husband, also cycled over for a glass of wine around the fire pit and gifted us a very cool pair of caps which I didn’t take off for the rest of my stay. After Alice left, Hatti and I got to work on supper which we cooked on the fire pit, despite the rain starting the pour down (we are true Scots who won’t let the rain dampen a good time ha!). After a cosy coffee in bed and a lot of chatting, laughing we packed up and headed into nearby Dunkeld for a coffee at Aran Bakery and a mooch before I dropped Hatti home and returned to the cabin to carry on with the intaglios.
After revealing the intaglios and casts I had made for the cabin it was time for another bath, and this time in the truly pouring rain which was wonderful - I cosied up in the cabin for my last night, reflecting on what a magical time it had been and how brilliant it was to share some of it with my dear friend. I set my alarm for 5am on my last morning as I wanted to try and catch the sunrise from the top of Dunsinnan Hill, sadly the forecast was against me and the fog/clouds were out in force but I enjoyed an atmospheric morning hike before packing up and heading back to Edinburgh filled with energy, peace and inspiration from my stay.
There are a few accommodation options available at Dunsinnan, the newly renovated MacBeths Bothy opened last month with interiors by the incredibly talented Edinburgh based Interior design team, Fantoush so I would definitely like to come back and luxuriate there soon. A huge thank you to Alice for welcoming me to stay - it was an absolute delight, and I can’t recommend a visit to Dunsinnan more highly.
This was my fourth collaborative stay of 2025 and the 13th place I’ve had the privilege of experiencing as part of my Grand Tour of the UK. The idea for this project was inspired by my love of Grand Tour intaglio collections and the practice of young aristocratic men collecting small plaster intaglios on their travels through Europe in the 18th century. These pieces were often mounted in books or cases and displayed as souvenirs of their adventures, showcasing the artworks and decorative objects they encountered along the way.
I’ve decided to embark on my own version of the Grand Tour, focusing on the UK. But rather than following in the footsteps of these aristocratic men, I’m taking a more personal approach, with a focus on female ownership of this tradition. My goal is to capture the flora and fauna of Britain through the art of flower casting, creating a visual record of the seasonal life of the landscapes I visit.
Join the Grand Tour
You can follow my other cabin adventures here on the blog, and if you own a cabin (or know someone who does) and would like to be part of my Grand Tour, I’d love to hear from you. I’ll even make a free artwork for your cabin as part of the exchange!
To stay up to date with my adventures and news, sign up for my monthly newsletter below.
