Botanical grand tour - Willow, Loch Venacher Cabins
We headed up to Loch Venacher Cabins for four nights with Pinto, our ever-enthusiastic companion. These cabins have long been on our radar — we often pass them on our favourite hikes around Loch Venacher, dreaming of what it might be like to stay. So when I managed to line up a botanical tour stop here, it felt extra special to finally spend time in a place we’ve admired from afar for so many years.
Our two-tiered cabin was larch clad on the outside and all soft hardwood on the inside — beautifully simple yet thoughtful in its design. The mezzanine bedroom, with its superking bed and vast floor-to-ceiling windows, gave us the most magical vantage point. Each morning we woke to a view that constantly shifted with the light — loch waters shimmering below, the mountains brooding or glowing behind. Downstairs, the open-plan kitchen and living area was anchored by a wood-burning stove, and outside we dined on tables and benches made using wood from the estate as well as a mighty fire bowl perfect for evenings spent cooking and stargazing. We were treated to some spectacular sunsets over the loch and as out stay coicided with the summer solstice we went to bed with daylight slowly fading behind the hills.
We made the most of every moment: barbecuing each night with local produce from Callander (Dave happily in charge of the grill), and plunging into the loch for a bracing swim before breakfast each day. There was something so simple and grounding about falling into this rhythm of food, water, and rest. One evening, we were lucky enough to use the sauna — sitting in the warmth, gazing out across the water as the world quietened, was pure bliss.
Our days were restful but we also fitted in at least one daily burst of activity. We hiked into the hills behind the cabin with Pinto bounding ahead, or took off on our gravel bikes to explore the incredible network of trails looping around the loch and winding up into the mountains. We were delighted to stumble across Achray Farm when in dire need for a coffee mid cycle, and fell in love with the naughty goats who were ambling around the delicious ice cream shop. A perfect sugar and caffeine hit to propel us home along the lochside.
In between, I was creating a series of botanical intaglios, recording the lochside flora and plants around the cabin as part of my Botanical Grand Tour. It felt wonderful to head off up the hills and around the loch side gathering fragments of the surrounding landscape to imprint into plaster. I set up a temporary casting studio on the sun drenched deck at the back of the cabin, the perfect casting nook!
Hugh and Jemima, who created the cabins in collaboration with local architect Darran Crawford of Line Architecture and under the guidance of the Trossachs National Park, have truly built something special here. You can feel their love of this place — its rhythms, its interesting design, its ever-changing views — embedded in the details. Before we left, I gathered flowers from Jemima’s garden and made a large plaster landscape piece as a small thank-you for such a restorative and memorable stay. If you’re looking for a restorative retreat with breathtaking views and endless opportunities to hike, swim, and simply sit back to watch the light change over the loch, I couldn’t recommend Loch Venacher Cabins more highly.
This was my third collaborative stay of 2025 and the eleventh 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.
