Glen Glack
The latest stop on my Botanical Grand Tour took me to a place I’ve long coveted, after first discovering Glen Glack through Instagram a few years ago. So when I began researching places to stay as part of the tour, Glen Glack was one of the very first I reached out to. My stay was originally planned for 2024, but a small blip with Pinto’s wee back meant we had to reschedule for 2025, and I was so grateful to the lovely Atholl Estates team for their flexibility in supporting this collaborative stay. When October finally rolled around, I was more than ready to escape into the Perthshire woodlands after a hectic September. I felt my shoulders slowly unhitch from my ears as I packed up the car and hit the road to Dunkeld — Pinto tucked into the passenger footwell, and visions of cosy evenings by the fire already playing out in my mind.
I was so grateful for the opportunity to stay at Glen Glack, heading up to Perthshire in the depths of autumn — my absolute favourite time of year. Dave and I often escape the hustle and bustle of the city and head to Dunkeld for an autumnal woodland walk, usually followed by a warm coffee and delicious pastry from Aran, or a glass of wine by the fire in the cosy Taybank Bar. So having the chance to spend a few days immersed in the woodlands around Dunkeld, from the beautiful setting of Hazel - one of the five stunning cabins at Glen Glack - was a true delight.
Autumn is one of my favourite seasons in Scotland, and there is nowhere better to witness the turning of the leaves into a sea of fiery oranges, deep reds and rusty browns than Perthshire. I drove up on a gloomy, properly dreich day, with mist and rain hanging low in the sky and blanketing the landscape in a thick grey fog. While it’s not my favourite weather, it made the bright autumn woodland colours glow and sing out against the muted backdrop. The trees were alive with fiery leaves and the woodland floor was scattered with beautiful mushrooms and toadstools, their colours luminous against the damp earth. It felt like stepping into a quieter, slower world - the perfect place to immerse myself for a few days and draw inspiration from the autumn landscape.
The five loch-side cabins of Glen Glack were born from a shared longing to escape the city and retreat into nature, drawing inspiration from the simplicity of a traditional Scottish bothy. Designed to sit lightly within their surroundings, the cabins offer a quiet, luxurious refuge where materials, views and thoughtful design work together to create a deep sense of calm. Raised on stilts to minimise impact on the landscape, each cabin looks out across the glassy waters of Cally Loch and is clad in locally abundant larch from Atholl Estates, stained in its own distinctive Atholl colour. Set at the heart of an extensive network of lochside and woodland walks above the vibrant cathedral town of Dunkeld, Glen Glack is immersed in rich wildlife — from beavers and otters to red squirrels and abundant birdlife — making it a peaceful base for those seeking stillness, connection and time spent outdoors.
The interiors of Hazel have been thoughtfully considered, and stepping inside the minimal, elegant, yet cosy space, it was immediately clear how much care had gone into making the cabin both comfortable and luxe. Large windows and glass patio doors offer countless viewpoints over Cally Loch and the surrounding woodland, filling the open-plan living, kitchen, and dining area with natural light. The space is inviting, anchored by a cosy log burner and skjeepskin-draped chairs, perfect for settling in after a day outdoors.
The sleek, tiled bathroom — with modern subway tiles, underfloor heating, and classic fixtures — was a true inspiration as we venture into our own house renovation. As a self-confessed bath-aholic, you can be sure I spent my evenings soaking and warming up after a day of casting outside, wrapped in the luxurious, cosy dressing robes provided
Pinto and I spent many hours exploring the woodlands around Atholl Estate, gathering botanical specimens to create a series of work capturing a moment in the seasonal life of the forest. I was particularly drawn to the firs, larches, and ferns that were abundant along the trails, alongside some stubborn foxgloves and evening primrose. The path around Cally Loch was alive with mushrooms and toadstools — which sadly don’t cast very well — but there were plenty of horse chestnut seed heads scattered across the woodland floor, as well as some beautifully textured bark that I collected to experiment with.
I set up my outdoor studio on the large rocks outside Hazel, which overlook Cally Loch, and got to work creating my Glen Glack intaglios, as well as two pieces for the cabin. The weather was a little unpredictable, with intermittent rain showers, but the large covered porch proved the perfect spot to continue working while staying dry, allowing me to keep the creative flow going without interruption
The team at Atholl Estate kindly invited me to visit Blair Atholl Castle and Gardens. So, while the plaster on my intaglios was drying, Pinto and I wrapped up and headed out to explore. We spent many happy hours wandering through the nine-acre walled garden, a wooded grove, a gothic folly, a kirk ruin, and the extensive deer park. After a caffeine hit from the lovely café, I wrapped Pinto in his dry robe and left him snoozing in the car while I ventured into the impressive Baronial Scottish castle.
From the moment I stepped through the grand doors, I was captivated by the rich history and varied, fascinating interiors. Blair Atholl Castle has been home to 19 generations of Stewarts and Murrays of Atholl, and its story is woven through every room. The entrance hall is filled with beautifully arranged armoury, turning swords and shields used in the Battle of Culloden into elegant wall decoration. From there, you are guided through a series of increasingly remarkable rooms. I was completely absorbed by the incredible plasterwork in the Dining Room and Drawing Room, craning my neck to take in every intricate detail of the ornamental reliefs - simply fabulous.
I also loved exploring the bedrooms and family rooms, imagining the parties, conversations, and quiet moments that took place over the centuries. One of my favourite spaces was the Ceramic Plate Room, filled floor-to-ceiling with cabinets displaying the family’s collections of ceramic dining ware gathered over generations. I left feeling both inspired and educated - if you are in the area, I can’t recommend a visit to the gardens and castle highly enough. I’m already planning a return in the summer to see the gardens in full bloom
I enjoyed one last morning coffee on the balance, wrapped up in a blanket with the rain gently falling on the lodge roof and over the loch, before packing up and hitting the road back to Edinburgh. With one last stop to Aran to stock up on some goodies. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Hazel and Glen Glack - from the cosy cabin evenings by the fire, to the crisp autumn walks through the woodlands, to the inspiration of creating new botanical intaglios, and the exploration of Blair Atholl Castle and Gardens. It was the perfect escape, full of creativity, calm, and connection to the landscape.
This was my fifth collaborative stay of 2025 and the 14th 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!
