When I first looked up Kennel’s Cottage, I couldn’t get it out of my head. Someone I met at an event told me about it. She said after their stay, she cried all the way back down to London, she was so sad to leave. Not a bad recommendation. I had a good feel as often the places with the most humble of names (Kennel’s Cottage, the Potting Shed, The Stables).. are the best. For me, this is the ideal Scottish holiday house: quietly luxurious, beautifully designed, and rooted in the landscape.
A Thoughtfully Designed Retreat
Tucked away Nestled in a remote spot in the Cairngorms National Park, Kennel’s Cottage sleeps up to six guests across three floors, so there’s a good amount of space and you’re not all on top of each other, if the rain’s lashing down and you’re inside all day. We've had enough post-Monopoly fallouts as a family to know how key this is...
The kitchen is excellently equipped, the eating area has a log-burning stove, and the sitting room an open fire – they understood the cosy assignment here. You get all the charm of an old stone cottage, with wood panelling and traditional fittings, but with the attention to detail and contemporary comfort of a well-designed modern home.
Everything feels well thought through from the kitchen utensils to the paintings on the walls. There’s a curated feel, rather than a ‘let’s stuff the holiday rental with auntie Morag’s old stuff’ – I’ve stayed in a few of those over the years. Here, everything belongs.
The Highland Setting
Originally home to Glenfeshie Estate’s kennel man (lucky him), Kennel’s Cottage feels satisfyingly remote. From the windows you look out over the glen, ancient Caledonian pine forest, and the Cairngorm hills. Perfect for adventurers and also perfect for armchair adventurers who are after a week in a chair drinking tea with a good book by the fire. You can bring dogs too – if you have a hound this is probably the most upmarket kennels they’ll ever stay in.
If You Like the Look of It
Kennel’s Cottage is available to rent, you can find out more here (but dreaming about it is free...)
