Welcome to The Warren Forest Garden and Eco Cabins, Clive and Julie’s ecological household, garden and woodland on the beautiful Black Isle, 13km north of Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland. As well as being our home, we offer eco friendly accommodation and creative residencies. Our focus is Permaculture, gardening with nature, arts, crafts, creativity and living lightly on the planet..
The household and gardens here are being nurtured using design and techniques to create a balanced ecosystem for people, plants and animals while also adapting to the unfolding climate and ecological crisis. We have a mosaic of meadows, forest gardens, mixed woodland, wildlife ponds and bog garden, a kitchen garden growing vegetables, salads, herbs, fruit, polycultures of wild flowers for insects and pollinators, all on 2.5 acres (1 hectare). Organic and no dig methods create healthy soil and closed loop systems ensure nothing is wasted, for example composting, wormeries, mulching, reusing/upcycling materials, and wood processing for firewood and construction.
We’ve been a part of the network of Permaculture LAND (Learning Action Network Demonstration) Centre, under the name Black Isle Permaculture & Arts, since 2018. A LAND centre is a place where guests and visitors can see how the ethics, principles, nature connection and design processes which make up ‘Permaculture’ have been applied to the physical site and how we try to live more lightly on the planet here.
OUR ACCOMMODATION
We invite you to stay in one of our cosy and comfortable woodland eco cabins, which we self built as we wanted to make them unique, sustainable and somewhere that we would love to stay ourselves! Combining environmentally friendly features, artistic touches and rustic charm, the Green Tourism Gold rated cabins are ideal for eco conscious travellers who want to experience simple living! We have two self contained cabins sited in our small woodland, called Siskin and Coll Cabin. The names are derived from the place and nature around them. Siskin is a small bird which is common around the woods. Coll is Hazel in the Ogham ancient medieval tree alphabet, and in Celtic mythology Hazel is associated with wisdom, creativity and knowledge.
SISKIN CABIN
Siskin Cabin sleeps two in a double bed, and is a compact, cosy space with a woodburner, dining/seating area, cooking facilties in a small kitchenette, a bathroom with bucket shower and compost toilet, and a tranquil outdoor deck looking over the woods and fields. Siskin cabin opened in August 2020.
Coll Cabin is our slightly larger space, and was completed in March 2022. It also sleeps two in a comfortable double bed, with a bucket shower and compost toilet in the bathroom. This cabin has a larger living space and kitchen with fridge and cooker, a woodburner and also a desk/workspace area if you are looking for a relaxing and creative space.
The cabin was in a lovely private area and was very comfortable. We were doing the NC500 and it was a good base to go and see the things we wanted to see. The host was very accommodating, and offered some great suggestions for sight seeing and places to eat. I would certainly recommend staying here!
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Richard
16 Aug 2021
Beautifull place, very relaxing and nice people
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Noortje
31 Aug 2022
Clive and Julie’s cabin is a luxurious mini-adventure in private woods on the Black Isle. The cabin is truly eco-conscious including a bucket shower which I wasn’t expecting to be quite so good! We used the efficient little stove too which kept us very warm as the cabin was well insulated. The cabin is a re-imagination of a world where we can still enjoy life’s little luxuries in a way that doesn’t cost the earth. I loved to listen to the birdsong in the morning - we had a sweet wren on the tree outside singing it’s lovely tune. We also enjoyed the choice of books and games. So much thought went into the cabins amenities. There was every utensil you might need to make a good meal and we cooked up a storm using the stove as an extra hob. Clive was a lovely host. He showed us to our cabin and the rest of the time felt very private. When I had made a mistake with my booking he was quick to respond and accommodating which we are so grateful for!
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Charlotte
14 Apr 2024
Grear eco friendly place in a fantastic location. Clive was very welcoming, very responsive messaging and the hamper was delicious
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Wil
12 Aug 2024
Et virkelig dejligt sted. Hyggeligt indrettet hytte, hvor man med det samme føler sig hjemme. Og lækker morgenmadskurv, man kan tilkøbe. Små, fine landsbyer på Black Isle hvor man kan tage på tur.
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Anette
10 Jul 2024
We had a lovely stay in Coll cabin. Beautiful peaceful surroundings nestled in the woods. A perfect location to relax and turn off from the outside world. The cabin was beautifully presented with everything you'd need for a couple of nights away including a very well equipped kitchen. Clive was very helpful and gave clear instructions of how to use the features of the cabin. Would recommend a stay here.
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Alison
21 Jul 2024
Thank you Clive and Julie for a lovely, peaceful stay. Very helpful hosts in a beautiful location. Clive went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect for us. Definitely recommend!
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Lucy
28 Aug 2023
A lovely eco cabin tucked away in a peaceful forest. Clive and Julie were so accommodating and made us feel right at home. Can’t wait to return!
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Calum
01 Sep 2024
We enjoyed a lovely stay in the cabin. The area is so peaceful and relaxing with just birdsong and sheep for neighbours. The bed was super comfy, and the cabin kitted out very thoughtfully. Clive was very helpful in suggesting things to do. We particularly loved an evening walk to Redcastle, and the next day managed to spot dolphins at Chanonry Point. Highly recommended.
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Rachel
02 Jun 2021
Our stay at Coll cabin was excellent, The perfect weekend relaxation retreat. We had the best weekend ever. Thanks Clive & Julie.
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Aidan
15 Oct 2023
We loved our stay at Clive and Julie’s cabin, it had everything we needed and was the perfect place to switch off. Clive was a great host and was there to answer any questions we had - the breakfast basket was delicious! Great location to explore all that the Black Isle has to offer. Highly recommend!
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Naomi
02 Aug 2024
We absolutely loved our stay here- it is truly magical and Clive and Julie were wonderful. It’s all the little touches that make the stay from the flowers and mint tea to the gift for Andy’s birthday. And definitely order the hamper!! It was so tasty. What a lovely spot- we will definitely be back! 😉
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Sarah
01 Oct 2020
If you are interested in learning more and getting some hands on experience, then get in touch about our occasional day volunteering opportunities. We also welcome visitors by appointment, drop us an email if you are interested in visiting or volunteering [email protected]