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.
It was our first experience in the highland, but this eco-cabin brought us a very peaceful, joyful and relaxing moment while we were staying there. All the instruction was very clear, and we really love this concept of get rid of grid electricity and internet for a while. We recommended to anyone who want to experience countryside, quiet, forest, highking, cycling and get rid of the busy city, this place is amazing. Our 3 nights was amazing, we enjoy cooking our meals, drinking our favorite beer, wines, soft drink and enjoy the sound of BBC void radio. However, there were plenty of books, games, printing leaflet including maps, and other information Clive will provide you. LESS IS MORE MIES VAN DER ROHE We agreed with this statement Bisous Coeur From OL & Dorian
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Ol
20 Jul 2024
Beautiful and peaceful stay. Clive was very accommodating and helpful when we were asking about the local area. Highly recommended!
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Guy
26 Jul 2024
Wer die Ruhe sucht, wird diese wahnsinnig liebevoll gestaltete Unterkunft lieben! Die Holzhütte ist super gemütlich und lädt zum Verweilen ein. Die Lage in einem kleinen Wäldchen ist ideal, um nach einem anstrengenden Tag zu entspannen. Der Gastgeber Clive ist sehr freundlich und gibt viele gute Tipps zur Umgebung. Insgesamt absolut empfehlenswert!
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Jeannine
30 Jul 2024
Wirklich tolle Unterkunft in ruhiger, schöner Lage. Die Ausstattung ist mit tollen Details bestückt und super nachhaltige Umsetzung. Tolles Badezimmer, schöne und saubere Küche. Wir haben uns rundum wohl gefühlt.
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Nadja
15 Aug 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed our stay! All the tips that Clive and Julie suggested were great to explore too. The best part however was staying cosy in the cabin. Loved the book selection and games provided. The breakfast hamper was delicious too! Makes you ponder on how you can live your life more sustainably, so thank you for sparking some creative ideas!
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Georgia
07 Jul 2024
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 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
My boyfriend and I had an amazing time in the cabin! We stayed for a couple of days and didn’t really leave till it was time to check out. The location is secluded enough to feel like you’re living in a fairytale but close enough to the hosts if something goes wrong! The cabin is beautiful inside with everything you would ever need, with so many books and games, and it is so nice to sit outside with a cup of tea too! It’s a beautiful little escape and we will definitely be coming back!!
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Tiegan
09 Aug 2021
Wonderful little hut in the woods. Sustainable and easy, but still all you need is there. Great to relax. Very friendly and welcoming owners. We should have planned for a longer visit in this small and cosy house.
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Annika
09 Sep 2024
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
La casita y el lugar son geniales! Una experiencia única, totalmente recomendable
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Elena
08 Jul 2022
We had a great stay at the eco cabin. Wonderful wood fired stove and atmosphere. Easy access to Rosemarie, Inverness, Ben Wyvis, etc. Clive and Julie are great hosts!
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Ross
12 Jul 2021
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]