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.
Das Haus war wunderbar gelegen, nicht einmal 15 Minuten von einer Bushaltestelle, welche nach Inverness und tiefer in die Highlands führt, trotzdem ruhig und privat auf dem Grundstück in einem kleinen Waldstück. Die Ausstattung ist besser als beschrieben, so war zum Beispiel die Eimerdusche mit einer Pumpe ausgestattet und die Komposttoilette dank ihrer Bauweise quasi geruchsneutral. Die Küche ist bestens ausgestattet, auch der Rest der Hütte ist mit Decken, Spielen und Büchern und sogar einer Bluetooth Box und Radio. Der Kamin ist ein echtes Highlight und gerade nach Wanderungen im Regen ein wahrer Genuss. Die Gastgeber waren super freundlich, hilfsbereit und konnten zu fast allen Fragen zur Umgebung direkt Auskunft geben. Sie haben sich regelmäßig über die App nach Wünschen und Bedürfnissen erkundigt, uns aber in der Unterkunft selber nie gestartet. Diese Unterkunft ist jedem ans Herz zu legen, UK runterzukommen und von hier aus die Black Isle zu erforschen!
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Caro
17 Jul 2024
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
A great experience staying in Clive's eco hut! comfortable bed and very cozy! they have designed the hut so well. Very inspiring and allowed us to be more mindful about our impact on the environment and take new ideas home with us. Would absolutely recommend 😊
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Natalie
05 Aug 2023
Absolutely stunning location in the woods. There’s just something really special about waking up to the sound of sheep and a forest view. Clive and Julie are lovely hosts and have made us feel very welcomed. Highöy recommend staying at the cabin!
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Lara-Marie
29 May 2022
It was a very pleasant stay at the cabin. It’s very quiet and is a unique experience. Everything there felt really relaxing and we would highly recommend staying here and indulging in the experience.
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Jari
19 Aug 2024
very good 🙂 we stayed 2 nights and loved every minute in the tiny house. you got everything you need there, from handmade soap to coffee 🙂 . the atmosphere is very cute with thoughtful decoration. Clives gave us grave tipps for sightseeing and he is very helpful.
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Stephanie
06 May 2024
We had a very unique stay at Clive and Julie’s. The house is beautifully designed, reminds you how to take care of your environment, and is located in a cute woodland with a very private feeling. The breakfast from local products and self produced food was lovely, as well as all Clive’s tips and tours of their forest garden. Could only recommend ! Thanks again 🙂
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Nina
18 Aug 2022
We absolutely loved our stay at Clive and Julie’s. The cabin is beautifully designed, decorated and a great place to base yourself as you explore the highlands. We really appreciated the eco friendly aspects of the stay. Clive was friendly and gave some great tips.
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Jordan
21 Aug 2024
Our stay at the eco-lodge was so beautiful! Clive and Julie were really accommodating hosts, and were really helpful with giving us advice on adventures around the area. The setting was absolutely beautiful, situated within their woodland that was part of their permaculture project.
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Serena
24 Aug 2020
Very clear instructions were much appreciated. Nice little woodland area - great if you want a camping lifestyle in luxury.
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Aimée
20 May 2024
Lovely wee cabin in a beautiful location. We loved the ethos of the place and all the small details. Breakfast hamper was delicious too - we especially enjoyed the homemade granola!
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Dinushriya
06 Apr 2024
We had a lovely time, living very simply and mindfully in this beautiful cabin. Highlights were red kites going overhead all the time and heating our own shower water on the fire! Clive and Julie have created a very neat and cosy space - we really enjoyed the back-to-basics nature of it. A great place for an escape from city life!
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Katie
26 Nov 2024
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]