The Drey Inchberry – Short stay rental cabin

I’m excited to announce that my brand new short-stay rental cabin “The Drey Inchberry” is now complete and open for bookings.

The cabin has been purpose built by L&L Joinery and sits in my garden in the Scottish Highlands, a mere 5 miles from Inverness. It’s a stunning, semi-rural location on the edge of the village of Lentran – I love living here and am excited to share with guests. I have fields both in front and behind with views over deciduous woodland to the South and the Beauly Firth and Ben Wyvis to the North.

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There are full details on the new website – www.thedreyinchberry.co.uk – including an availability calendar and enquiry form for reservations but I’ll tell you a bit about it here too and share some photographs.

It’s an open plan space with a shower room, 6x4m in total – sounds small, but once inside it feels very spacious. There are 5 windows and glass double doors letting in plenty of light and revealing the gorgeous scenery that surrounds the cabin.

The Drey sleeps one-two people and has European single beds which are a 10cm longer than a regular single, they can be pushed together to create a super king. In such a compact space there isn’t much room for storage but there is a hanging rail and shelves plus room under one of the beds.

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The kitchen unit is fab – I purchased from Elfin Kitchens who specialise in units for small spaces. This one is only a metre wide but has a combi microwave, fridge with freezer drawer and sink. I provide a starter pack of a pint of milk, tea/coffee/hot chocolate and I’ll ensure there are ice cubes in the freezer too! There are limited kitchen utensils, however if you need anything else just ask.

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I’ve been unable to provide wi-fi at this time – it really is horrible round here. However there is a 4G signal and I do have a 4G router available if you bring your own data sim card. I’ve put all my wildlife books in The Drey for guests to enjoy during their stay and there are board games available on request.

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If you forget your USB plug adapter, don’t worry, 3 of the power points have USB. I also have a razor/toothbrush charger adapter available on request.

The current tariff is £80 per night (£60 if solo) with a minimum stay of two nights. At this time pets are not permitted but this might change in the future. Bed linen is provided but please bring your own towels. If this isn’t possible I can provide at a cost of £5 per person. All bed linen including mattress protectors and kitchen utensils/crockery will be washed between guests. The cabin will remain empty for 24 hours on either side of a booking. Current Covid-19 cleaning requirements will be adhered to.

If this sounds like somewhere you might like to visit you can check availability on The Drey Inchberry website.

As a wildlife photographer myself, I am hoping the cabin will appeal to both photographers and nature lovers – there is so much wildlife around here and some great local walks. The location is right in the heart of the Highlands so it’s possible to use it as a base to visit many other parts of the region – from the Cairngorm National Park in the South to Skye in the West or Troupe Head in the East.

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If you’re a regular reader of my blog you’ll know all about the amazing wildlife on my doorstep. The garden is full of birds all year round. You’ll likely see all the common finches and tits plus both house and tree sparrows, robins, blackbirds, dunnock, wren, great spotted woodpecker, sparrowhawks and treecreepers. Overhead you’ll see red kites, buzzards and carrion crows. I’ve had a few visits from reed bunting, red poll, yellowhammer and fieldfare too and I’ve spotted stonechat and warblers in the local fields. In the summer the swallows and house martins swoop over the garden and ospreys fish close by. In the autumn thousands of pink-footed geese appear and hang around for the winter. And, of course, there are red squirrels! In late 2020 I welcomed my first regular squirrels to the garden, what a thrill it was! I now have 3 who appear most days – Ella, Louise and Dizzy. Ella is currently nursing so I’m hoping there’ll be some kittens appearing before too long.

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Overnight the garden and woods come alive with the nocturnal wildlife. You’ll be very lucky to see any of these animals, but look outside in the evening and you may see one of the badgers who scour (dig up!) my lawn for food. There’s also pine marten, tawny owl, fox and roe deer. This is a badger photographed one evening in the local woods.

I offer a number of photography workshops and guests to the cabin will qualify for a 10% discount. Please do check my availability on your preferred date though before booking The Drey.

I’m really excited about The Drey Inchberry. I’ve loved living in this part of the world and it will be great to share it with you. Please check out my website for full information and I’m looking forward to hearing from you!