Luxuriating in Nature: An Off-Grid stay at KABN, Loch Fyne

SCOTLANDBLOG

16 Sept

DO WE HAVE TO GIVE UP HOME COMFORTS TO CONNECT WITH NATURE? I VISITED a luxury cabin on the shores of Loch Fyne IN SCOTLAND to find out.

After stays at a cabin in Nevada and a bothy on Ulva, I've become evangelistic about off-grid retreats in nature. Last week I travelled to KABN to experience a luxury stay on the shores of Loch Fyne.

KABN offers two architect-designed, luxury cabins nestled on the shore of Loch Fyne with loch views, wood-burning stoves, and private beaches. The cabins are tucked away with no signage until the very last turn, giving the feeling of seclusion that comes with a nature retreat, but without the arduous journeys of my previous off-grid stays.

I stayed in KABN 2, which is clad in beautiful charred larch and has large floor-to-ceiling windows that catch the morning light. The design of the cabin blends Scandinavian contemporary design with Japanese minimalism and is a world away from my last stay at a rustic bothy.

Inside the cabin is a matt black minimalist kitchen with a larder stocked with organic oils and spices, a bedroom with a vegan down duvet, and an ensuite bathroom with a rainfall shower and luxurious yet naturally derived toiletries.

Think high-end, minimalist hotel room — high-spec kitchen, designer furniture — lifted onto the shores of a tranquil Scottish loch.

The books on the shelf (Hygge and Zen), and the comments in the guestbook, provide a clue as to why people stay at KABN: to press pause on busy lives and immerse themselves in nature and luxury. Many guests also book the wild cooking experience with Michelin-trained Chef William Hamer, located on the private Ardkinglas Estate.

For anyone who appreciates minimalist design, high-end cuisine, wild swimming, or a tranquil yoga session, KABN could be paradise.

I’d like to say I indulged in these pleasures, but I sat with my morning coffee by the lapping water of the loch, and that was enough.

I should say that my coffee was made with the cabin’s hand-grinder and V60 pour-over coffee dripper, and I sat on a HAY Palissade chair.

At KABN, these details seem to matter; it’s a place for slow living and for noticing — the reflections of the silver birches in the floor-to-ceiling windows, the seals playing in the loch, the shifts in the weather, and the red squirrels rustling leaves as they bury nuts for winter.

The ethos behind KABN is that spending time in spaces that have minimalist aesthetics provides mental clarity, enabling guests to reset and reconnect with themselves during their stay. The experience reminded me of the practice of shinrin-yoku, which is the Japanese term for forest bathing, or being mindful in a forest atmosphere — I was feeling the benefits within minutes.

My stay at KABN felt like a boutique retreat in nature, hidden away in a peaceful spot that is just an hour's drive from Glasgow. The Loch Fyne Deli is a 7-minute drive away, should you run out of smoked Salmon. All your needs are catered to so that you can luxuriate in nature.

I left KABN to drive up to Lewis & Harris feeling calm and ready for the next adventure.

I stayed at kabncompany.com which has 2 luxury cabins available on the shores of Loch Fyne, in Argyll. A 1-hour drive from Glasgow Airport and 2 hours from Edinburgh Airport.

56°14'32.6"N 4°58'12.7"W (opens in Google Maps)