Hideaway Under the Stars

Get Ready to Experience Something Unique!

The Story of Our Hideaway

It all began with a dream... In 2009 we bought 3 acres of disused agricultural land, a simple field with absolutely no facilities. The vision was to create a family home with a minimum carbon footprint. It was hard work, self-building is not for the faint hearted, it requires gritty determination and nerves of steel. However, I knew from the first moment that I walked upon this land that it was far too beautiful to keep for ourselves,  it needed to be shared! I had no idea how this would transpire, but adversity is one of the greatest motivators and following severe family illness, bereavement, a toxic workplace, and way too much stress, we ditched the day jobs to become foster carers!

With a reduction in stress came time to enjoy our expanding family and dream of more ways to develop and share what we were creating.

 My vision was to create a place that could effortlessly transport you back to childhood, lift the spirits and nourish the soul. A healing and nurturing sanctuary filled with an abundance of food, wildlife and natural beauty.

As our values are love, respect, and beauty they influenced every decision we made and In the summer of 2018, the vision began to manifest into a reality...

A passion for  natural building led me to Sam from Rocket Architects and Hartwyn, natural builders and educators. Together we created a “Learning Village” for 2 natural builders, an apprentice, 11 students, a cook, and a photographer & filmmaker.

THE BUILD

We built with wood, straw, clay earth, and stone as they are plentiful in Moray, could be easily sourced locally and are replenishable. The roundwood henge added beauty and structural stability, and the strawbales provided  excellent insulation.

All the earth used came from our own site. Mixes of clay earth, straw, and sand were used in various consistencies to create the render for the bale walls, internal wattle & daub and lath plaster partitions, and the beautiful earthen floor.

Due to the nature of the materials used, the walls are able to breathe, allowing air to flow gently through them. Moisture is dealt with naturally, being absorbed and released to create a healthy living environment.

The strawbale walls were rendered with clay plaster and all gaps  filled using a light clay-straw mix. The outside wall was given an additional coating of limewash to enable greater weather resistance and inside walls were painted using a natural clay paint.

Insulation consisted of straw for the walls, perlite (a volcanic rock) for the roof, and glaypor (recycled car windscreens) for under the floor. The windows and fixed furnishings were bespoke by Hartwyn.

The large quantities of earth used in the floor, walls, and cob-seat, provide thermal mass. This is likened to a storage heater that stores and releases heat, enabling a consistent temperature in the home all year round.

The Build in Photos


As natural building is very labour intensive, having so many willing and eager hands enabled the build to progress smoothly; in addition to providing a fun and enriching learning experience for students during one of the best Scottish summers ever!

A short film of the entire build beautifully was put together by photographer & filmmaker Dewi Robert. It was commissioned by Get Rugged a charity I ran from 2013 to 2021 to support natural building as an alternative and affordable housing solution.


We welcome Workaway volunteers to share our experience and keep our space fresh and interesting!

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