Gairnshiel Lodge, an exclusive-use royal hunting lodge in Ballater, Scotland

A Former Royal Hunting Lodge in the Cairngorms National Park

Gairnshiel began in 1746 as Garden Shiel, a hunting lodge built by the Garden family on the River Gairn, and was extended in the Victorian era into the granite house standing today. Queen Victoria rode over from Balmoral to shoot grouse. George V, George VI, and the future Queen Mother followed. By 2015, when a Belgian family fell for the glen and bought the place, it had spent years as a traditional country hotel—done up, as the owners told Remodelista, in "tartan carpets and pink walls, but not in a Wes Anderson way."

They brought in Belgian interior architect Nathalie Van Reeth, who took the lodge down to its granite and rebuilt it in a spare, wabi-sabi register—warm but pure, in the family's words—letting the old speak to the new. Antique Chinese doors found in an Antwerp shop were shipped north to become a coat closet. A 1950s Cansado bench by Charlotte Perriand sits in the stair hall, stackable stools by Belgian designer Bram Venderbeke turn up throughout the house, and the bedroom wardrobes, made by reclamation dealer Joris Van Apers, open by hand-forged nails in place of knobs.

The nine bedrooms run off dark, low-lit halls, beds dressed in percale under custom leather headboards, with toiletries by Aesop. Downstairs is built for a full house, with fireside lounges, a reading room, a games room (with bar, pool table, and dartboard), a gun room by the front door, and a kitchen sized for a group cooking together, with a single-piece timber dining table long enough to seat the whole house.

The lodge stands on open moorland along the River Gairn, 20,000 private acres around it and Balmoral a few miles down the road. Two terraces catch the light at either end of the day. Take your coffee on one. Have a dram on the other. The hosts will walk brave guests down to the river for a cold swim, and the sauna, its door built from reclaimed wood and its original stone floor still underfoot, is the reward afterwards. The hot tub sits open to the sky which, this deep into the Cairngorms, means stars.

However guests approach Gairnshiel Lodge, the roads narrow and climb as the Cairngorms close in, and the moor opens up for the last few miles, becoming part of the adventure. Come by way of Speyside, and Glenlivet, Glenfiddich and Macallan all make the case for arriving slowly.

The other homes on this estate (Laggan Cottage, The Old School, Faunoran House, and Inverenzie Cottage) are all available to book via Boutique.

Layout

This vacation home for rent in Ballater sleeps up to 16 guests. All nine bedrooms sit within the main lodge, all en-suite with either a walk-in shower or a bath, and each convertible between king and twin. Two rooms also have a bathtub. The ground floor holds the gun room by the entrance, several fireside lounges, a reading room, a games room, and a dining and meeting room off the well-equipped kitchen.

• Bedroom 1 — King, en suite, walk-in shower

• Bedroom 2 — King, en suite, shower over bath tub

• Bedroom 3 — King, en suite, shower over bath tub

• Bedroom 4 — King, en suite, walk-in shower

• Bedroom 5 — King, en suite, walk-in shower

• Bedroom 6 — King or twin on request, en suite, walk-in shower

• Bedroom 7 — King or twin on request, en suite, walk-in shower

• Bedroom 8 — King or twin on request, en suite, walk-in shower

• Bedroom 9 — King or twin on request, en suite, walk-in shower

Good to know

Gairnshiel is let for exclusive use only, self-catered, to groups. Shoes come off at the door, as the wooden floors mark easily. Pets are not allowed, and there is no smoking inside. Parking is private and ample at the front. You are met on arrival, and someone is reachable by phone throughout the stay.

Amenities & services

Heating, free wifi, well-equipped kitchen, washing machine, outdoor hot tub, sauna, two terraces, spacious private garden, dining and meeting room, living room, reading room, games room (with bar, pool table, TV, and dartboard), gun room, fireplaces, books, board games, percale bed linen, Aesop toiletries, private parking, personal check-in and host contact. Private chef, housekeeping services, and staff available on request.

Around

Gairnshiel sits in Glengairn, on the River Gairn, deep in the Cairngorms National Park. The village of Ballater is six miles east, with cafes, a butcher, and the old royal station. Braemar, 25 minutes on, has the most scenic tennis courts in Royal Deeside and the Fife Arms, an art-filled hotel with more than 16,000 works on its walls. This is Royal Deeside, so hill walking, salmon fishing, and cycling begin at the door, several golf courses lie within easy reach, and three of Scotland’s five ski resorts are close enough for a day on the snow.