A Collector's Cottage in the Cairngorms National Park
Laggan sits at the quietest end of the Gairnshiel estate, low in the glen where the River Gairn runs through the Cairngorms National Park. The Belgian family behind the lodge rebuilt it in 2021 with interiors by Maarten Van Meerbeeck, and the cottage doubles as home to part of their design collection. They buy pieces that link through history and keep them in use. Rietveld's Utrecht chair is for sitting in, the Chapo table is for long dinners, and the Noguchi Akari glows in the corner.
The fourth bedroom is the one your party will argue over. It's the converted shed at the water, standing apart from the house, with windows onto the burn and the hills.
The main house holds an open kitchen and dining room, and a living room with its own small bar. Fires are laid indoors and at the pit in the garden, and the fenced garden keeps supper outside on the long evenings, which in a Highland midsummer barely go dark at all.
Beyond the fence, the estate opens onto moor, forest, and river, with wild-swimming spots a short walk along the bank. The last half-mile in is a rough track, making the journey there even more worthwhile.
The other homes on this estate (Gairnshiel Lodge, 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 eight guests in four en-suite bedrooms across a main house and a converted shed. Downstairs there is an open kitchen-dining room, a living room with its own bar, a guest WC, and a ground-floor bedroom with a double bed and shower, which can be twinned on request. Upstairs are a fixed twin room with a bath and the principal bedroom, a double with an open shower in the room. The fourth bedroom is the converted shed at the water: a panoramic double with its own shower and a coffee station looking onto the burn and hills.
• Bedroom 1 (main house, ground floor) — Double, en suite, shower (twin on request)
• Bedroom 2 (main house, upstairs) — Twin, two singles, en suite, bath
• Bedroom 3 (main house, upstairs, principal) — Double, en suite, open shower
• Bedroom 4 (converted shed) — Double, en suite, shower, panoramic, burn and hill views
• 1 guest WC
Good to know
Laggan is let for exclusive use, self-catered, and the converted cabin is not booked separately. Check-in is self-service by lockbox. The last half-mile is a rough track and not suitable for low cars, so plan the vehicle accordingly. There is a two-night minimum, rising to three during the Braemar Highland Games, and the cottage closes each year from December through February. Children over five are welcome and a travel cot is available for small babies, but the home is not set up for toddlers. Pets and indoor smoking are not allowed.
Amenities & services
Coffee and tea maker, wine glasses, free wifi, indoor fireplace, outdoor fire pit, barbecue grill, private fenced garden, outdoor dining, laptop-friendly workspace, hair dryer, toiletries, iron, hangers, room-darkening shades, smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, free parking, self check-in by lockbox
Around
Laggan sits in Glengairn, in the glen where the River Gairn runs down through the Cairngorms National Park, sharing the estate fence line with Balmoral about 10 minutes away. Ballater is six miles east, with cafes, a butcher and the old royal station. Braemar, roughly 25 minutes on, has the Fife Arms and its 16,000-piece art collection, and hosts the Highland Games each September. This is Royal Deeside, so you'll find hill walking, salmon fishing and cycling from the door, several golf courses within reach, and three of Scotland’s five ski resorts within a winter day.
Location
Glengairn, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. Nearest airport: Aberdeen (ABZ, 70 km).
Best time to visit
Late spring to early autumn, when the glen is green, the light is long, and the river is best for wild swimming and fishing. The cottage closes each year from December through February.
Photography: Richard Gaston
