Escape Loch Fyne Retreats

Off-grid, but still plugged in: this way to a slice of luxury in the wilderness

- Natasha Radmehr

Off-grid. It’s not a phrase I normally seek out when scrolling through holiday accommodation. In fact, my partner and I tend to actively avoid it. Some couples bond over a shared passion for music or travelling; we realised we were perfect for each other upon discovering our mutual disdain for camping. The midges! The damp! The terrible sleep!

So it’s with mild trepidation that we leave Glasgow on a grizzly March weekend to stay in one of Kip Hideaways’ Loch Fyne Retreats, a pair of solar-powered eco cabins overlooking the waters in which Scotland’s most famous oysters are farmed. “Our cabin is heated by a woodburner and we’ve to bring cosy clothes so we don’t get cold,” I yell, relaying the friendly pre-arrival notes as I pull on a fleece over two jumpers. I text my colleague Miriam an aubergine curry recipe I’ve been meaning to send for ages. “Are you sending this in case you die in the off-grid cabin?” comes the response. “Subconsciously, yes,” I reply.

An hour later, we’re on the Cowal peninsula, bumping down a rocky dirt track to reach the road that runs parallel to the loch shore. Mini waterfalls gush behind tangled thickets of bushes and trees. We pass tumbledown log sheds and clusters of grazing sheep. It’s all very scenic, but also undeniably rustic, so we start mentally preparing for a weekend of eating worms. Then we spot our cabin – and decide to eat our words instead.