Welcome to Kirnan Estate
Hello! We are Gemma and Rob. In February 2021, we moved our life from Cambridge to the west coast of Scotland after falling in love with Kirnan Estate. We both had a lifelong dream to live in Scotland and run our own holiday accommodation but buying a 400-acre estate in the wilds of the western coast of Scotland was a dream we never could have imagined!
When the pandemic hit, we, like many others, re-evaluated our life and what is truly important. We have our own company, and while we used to commute regularly to London, we soon realised that this wasn’t needed, and fortunately we could work seamlessly remotely. What was originally a small seed of an idea for the future, quickly grew into a very real possibility for our present and future life. We found Kirnan Estate listed on an estate agent’s website, so as soon as we were able to travel, Rob and I took a trip to Argyll and fell in love at first sight. We were blown away by the beauty of the area, the friendliness of the local community, the peacefulness, and of course the Estate itself, which was more than we could have possibly hoped for.
So, we packed up our home, and with my mum and two dogs in tow, we made the move to Scotland. Kirnan Estate includes the main house, two stone cottages, and a beautiful wood cabin. We have spent much of the beginning of the year renovating the main house, which was originally built in the 13th century. It was sadly abandoned and left in ruins until the 19th century when it was rebuilt using most of the original stone, giving the house its Victorian heritage. Rob and I have spent the last year learning how to run a working estate. So, in addition to spending time advising our consultancy clients in the City on anti-money laundering best practices, he spends his free time feeding game birds, deer stalking, and gardening, while I’ve been interior designing the holiday cottages, liaising with our forestry team, and sourcing exciting local suppliers.
In October 2021, we started the careful restoration and renovation of the cottages. It was important for us to work with local suppliers, and we’ve loved getting to know the community. Thankfully, the cottages and cabin didn’t really need structural changes, but we wanted to create spaces that feel like an extension of the main house, so we replaced and updated the kitchens and bathrooms with modern fittings and appliances such as Neptune, Smeg, and The White Company. Our style is modern country house chic, with soothing warm tones, and luxurious soft furnishings. I wanted to offer a high-end experience within the self-catering marketplace. We are excited to be in the final stages of the renovation process, and now carefully selecting the finishing touches, such as which local artwork should adorn the walls, and what lovely treats we want to leave for our guests on arrival.
The Estate is incredibly important to us, and so is preserving its natural wildlife, woodlands, and lochs. Working with Highfield Forestry, we are planning to introduce more species of trees to our existing rich biodiversity and landscape, but this is for phase 2, we need to open first!
We will be officially opening in March and will be sending out a blog next month to share more details and images of the Estate, cottages, and their interiors. Each month, we will post an update on the seasonal changes across the Estate, around the local area, as well as activities and retreats we will be planning for later in the year.
Thank you for taking the time to read our introduction to Kirnan Estate. If you have any questions or would like to get in touch, we would love to hear from you. Please email contact@kirnanestate.com
