If you have ever wanted to step into a book, this is the cottage for you. Set in a remote location, deep in the heart of whisky country and surrounded by wild, picturesque hills, Corrunich is the subject of the enchanting book The Moon's Our Nearest Neighbour. The property belongs to the book's author, Ghillie Basan, who lives in the main cottage with her two children and two dogs. To let out as a wilderness retreat, she has converted a detached barn into a spacious, open-plan cottage which is warm, light and airy with wooden floors, oil-fired central heating and a wood-burning stove. A door leads from the cottage into an adjoining fitness room which can be used at your own risk. This leads in turn into an area equipped with washing machine, drier, and a small gym/games room and private deck area.
The owner is an internationally acclaimed food and travel writer, who periodically runs cookery courses in which guests can enrol. She is able to converse in French, Italian and Turkish if required. Equally, she is quite happy to leave you alone if you are seeking solitude. The property is located up a rough shooting track where the views are stunning. You can just walk out of the door into the hills and enter a wilderness filled with roe deer, hares, grouse, buzzards and golden eagles. The clear, starry nights are magical and the northern lights make a regular appearance.
Corrunich is ideal for hill walkers, bird-watchers and cross-country skiers. It is also well-situated for fishing in the Avon, Livet and Spey rivers and there is pony-trekking, downhill skiing, and golf in the area. For those interested in whisky, there are distilleries dotted around the countryside, and the village of Tomintoul, the highest settlement in the highlands, is some 12 miles away.
