Escape EASTSIDE COTTAGES

This tiny house, full of clever architectural solutions, is hidden away in a valley near Penicuik

- Miriam Methuen-Jones

I’ve got cabin fever, but in a good way. All I can think about at the moment is living (almost) off-grid, surrounded by great swathes of cedar and greenery. It’s my own personal form of escapism, dreaming up the bolthole I’ll one day build up north. Finding Eastside Cottages was a stroke of good fortune, and has only fanned the flames of my reverie.

The self-catering holiday homes are in the foothills of the Pentlands and are looked after by Jenny Cowan and her partner Michael Rummey, with help from Jenny’s parents. In this seemingly remote setting (Edinburgh is just a 40-minute drive away), agritourism meets architecture in the form of two newly renovated properties, the Washhouse and the Cartshed. My partner and I stayed in the latter, and spoke to Michael about the surprisingly modern interiors.

“The Cartshed and the Washhouse used to be one cottage that Jenny’s parents developed about 30 years ago,” he told us. “We wanted to respect the traditional buildings but then have this jewel-like surprise inside.”