When I first saw Finn Village on Instagram, I knew it had something different. Complete serenity surrounded by breathtaking Scottish scenery. Here is a deeper dive into how it started, what they currently have available, and plans for the future, from the owners themselves, Monika & Cliff! Speaking to them, their passion is plain to see, and if I could bet on somewhere going from strength to strength in the coming years, it would be Finn Village for sure!

LH: Hello Monika, thank you for taking the time to have a chat with me about Finn Village. To start us off, when and how did this all begin?

MC: Me and my husband Cliff (most wonderful person in the world!) were happy Londoners who visited Scotland on several occasions. On our last trip in Summer 2021 we decided to move to Scotland, so we started looking for properties to buy and we found this most amazing house (https://www.onthemarket.com/details/10362098/) and we fell in love straight away and bought it! The house itself has lots of character and was built by Sir Hugh Fraser back in 1968. The cottage used to be a house for his helicopter pilot and his family but later on Hugh’s daughter moved in there with her family!

Before we moved to Scotland, we were thinking of opening a hospitality business (apart from that we are the owners of Happy Mama maternity & breastfeeding brand https://happymama.co.uk/) and we were looking for a property that would allow us to accommodate our needs. This house was perfect for our plans as it came with a cottage and glamping pod! We moved to Scotland in May 2022, got underway with renovating the glamping pod and the cottage, and then were thrilled to start renting them to our guests! We also offer B&B accommodation in our house (Loch Lomond Villa B&B) – with one room available for guests.

LH: What made you fall in love with this particular location?

MC: The views! Our house, the cottage and the glamping pod are located within the most beautiful area around Loch Lomond in a small village called Croftamie (near Drymen). We are located in Trossachs National Park, close to the West Highland Way (approx. 200 meters from us), and within walking distance to The Devil's Pulpit, Finnich Glen and Glengoyne Distillery. Loch Lomond is approx. 3 miles from where we are. Our guests have stunning views of Conic Hill and Ben Lomond from all our properties.

We have amazing sunsets and sunrises here, loads of wild animals (deer, squirrels, pheasants, foxes etc) and it is very quiet and peaceful – we are far from main roads and neighbours, making it a real getaway from the hustle and bustle of daily life!

LH: I believe you currently offer a glamping pod and a two-bedroom cottage for guests to stay in, can you tell us a bit more about these?

MC: The Glamping Pod was already here when we purchased the house, the previous owner set this up in 2018. It was not in use during Covid-19 and was in very good condition when we purchased it, but we wanted to add our own personal touch to it and  therefore we decided to make it nice and cosy. We added a fabric gazebo next to the cabin and also purchased an Ofuro style hot tub that is operated by an external woodfire heater. We also built a wooden gazebo for the hot tub so our guests can enjoy it in all weather conditions. The cabin is located at the back of the main house so that our guests have 100% privacy and really stunning views of mountains and fields full of deer, sheep and cows in summer. The outside sitting area comes with a fire pit and private BBQ. The cabin consists of a main room with a bed and glass doors for the views, a fully equipped kitchenette and small bathroom with a shower. We provide all bedding, towels, robes etc.

The cottage originally had 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, large living room and kitchen/dining area. We made the decision to split it in two parts. For now, we have one part fully complete (2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room and kitchen & dining), which can accommodate up to 7-8 people (there is a sofa bed in the living room). Our guests can enjoy a warming indoor fireplace. The name of this cottage is Mountain View Cottage as again there are beautiful views on mountains. We additionally built some wooden decking and a gazebo where we have put jacuzzi (traditional electric one) and loads of fairly lights. Within the gazebo we have a comfortable corner seating area with fire pit table and private BBQ. We also have a children's playground in front of the cottage.

The second part of the cottage (2 bedrooms and one bathroom and kitchen) will be available from April next year, Which we are really excited about!

We are also offering a B&B room in our main residence – the room is spacious with en-suite and again lovely views! We are serving breakfasts prepared by my Mum in the downstair dining room, the guests have access to pool table room and soon to our swimming pool and a gym.

Apart from that we have recently built small on-site shop for the convenience of our guests, the shop is self-service with honesty box and opened 24/7!

LH: It all sounds brilliant, the perfect Scottish getaway for groups of all sizes!

LH: The name ‘Finn Village’ suggests there may be even more to come in the future, can you tell us some more about your future plans?

MC: That's right. The idea of Finn Village was born when we were still living in London. We have approx. 9 acres of woodland where we want to build additional 5-6 cabins, we are planning to start working on it just after the New Year. The plan is to build the cabins on the edge of our forest so that each cabin will have views of mountains, we also want to make sure each cabin is different inside and themed differently for example Boat Cabin, Private Jet etc.!

There are also plans to dig a pond or few ponds in the area where the cabins are going to be located, we also want to do a meditation centre (round wooden gazebo for meditating, relaxing etc) and round BBQ area so that guests can meet in one place. 

LH: Can I move in?!

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LH: If you had to sell the idea of the glamping pod to people who may have never had that kind of holiday before, what would you tell them? And what makes yours special?

MC: The glamping pod experience is amazing because you have everything you need in the cabin: little bathroom, little kitchenette with microwave, sink, hob, coffee machine, folding trays and tables, little fridge, TV with Netflix and Wi-Fi so the stay is very comfortable. Apart from that, you are located within beautiful natural surroundings, the hot tub experience is amazing – especially when it is so cold outside and you are soaking in the deep hot tub that is nicely lit, drink in hand, stunning views!

Unlike in a hotel, we have no reception, there is no other people around, it’s very peaceful and you can completely forget about the outside world.

LH: Are there any hidden gems locally that you would recommend guests visit? Any walks, pubs, places to visit etc.?

Oh, yes. As mentioned above we are located in Trossachs National Park, close to the West Highland Way (approx. 200 meters from us), and within walking distance to The Devil's Pulpit (approx. 30 mins walk), Finnich Glen and Glengoyne Distillery. Loch Lomond is approx. 3 miles from our location. Drymen is 2.5 miles from us with a stunning pub, The Clachan – very old pub licensed in 1734, offering amazing food and drinks. The location is perfect for walking, jogging, cycling, fishing, bird watching, everything!

LH: You've mentioned before the nature surrounding you, and I have seen on Social Media that deer make regular visits to Finn Village, this must be a real hit with guests, especially those who are not able to experience things like this regularly?

MC: Yes, the deer are our regulars – we basically are located in between forests therefore it is the perfect home for deer. They are in our garden and around literally all the time. We got used to them now but it was so exciting to see deer outside my office window while working on my computer! This is why we put a deer in our logo.

LH: If you had to sum up your location in 3 words or phrases, what would they be?

MC: Peaceful, stunning views, close to nature

LH: Finally, where can we find you? Socials & Booking details?

Booking.com: Loch Lomond Sunset Glamping Pod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/finnvillage/about

Instagram: finn_village_loch_lomond

TikTok: finn_village_loch_lomond

LH: Thank you very much for your time, best of luck with all of Finn Villages future, very exciting plans!

MC: Thank you Luke! Monika & Cliff