The Inverockle Yurt

From Lara Van de Peer

A yurt is a traditional Mongolian dwelling, also known as a ger. They are beautiful, light, airy and peaceful spaces to be in and we thought that Inverockle would be the ideal place to have one.

We've always fancied running a campsite of some sort or at least having a yurt or two to rent out. When we arrived at Inverockle a couple of years ago, we realised that it would give us the opportunity of carrying out this dream and that's what we are doing now. Last year we bought the yurt and after a lot of preparation work, put it up. It took two people three days to build the platform that it sits on and then one more full day of blood, sweat and tears to raise it! To begin with we experienced a few teething problems, but with perseverance and some dry weather, we managed to iron these out. We had a couple of paying guests last year, but we are trying to let as many weeks as we can during the coming season. This year we'll also have a compost toilet and outside shower in place for our visitors.

Yurts are warm - they have four layers of insulation including one made of wool, and ours has a small wood stove that can be lit to dry the place out and keep it warm, even when it's very cold outside. Ours is a traditional Mongolian yurt and was imported into the country. Some yurts are made in the UK, but they constructed slightly differently and tend not to be so pretty. Our one has horse hair ropes, camel gut fixings and is beautifully hand painted in rich colours. Inside there is a fully equipped kitchen area, a sitting area, a very comfy double futon bed and two single fold out beds.

From March, when it goes up again, the yurt will be situated in a flat field beside the Ockle burn, looking across the sea to the islands of Eigg, Rhum and Muck. The setting at Inverockle is idyllic, so if it's solitude you are after, then this is certainly the place to stay.

Lara and Richard van de Peer run Inverockle Yurt holidays, more details here.