New! Artist retreat

Studio on the Shore – art studio for holiday let

After several months of renovation work, my little Studio on the Shore is now ready for welcoming creative travellers! 

Situated right on the seashore in my village Innellan on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll (West of Scotland), this cosy studio is a self-catering retreat space for artists from all other world to use. 

Take some time out to create and let Scotland’s scenery inspire your work. Come and paint, draw, write, compose, sculpt or whatever your thing is! Oh, and just across the street there’s a fab spot for open water swimming :).

Studio on the Shore now has its own Instagram profile, where I’ll be posting news and special offers – click here to follow

What to expect

The Studio on the Shore consists of a working studio/living space with sea views, a bedroom for 1-2 guests (one double bed) with sea views, a kitchenette and a shower room with underfloor heating – all renovated to a high standard and tastefully furnished. It is also dog-friendly and one well-behaved dog is very welcome (food bowl, water bowl and dog blanket will be provided).

You’ll find some basic art equipment such as a folding easel, table easel, painting board for A3 paper, cutting mat, water container, palette, masking tape. Your suggestions of what else could be provided are most welcome.

The apartment has superfast wifi and a washer dryer. Bed linen and towels are provided, so are hand soap and body wash. There is no TV but the wifi is good for streaming on your own devices.

If you travel from abroad you may want to order art and craft supplies from a UK supplier beforehand. I’ll make sure your supplies are at the studio when you arrive.

You may also want to pre-arrange a workshop with one of the makers in Innellan when you plan your trip. I’ll be happy to put you in touch with the local potter, poet or jewellery maker. If you’re a yogi you can join a local yoga class on a drop-in basis.

I had a very relaxing and enriching stay at the studio. The property was unique, clean and user friendly. There were nice teas, coffee and snack basket. The apartment has beautiful amenities and artful details. I was able to easily use the space to paint with watercolors and attended an art workshop a few doors down with a local artist. The sea view and beach are very inspiring. There are exceptional hiking trails and nature nearby. The studio was a perfect accommodation for my interests and Ute was a fantastic host.  {Virginia, Florida, May 2023}

 

The location & how to get there

The village of Innellan is close to Dunoon on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll. It is a tranquil seaside village and ideal for taking some time out to create. Local walks take you along the shore or up the nearby hills. Innellan has one community-owned shop (the Lido), where you can get all the basics as well as some regional produce. There is also a nice restaurant and a pub with live folk music on Thursday nights.

The West Coast with its rugged coastlines and natural beauty is popular with artists. There is a lot of creativity happening and you can learn more about artists local to Cowal here:  https://cowalopenstudios.co.uk.

Inspiring Innellan
Innellan has an active group of volunteers who meet every week to make our village even more beautiful – by planting things, maintaining green spaces, looking after local wildlife and so on. To support the amazing work they do, £5 of every booking goes to Inspiring Innellan.

Travel info

The easiest way to access it from the mainland is to take the ferry from Gourock to Dunoon. The passenger ferry terminal at Gourock is right next to the train station. There is also a car ferry between Gourock and Dunoon.

Once you arrive in Dunoon you can use the local bus or taxi services to get around. There is a bus stop across from the Studio on the Shore and you’ll receive more detailed travel information by email before your stay.

Rail travel within the UK: https://www.thetrainline.com
Passenger ferry from and to the mainland: Caledonian MacBrayne (connects with rail network)
Car (and passenger) ferry from and to the mainland: Western Ferries

the Secret Bay in Innellan
Islay at the Secret BAy in Innellan

Prices & how to book

Staying at Studio on the Shore costs £75 (British Pounds) per night for one person and £85 for two people. The minimum stay is 5 nights. I encourage longer stays and there is a 10% discount if you stay 10-13 days, and a 15% discount for 2 weeks or longer. If you bring your dog there is a £20 additional cleaning fee per stay. A non-refundable 25% deposit is due at the time of booking, the rest on arrival.

Please use the form below to send your booking request and preferred dates (min. 5 nights). I will get back to you as soon as I can. If your dates are available I’ll email you an invoice and further information.

As a form of guest book I ask every guest to leave a little drawing, painting or poem on one of the watercolour postcards you’ll find in the studio.

See you soon!

Ute x

Beach at Innellan

 

My husband and I (and our dog!) had a wonderful few days staying at Ute’s Artist’s Studio over New Year.  The accommodation is thoughtfully decorated, with some lovely art and decorative touches.  The size was perfect for the three of us, and the kitchen had everything we needed for cooking our own meals.  The view from the Studio is lovely, and we had some beautiful skies over the water in the evenings and mornings. The studio had all the art supplies we needed, as well as some food and drink essentials… coffee, milk, biscuits and treats for the dog!  Ute was a very helpful host, and quick to respond to my last minute booking.  There are some beautiful walks nearby, we’d highly recommend Puck’s Glen, beautiful!

Association of Scottish Self-caterers