Driftwood cottage
A fun place to see in the New Year.
IT is a timeless, almost mystical location where shifting sands meet shimmering water.
Findhorn Bay, on the spectacular Moray Firth, is a place where memories are made, and never more so than at New Year.
Over the decades local people and visitors alike have gathered at Findhorn’s village cross for the countdown to midnight – among them Kathleen and Greig Munro.
The couple, who have a permanent base in the village, have also built Driftwood Cottage, a holiday home just a stone’s throw from the shore where travellers can share the joy of Hogmanay on the bay.
And it is an experience they will never forget. This is an enchanting waterside community with the Royal Findhorn Yacht Club, Marina and North 58°Sea Adventures at its heart.
It captured the soul of the Findhorn Foundation, a spiritual community and eco park, which set up here in the 1960s and which to this day draws hundreds of people from around the globe who seek to make the world a better place.
Gathering at the cottage with friends in the run up to the festivities, Kathleen says: “Findhorn is a great place to bring in the New Year. Visitors are always made welcome and Driftwood is a fun place to stay.”
The couple traditionally celebrate with their favourite dram – a Benromach single Speyside malt whisky.
Kathleen adds: “It’s our local and we love it.”
The three-bedroom, timber framed holiday home the Munros designed is the very essence of seaside living.
Built as a split level, it is a true sanctuary that whispers simplicity and calm.
The double height ceiling in the spacious open plan kitchen/diner/lounge is curved, much like the hull of a boat. Its white timber lined walls give a sense of space.
The gable is punctuated
with windows and sliding glass doors that lead to a restful courtyard, while above a pair of paddles take pride of place.
The interior is in shades of aptly-named Driftwood blue, along with greys and whites – all are water-based hypo allergenic stains.
Natural fibres and textures have been used throughout the home, which has solid oak and slate floors.
The white, functional kitchen with grey marble worktop is designed to “disappear” into the space, while the stylish Scan log burner – which creates a division between kitchen and lounge – is a focal point against a backdrop of blue and white ceramic tiles.
Velux windows splay light across the vaulted room, making it bright even on wintry days.
Just a short walk from the cottage through swaying grass is a golden beach stretching seven glorious miles. Here the winter sun streaks the water silver – the stillness broken only by the breath of the wind and the sound of waves lapping the shore.
Kathleen’s guests have a relaxing few days ahead of them with beach walks and visits to the village’s two local pubs and its welcoming Bakehouse Café. She says: “You may as well start the New Year as you mean to go on.”