The Trotternish coast from above Half of One, cliffs and green headlands running out into the sea.

A collection · Places to stay

Places to Stay in Scotland for Writers and Artists

A desk by the window, a view worth painting and nobody to interrupt. These are the places to stay in Scotland for writers and artists, from a painter's studio on Skye to the house where J.M. Barrie spent a summer.

Curated and written by Hidden Scotland

Updated 13 November 2026.

You set the easel up by the glass, and the light comes off the sea and across the Trotternish coast. Scotland has always been good for people who make things, and some of its houses were made for them. On Skye, a retired painter's studio is still set up for the next one, with his paintings on the walls. In Kirkcudbright, the artists' town, there's a cottage on the wynd where Jessie M King and E A Taylor lived. In Perthshire, a printmaker welcomes guests into her garden studio. For writers there's a suite of Gothic bookcases above the Royal Mile and a room in Braemar with a desk by the window. And at Abbotsford you can sleep in Sir Walter Scott's own house, where Charles Dickens once came to stay.

More infoCulnacnocHalf of OnePlace to stay · Sleeps 8

A house on the Trotternish coast of Skye with a studio where the owner's father painted the view after he retired. The easel and drawing board are still there, and his paintings cover the walls.

More infoEdinburghWest End MusePlace to stay · Sleeps 4

A flat in Edinburgh's West End hung with the owner's own paintings, which give it its name. There's a writing nook with a desk.

A stone cottage with a slated roof and a blue front door, climbing roses in pink and white flanking the porch.

More infoRothiemayButlers CottagePlace to stay · Sleeps 4

A cottage on the Mayen estate, near Rothiemay, with box beds painted by an artist and original art on the walls. A walk through the arboretum and rock gardens starts at the door.

BraemarThe Fife ArmsHotel

A Victorian hotel in Braemar filled with art chosen by its owners, the gallerists Iwan and Manuela Wirth. The Artist's Studio room has hand-painted walls and a desk at the window, and the Lord Byron room has a writing desk of its own.

MelroseAbbotsfordCountry house

The Hope Scott Wing of Abbotsford, Sir Walter Scott's house on the Tweed, taken whole by a group. It keeps the family's paintings and furniture, and dinner can be laid in Scott's own dining room.

AcharacleEilean ShonaIsland house

A private island off the west coast, with no cars, where J.M. Barrie spent a summer in the 1920s. He's thought to have worked on a screenplay of Peter Pan here.

InnellanStudio on the ShoreStudio · Sleeps 2

A working artist's studio with somewhere to sleep on the shore at Innellan, on the Cowal peninsula, looking out over the Firth of Clyde. Paints and easels are provided.

EdinburghThe WitcheryHotel

The Library, a suite at the top of the Royal Mile with Gothic oak bookcases from Taymouth Castle and a bathroom full of books behind a secret door.

KirkcudbrightThe Yellow DoorCottage · Sleeps 4

A three-hundred-year-old cottage in Kirkcudbright, the artists' town, on the cobbled wynd where Jessie M King and E A Taylor lived. It has two bedrooms and a wood-burning stove.

StrathtayMouse CottageCottage · Sleeps 2

A studio for two in a garden in Strathtay, Highland Perthshire, where the owner paints and makes prints and lino cuts in her own studio. Guests are welcome to look in.

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We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

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