Glasan

Sleat is the long southern peninsula of Skye, greener and gentler than the rest of the island and often called its garden, though the west side where Glasan sits is anything but soft. It's single-track roads, croft land, livestock and open Atlantic, with the Cuillin mountains rising across the water. You can swim or paddle straight off the shore in clear cold water, walk from the door to the ruins of Dunskaith Castle out on its offshore rock, or cycle the Tarskavaig loop for long sea views and a real sense of being a long way from anywhere. Shops, pubs and restaurants are a fifteen to twenty-five minute drive, so a car is essential. It's the quieter corner of an island that has plenty of busy ones.

Neil and Laura grew up in Glasgow and studied architecture at the Mackintosh School. Neil had known Skye since childhood, spending summers helping his grandmother run a small B&B, and eventually the island became home. They built their own house here for themselves and their three children, and Glasan came after: a chance to use the skills from their practice, Dualchas Architects, on something entirely their own. It's a contemporary reading of the airidh, the old Highland shieling hut, robust and protective outside, warm within. The interior is minimal on purpose, honest materials, careful detailing, and one large gable window doing most of the talking. It's built for simple rituals, cooking, reading, resting, and for coming back to.