AN old timber bothy which once served as an informal cinema for the village of Nethy Bridge in the Cairngorms has been transformed into a cabin for two.
Arbor Nethy has been leaving visitors stunned since it first opened last summer and is attracting plenty attention, particularly as a romantic getaway where couples can make wedding rings for one another.
It was named by The Guardian as the perfect setting for a “relaxing creative break” while The Herald name it as one of 12 “brilliant places to stay across the country with great stargazing and aurora potential”.
The cabin is the creation of humanitarian aid worker turned award-winning photographer Graham Niven and jewellery maker Amy (above).
The couple first moved to Nethy Bridge with their young son in 2019, having both enjoyed many holidays to the area as children with their families.
Having embarked on rebuilding the old bothy in 2022, it took around a year to complete.
“When we bought the property in 2019, it had a wee bothy in the back of the plot and lots of space to work which offered so much potential,” Graham explained.
“A lot of homes in this area have bothies in gardens as there was a tradition of folk renting out houses and staying in their bothies during the holiday season.
“The old bothy was full of artefacts, newspapers and even a note on the wall claiming it had once been the village cinema.
“With insulation made with moss, pine needles from the forest floor and timbers wearing away after years of service, it was time to take the old bothy back to the ground from which it had grown.
“But it lives on in the new bothy – inspiring its design, aesthetics, materials and experience.”
Despite having no prior build experience, Graham designed the cabin himself with consultancy from his artist brother Bobby Niven, founder of the Bothy Project – a network of small-scale art residency spaces across Scotland.
The exterior of Arbor Nethy is clad in local larch which, as it ages, fades to a silvery grey like its predecessor. Inside, decor includes original ceramics by Glasgow-based Kim Plimley and Graham’s striking photographs of landscapes in and around the Cairngorms.
There's also a huge Ordnance Survey map of the Cairngorms across a wall of the cabin's vaulted ceiling.
Graham has constructed two wooden studio cabins on site - one housing a small art gallery for his photography work as well as Amy's jewellery designs and another where Amy hosts masterclasses for visitors.
READ MORE: Scottish railway line named among coolest travel adventures by National Geographic
One of Amy's masterclasses, a four-hour session for couples making wedding rings for each other, has become so popular, it has led to the Nivens offering Scotland's only Wedding Rings Retreat for couples.
Graham also offers guided photography workshops for visitors.
Sitting on the fringes of the ancient Abernethy Forest, the largest remaining section of the great Caledonian Forest, Arbor Nethy is surrounded by Caledonian pine, copper beech, silver birch and rowan.In a nod to the cabin's cinematic past, a modern projector and screen has been installed for visitors to cosy in and watch a movie by the wood-burner.
All images - Graham Niven/Niven Photography.
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