Burmieston Farm and Steading
An off-grid, award-winning eco steading near the Scottish Highlands. Burmieston offers screen-free stays, sauna, escape barn, retreats, local food and space to reconnect with nature and each other.
Perfect For
Burmieston is perfect for families, groups of friends, or anyone looking to come together in the middle of rural Scotland.
Why You’ll Love It
Burmieston Steading is a group accommodation space on the edge of the Scottish Highlands where nature is close, the air and water are crystal clean, and there is space to be….just be.
They offer 5 ensuite bedrooms sleeping 12-13 people with a spacious kitchen and great sitting room with a library wall and a projector. Co-owner Keesje Crawford-Avis can even cook for you! They have an Escape Barn, a sauna and rural Scotland is all around. They also sell their own lamb, wool and skins as well as jams and chutneys made from orchard produce.
What Makes It Special
They don’t have WiFi or TVs, so you can really get away from screens here if you choose to. Nature and climate change are at the core of their business. The building was renovated with many eco features (they even won the Historic Scotland RIBA award for climate change in 2018) and they run Burmieston conscious that they are part of an ecosystem. Keesje can entertain you for hours if you want to know more!
The If Lost Take
So many people live in cities and rarely have the opportunity to let their senses become alive again. It’s quiet here. It’s dark at night. The weather is always present and the beds are super comfy. Burmieston gives you the space to remember there is no wall between you and the natural world (without camping), and an opportunity to spend time with your loved ones and/or the fun ones and space to be on your own. In a moment that we are longing to be together, Burmieston is all about in-person reality.
Founders Story
Keesje and Olly Crawford-Avis: “We found Burmieston in the Guardian’s ‘Wreck of the Week’ column around 2015 and wanted to start farming on a very small scale. (Olly and I met at agricultural college a long time ago). We also wanted to share this amazing spot and we opened the renovated Steading in 2017, the weekend our second son was due. It’s a truly family affair — he’s our chief customer relations officer in charge of all things on the trampoline. We are passionate about our surroundings, about community and about food. Burmieston is the physical reality of that passion.”
Founder’s Go-To Wellbeing Advice
“Take a walk on a well worn path and look for things you have never noticed before. A plant you have always walked past, a bird song you have never noticed before. And then breathe.”
Some Practical Details
They are dog friendly but do have chickens, geese, ducks and sheep around so please keep your dog well controlled. They have their own dogs too.
The team also work with a number of wellness businesses to host their events, from meetings to retreats to catering. They focus on self catering groups at weekends and B&B for singles and couples during the week.
Coming up
They have a few weekend retreats coming up: willow basket making, a weekend of wet felting with yoga and sauna, and a weekend of drawing with a brilliant illustrator. They also have the next in their series of seasonal yoga and mindfulness day retreats. New adventures are being planned all the time. More info and book can be found here.
A special If Lost bonus
Anyone who finds them here will receive a guided walk around the smallholding. You can choose either a night walk with Keesje or an introduction to our farming set up with Olly.
Tribe Porty
Tribe Porty makes good things happen for its community and beyond. Find out how this Edinburgh coworking space thinks differently about how we gather together to work.
Located in a neighborhood known for its community, Portobello’s Tribe Porty is all about how we come together and what we can achieve when we do. An old warehouse has been converted into a hub for coworking, events and collaboration. We talk to community manager Alice Hudson about what sets Tribe Party apart from other coworking spaces.
What is Tribe Porty? We are a community coworking and creative events space based in Edinburgh's well-loved seaside town, Portobello.
Why did you open your space? Tribe Porty started because we know the power of connection and social capital. When we asked our community what they wanted, they told us a place to work, be creative, be active and connected. Tribe Porty provides more than just a desk for people to work at. We strive to make good things happen by connecting our network of members and helping people to reimagine their working life. Tribe Porty is more important now than ever; due to the circumstances of the pandemic many professionals work remotely and are seeking social human contact. That's what we're about, growing a community that enables us all to thrive.
What do you offer? Our coworking space is specifically designed to encourage creativity – the random collision of people and ideas that spur innovation, exchange and connectivity. Tribe Porty suits the evolving working styles of freelancers, start-ups and people who require a flexible workspace and opportunities to share, collaborate and develop our work.
We offer a whole range of social events for our lovely members such as coffee mornings, social lunches and Tribe Talks. Our Tribe Talks are a monthly series of events where we invite a Tribe member, or friend of the tribe, to host a talk all about a project they're working on, an interest or a hobby. These evenings have ranged from astrophysics to brand identity. Tribe Talks are a fantastic way for our members to not only network but even learn something new. They are always free and open to the general public as well as members.
In addition to our coworking members, Tribe Porty is home to an assortment of businesses such as The Pilates Studio Edinburgh, Portobello Natural Health, Glocast, Sodak and more. Velow Bikeworks rebuilds custom bikes to reduce bikes in landfills. Fellow social enterprises include The Edinburgh Tool Library, which promotes the circular economy by lending tools and providing workshops for woodworking skills, and Oi Musica, which works with young people through brass instruments. We often use our social media platforms to promote and share their projects. It’s important to us to support each other and coexist together.
What makes Tribe Porty different? The biggest thing that separates us from other coworking spaces is our true focus on community. We are committed to generosity and kindness and actions rooted in those qualities are contagious. We promote a culture of building community and believe that a nurturing environment that sparks creativity and collaboration is good for business, individuals and communities.
We want people to feel at home, or even better, feel Tribe is a more creative home away from home. We want our members to leave their egos at the door and form genuine and important connections. We also look out into the wider community and are always looking for ways to connect and support.
When people come into Tribe for a tour, a day pass or an event the general feedback is that they were pleasantly surprised and slightly taken back by how chatty and genuine people are. It's a beautiful thing to hear and always brings people back.
What do our readers need to know? We are open Monday-Friday, 8.30-17.30. You can book free tours on our website as well as day passes and monthly packages. You can keep up to date with what’s going on inside Tribe Porty by signing up for our newsletter and by following us on social media @tribeporty.
Tell us a little about your story: Founder, Dani Trudeau, believes that we want our work to contribute to our lives, not take away joy or valuable time from what we really want to do. Having started her first enterprise at the age of 14 and her first company at 25, Dani is infinitely curious about what makes a good business — and businesses for good. Dani’s working experience is in education, health and social care and she has worked throughout the UK and America in the field of behavioural science.
Dani founded Tribe Porty in 2015 and more recently in 2018, founded Tribe Women, now Keystone Women, a community for enterprising women who want to reimagine their working lives. More recent times have been challenging but the pandemic has really exemplified how strong our community really is. Members have supported Tribe and have also checked in on one another – a commitment that has genuinely demonstrated unconditional kindness by supporting the constant growth and improvement of ourselves, each other, and our wider environment. This level of showing up for one another is what it is all about and also drives the team and I to work hard for Tribe.
How can people be inspired by your space wherever they are? Our social media platforms open a window to our world and also offer an insight into Portobello living. You can follow our newsletter to keep up with our blog posts. Our Keystone Women programme is open to enterprising women from around the world.
Where inspires you? We’re always inspired by our Tribe members and the wider community. We love not only finding out what other members are up to but celebrating and supporting their accomplishments. We have had members start all kinds of communities — from men's groups to writing, sewing, art, walking, cycling groups and more. They are a continued lifeline for many. Outside of Tribe, the great outdoors; we’re spoiled for choice here in Scotland.
Anything we're missing? No matter where you are, it is important to feel connected and pursue something that feels meaningful to you. Take time to cultivate your connections and be thoughtful about who you spend time to invest in your future wellbeing. Read our full blog about Finding Purpose which Promotes Wellbeing.
Typewronger Bookshop & Typewriter Repair Shop
An indie bookstore, that offers typewriters repairs, origami animals and soup on Christmas Day. Founder Tom Hodges tells us whyTypewronger is far more than just a place to buy books.
“You can’t be lonely with a book - books transport you to other worlds, other places, they make you other people. Whilst immersed in a book you can only feel what’s in the pages.”
We knew we’d discovered somewhere special on a recent trip to Edinburgh when we stumbled into Typewronger on Christmas Eve and received the warmest welcome, an origami elephant, and a recommendation to read Insomniac City (subsequently stamped with their distinctive red logo and now one of our most cherished reads). Here founder Tom Hodges tells us about what makes Typewronger so distinct:
What is it? Typewronger Books is Edinburgh's smallest indie bookshop and Scotland's only typewriter repair shop! It's home to a community of readers, writers, artists & musicians and strongly advocates the written word in our daily lives.
Why do people need it? Typewronger is far more than just a place to buy books. Regulars stop in for a chat, people have built creative connections, made friends, been inspired, switched careers, written zines & started publishing companies all as a result of hanging out in this shop.
Advice & Assistance Obtainable Immediately, and there's even a Public Typewriter for those who want to just sit down and write - and don't worry about mistakes, this is TypeWRONGer where we embrace our flaws.
What do you offer? Book signings, author events, open mic nights, a YouTube channel, we flex on the 'gram & have a 1984 electric typewriter wired directly into our Twitter (yes, it types out your Tweets!)
We send books all over the world in our characteristic wrapping with hand-typed notes of your dictation, so we're perfect if you want to send a book as a gift - just drop us an email and we'll wrangle it.
We also organise the Edinburgh Zine Fair and advise new publishers on the nitty-gritty of the trade.
What makes it different? The energy is anarchic, the books hand-picked, and we're always ready and willing to engage with you on any topic. We stamp all the books with our shop stamp and give a little origami animal with each purchase. Even though we're a tiny wee store we stay open until 9 pm, we even open on Christmas Day with soup for those with nowhere else to be, and New Years Day handing out recovery Bloody Marys.
What do people need to know? Due to Covid we have a traffic light system to limit numbers and have paused our events program. We are hoping to change both of these in the coming months as cases dwindle.
Tell us a little about your story: Typewronger started when I moved back to Edinburgh in 2017 and began selling books in the street from The Leith Walk Police Box. Every Sunday a band of friends would humph all the bookshop stuff down from my flat - books, bookcases, a carpet, an armchair - the lot! In 2018 Typewronger moved into the old gallery space beside McNaughtan's, Scotland's oldest Antiquarian bookshop. In 2019 Elsa joined the team, and the shop opened 7 days a week, and in 2021 we were joined by Viv who works the day shift on a Saturday. Since opening, we've had thousands of conversations with people from all over the world.
How can people be inspired by your space wherever they are? We send books worldwide, so you can always get a bit of Typewronger sent to your doorstep. Also, we believe in physical correspondence - if you write us a letter and include your return address we will always write back to you on one of the shop's trusty typewriters.
Where inspires you? There's a wine bar upstairs.
You can't be lonely with a book - books transport you to other worlds, other places, they make you other people. Whilst immersed in a book you can only feel what's in the pages. And the feelings can be hard, but they're cathartic, and the feelings can be good, and there's all sorts of books perfect to all sorts of moods.
Anything we're missing? It's a matter of public record that the store's founder is Tom Hanks' "hero."
Discover more places for life in our Guidebook
The push and pull of the sea
The sea contains multitudes and it is exactly this complexity that keeps calling designer Sarah Robertson to it in moments of loss and need.
Wild and calm. Chaotic and beautiful. Bold and soft.
The sea has its contradictions. And, for as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to the push and pull of it.
From embracing the joys of wild swimming and overcoming panic while scuba diving to my rehabilitation through water therapy and evenings spent watching sunsets over the ocean, blue spaces have helped me heal and grow.
In many ways, the sea is a metaphor for our own life experiences; the ups and downs and ebbs and flows. At its most tranquil, it can relax and restore us. At its most violent, we can lose ourselves in its grip.
What I love most about water is its capacity to shift us into a more mindful state. It can lower stress, decrease anxiety and relieve depression. And as well as settling our thoughts and lifting our moods, it can bring us back to the here and now — help us feel grounded and present — and sharpen our senses.
The sea has always been a kind of therapy for me, and I have felt the emotional, mental and physical benefits first-hand. My mind can be elsewhere — ruminating over the past, worrying about the future — but as soon as my feet touch the wet sand and the waves reach my bare toes, I am right where I need to be. At these points, I feel alone in the most reassuringly positive way, and the solitude it brings allows curiosity and creativity to thrive. It is almost elevating.
Above: Luskentyre Beach at Sunset, Isle of Harris, Scotland by Nils Leonhardt | Top: Golden Hour at Luskentyre Beach, Isle of Harris, Scotland by Nils Leonhardt
In his book, Blue Mind: How Water Makes You Happier, More Connected and Better at What You Do, Wallace. J. Nichols, a marine biologist, investigates how water — literally and metaphorically — helps us move into a flow state. He coined this the "blue mind". Nichols examines why we are attracted to lakes, rivers, oceans and pools and why being near water sets our minds and bodies at ease. He illustrates the importance of our water connection — its almost magical quality — with the science behind it and the ways in which it allows our thoughts to wander freely. Is it any wonder then that some of the greatest artists, musicians and writers have been moved by the sea? Or why so many of us are called there to explore ideas or seize inspiration? If you’re looking for an a-ha moment, maybe the coast is calling you too.
Something else I cherish is that feeling of awe. The sense that we are a part of something vast, far bigger than ourselves, that connects all of us. So perhaps it is no coincidence, then, that we are also drawn to the sea to celebrate death as well as life.
My dad, who passed 30 years ago, was from Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. Throughout my life, I had always felt this tug to travel to the Outer Hebrides, and when I first visited almost 10 years ago, it was the beginning of my love affair with the islands. We camped by beaches most nights and I don't think I've ever felt so wild and free. We were at one with the elements and upon visiting the Isle of Harris, which is connected to Lewis, I felt so at home. The coast captured my heart; I have never been anywhere else quite like it. The trip brought me a feeling of togetherness, even with someone who was no longer with me.
I believe this sense of connection is why, in the months following the loss of my son during pregnancy in June 2016, I found my visits to the sea so comforting. When we travelled that year, some days I would swim out into the ocean and edge as far out as I could go, always a little further than was comfortable, because at my most empty I could feel exactly what I needed to feel and be wholly and fully me. I could give every thought its turn to surface and release. It was painful but it was freeing, in a way. And while I couldn't bring my son back, I could somehow bring him closer to me.
Luskentyre Beach, Isle of Harris, Scotland by Nils Leonhardt
Water, in this sense, has been essential for my healing. It shifts and shapes the land, and I believe in its ability to shift and shape us too. It certainly gave me the time and space to evaluate how I live my life and do my work. And it hit the reset button on my relationship and my business and truly started the healing process. It's what encouraged me to make some radical changes.
Being by the sea makes me feel small — in the best possible way — as though I am a part of something bigger. It’s where my troubles drift away and I find connection again. This awareness draws me back to the sea most weeks. On the bad days, when my anxiety and depression have the upper hand, it brings me solace and stillness. I can sit with my emotions, filter out the noise, and bring my awareness back to what supports me. On the good days, I can cultivate more of that good stuff, which I sometimes feel inspired to share, a lot like these words.
Water has been the antidote to my messy middle. And it has brought me closer to those I love, to those I miss and, perhaps most importantly, to myself. It is why I will always return to the sea; my safe place, where I can remember and celebrate, and where I can feel at my most alive.
Salt Marches, Isle of Harris, Scotland by Nils Leonhardt
Social Bite
A cafe with a cause in Edinburgh that became a movement to end homelessness.
What is it: A sandwich shop in Edinburgh that became a movement to end homelessness in Scotland (and has also captured the attention of Meghan Markle, George Clooney, and Helen Mirren)
What you need to know: The first café was opened in 2012 on Edinburgh’s Rose Street – amongst the Subways and Prets — by co-founders Josh Littlejohn MBE and Alice Thompson (who recently left to join motivational speaker agency Speaker Buzz). From the outset, Social Bite donated its profits to homeless causes and a pay-it-forward jar sat on the counter so that customers could donate a meal to people experiencing homelessness. Now Social Bite has grown into an award-winning social enterprise with five of its mission-driven cafes across three cities (now including Glasgow and Aberdeen), and one central kitchen.
But there’s also now this – a housing development Social Bite Village, the now international Sleep Out campaign, and an annual fundraising campaign to provide Christmas meals to the homeless (the cafés in Glasgow and Edinburgh this year opened to homeless people in Edinburgh and Glasgow and served 155,000 meals).
How to bring this into your life: One small ask: Buy a box of brownies. Each ethically sourced and handmade brownie box helps to fund jobs, housing, and support for people experiencing homelessness. Need more ideas? Social Bite has a ton of them for wherever you are, like using Amazon Smile, Sustainably, and Give as You Live.
Why we think it matters: At a moment when homelessness and food insecurity are becoming dire consequences of the Coronavirus epidemic, Social Bite's mission of tackling homelessness with compassion, support, and love is needed more than ever. One-third of the cafes’ workforce are people who have struggled with homelessness. Their high-end restaurant Vesta Bar + Kitchen sets aside Monday afternoons to feed people experiencing homelessness for free and with humanity – with a two-course menu of dishes typically offered to paying patrons during the week. And the business did a very quick pivot when the COVID crisis hit. They shifted their operations to feeding the hungry — still including the homeless, but also now those experiencing food poverty and vulnerable children and adults — with a weekly target of providing 5000 emergency food packs to partners in communities in Scotland, and 160 free meals distributed each day in the cafes in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
In their own words: “We believe that now more than ever, there is a need to put aside our differences and come together to ensure that everyone has a safe space to call home.”
Inspired to: Volunteer to help the homeless and feed the hungry in your community. Pack food parcels at your local food bank (and donate items), support campaigns for free school lunches, and share food going to waste on the Olio app.
To find out more: Website / Instagram / Facebook / Twitter
Try also: London’s Luminary Bakery and Brigade Bar + Kitchen
Golden Hare Books
Edinburgh’s Golden Hare Books keeps the city’s literary tradition alive with its thoughtful curation.
What is it: An award-winning (Bookshop of the Year 2019 UK & Ireland) indie bookstore to warm your heart (and hands by its wood-burning stove) in Edinburgh’s village within the city, Stockbridge.
What you need to know: Founded in 2012 by Sir Mark Jones – previously the Director of the Victoria & Albert Museum and the National Museums of Scotland – this is a bookstore as curated space in both how it looks and what gets to be included. Covers face out and draw attention to great design, creating an immediate visual hook for potential readers and making objects of the books themselves.
The range of its small careful selection of books changes constantly –‘the idea is that you never visit the same bookshop twice.’ Golden Hare is known for bringing in a wide range of choices, including works in translation, books by women, and diverse children’s authors
How to bring this into your life: It’s all about the reading subscription, Postbooks, which sends a beautifully packaged fiction or non-fiction book(s) each month specially chosen for you, often around a theme, like Green Transformation, and with its own reading guide. The key difference though is that Golden Hare supports indie presses and small publishers in its choices such as Charco Press, Tilted Axis, or & Other Stories, widening your reading from the usual suspects and making sure more writers get attention from readers.
Golden Hare is also a bookstore where you can become a Member, and during usual times there is an active book club and Sunday Stories reading club for kids. Golden Hare has pivoted to the ways we now shop: click and collect, and Saturday bike deliveries.
Why it caught our attention: This is a bookstore that works hard. It does a lot. Not just in its active support of indie publishers but its reach within the local community and that of the city of Edinburgh. In 2019, Golden Hare hosted its first book festival with local partners and it co-hosts the Edinburgh Book Fringe with Lighthouse Books. Books are embedded in the cultural life of Edinburgh – a UNESCO City of Literature. It was famously here that J.K. Rowling wrote some of her Harry Potter series and Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes. Golden Hare keeps the tradition alive of supporting local voices and creating a place for the writing community.
In their own words: “We are a knowledgeable team of self-confessed reading addicts who have been selling beautiful and important books since 2012.
Our charming independent bookshop is situated in Edinburgh's Stockbridge, where you can find an ever-changing collection of fiction and non-fiction for readers of all ages. We hold close to 2000 titles covering all genres of writing from cookery to travel, from flower arranging to science fiction - and many more topics in between.”
Lost at home: It's winter where we are. Maybe there too. Cozy down with a book. Choose one of Golden Hare’s winter picks: Once Upon a River by Diana Settenfield, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, and The Changeling by Victor LaValle. While purchasing, make a resolution not to buy from internet giants (take this resolve into the rest of 2021).
While here: Seek out Golden Hare collaborators café Lovecrumbs and Smith & Gertrude, as well as If Lost favorites the Royal Botanic Gardens and Lifestory.