Braefordie
A Day at Braefordie: Solitude on the Hill
At 800 feet above sea level, nestled within the ancient folds of the Fordie Estate, stands Braefordie—a magnificent resurrection. No longer a derelict relic, this old farmhouse has been lovingly brought back to life as a hill retreat bothy, a haven designed for quiet reflection and creative pursuit. A day spent here is not merely a break; it is an immersion into a landscape that demands attention and offers profound solitude.
The Setting and the View
Braefordie occupies a privileged vantage point. Stepping outside, you are enveloped by a classic Scottish landscape: rolling pasture land interspersed with vital pockets of native woodlands. The immediate surroundings transition seamlessly into a breathtaking panorama. Your eye is drawn across the breadth of Strathearn, stretching out to the majestic hills and outliers culminating in the distant, imposing form of Ben Vorlich. This view is a living canvas, constantly shifting with the movement of the sun and clouds, offering a new masterpiece at every hour
A Retreat for the Soul
The spirit of Braefordie is one of opportunity—the chance to simply be. For the artist, the bothy is a silent studio. Here, creative arts flourish, inspired by the texture of the old stone walls and the wild beauty outside. For the writer, it is a sanctuary where the distractions of modern life dissipate, allowing thoughts to settle and words to find their flow.
The nature observer will find endless material, from the subtle shift in the colour of the heather to the flight path of a kestrel. And when twilight gives way to darkness, the altitude and seclusion combine to offer a stunning spectacle: a dark, unpolluted sky, perfect for observing night skies and tracing the silent sweep of the stars.
Simple Pleasures
Yet, the magic of Braefordie is not solely reserved for the solitary seeker. Its welcoming, lived-in atmosphere makes it an equally perfect destination for simple, shared joys. It can be just a place for a family picnic, where children can run free in the fresh hill air and parents can relax against the backdrop of an epic view. The bothy's warmth embraces all who seek refuge, whether for profound introspection or for a cherished, uncomplicated moment together.
A day at Braefordie is a restorative pause, a reminder that the greatest luxuries are space, silence, and the untamed beauty of the Scottish hills.
Four Seasons at Fordie: Braefordie Artist in Residence 2024 - 2025
Miriam Lloyd has worked with landscape for the past 20 years, in Australia and Scotland, focussing on a return to the medium of oil painting over the past decade. Her PhD thesis examined theories of the sublime in landscape in relation to ourselves and emerging technologies. Contemporarily we cannot examine landscape without an awareness of the reawakening of theories of the sublime in the light of ecological fragility brought about by climate change, which creates the frame of reference in which she works within landscape.
During 2024-2025, Lloyd has been Artist in Residence at Braefordie, a remote off-grid bothy on Fordie Estate in Perthshire. The Estate rises from the Strathearn river to Ben Chonzie, and the bothy is located near the summit. Over the past few years, the estate has been implementing a unique approach to sustainable land management, an ambitious green print, which creates a balance of environmental, social and financial sustainability, to benefit both people and nature. This regenerative approach incorporates diverse ecosystems, biodiversity, rewilding and sustainable forestry, to create a model for long-term and sustainable landscape management.
Having first visited the Estate two years ago, Lloyd was struck by the startling and inspiring regenerative changes within the landscape and the Braefordie residency has allowed her the opportunity to closely observe the changing landscape throughout the seasons.
The residency culminated in an exhibition of the series of paintings produced at Fordie Estate, as part of Perthshire Open Studios, 6-14 September 2025.
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