Stack Lodge and Coco Chanel’s Highland Retreat

In September we were lucky enough to visit the deep deep Highlands.

In these vast moorlands and craggy mountains, hides Stack Lodge, part of the iconic Grosvenor Estate. It is a place where the ancient and wild landscape of Sutherland reveals itself in all its dramatic beauty.

The beauty of the highlands with their changing light and incredibly vivid colours are an inspiration to me.

There is something profoundly grounding about being here, where the pace slows.. It’s little wonder, then, that Coco Chanel—that most refined of Parisian figures—found solace and inspiration in this rugged, majestic corner of Scotland.

Coco’s connection to Stack Lodge came through her close friendship with Hugh Grosvenor.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Chanel was a frequent visitor to this remote lodge, far removed from the glittering streets of Paris. Here, she would retreat from the world, spending her days fishing.

It is said that Chanel developed a deep love for the tweeds of the Highlands during these visits, inspired by the landscape itself—the soft greys of the heather, the rich greens of the moss, and the muted browns of the earth.

The Highlands provided her with not only an escape but also a palette of colours and textures that would later become an integral part of her design legacy.

Moreover the Estate is famous for its' stalking, where patience and skill are rewarded by a closeness to nature that few other activities can offer.

In many ways, Stack Lodge has changed little since Chanel's visits the magic perfect little hide away with its panelled rooms and roaring fires nessled in the mist of the most incredible of landscapes.