The Journey to Nàdar
Where It All Began
Our story began in 2014 when two ambitious Scots met working at the adidas HQ in Nuremberg, Germany. The corporate world attracted both Jenny and me in our early careers, as there’s a certain buzz living in fast paced cities and being part of big companies. Between us we had the experience of working at some of the world’s most recognisable brands including Red Bull, adidas, New Balance, Tommy Hilfiger and Vivobarefoot. Despite feeling an immense sense of pride at the opportunities we had, we couldn’t help but feel something was missing. After living in Nuremberg, London and Amsterdam (and a short stint in Shanghai too) city life became less exciting as thoughts of putting down roots and starting a family emerged.
Following the Feeling
We knew that our passion for food and fitness would never go away, but we couldn’t quite put a finger on what exactly that could look like for our careers. Unhappy in the big corporate life, it was time for a bold decision: quit our jobs and travel to Asia and Australia for three months to investigate the booming fitness scene over there. The idea was to soak it all in and see what inspiration could come from the experience.
A New Direction
Returning to Amsterdam and excited to get started in the fitness world as Level 4 qualified Personal Trainers, the Covid pandemic struck. As we all know, this paved the way for the rise of everything digital and remote working, and when it came to exercise: virtual fitness. While I stayed in the fitness field, Jenny felt a pull to pursue footwear biomechanics albeit in a smaller more meaningful environment. Enter Vivobarefoot and a move to London.
The Idea Is Born
It wasn’t until Jenny went on a winter trip of a lifetime to the deep wilderness of Canada in 2023 that an idea was born. Testing footwear in -25C degree conditions and, by her own admission, experiencing a mix of an epiphany and emotional burnout, she came back refreshed and invigorated to tell me her thoughts. A Scottish homestead. Beautiful cabins. Nature retreats. Good food. Good people. Good times.
Back to Scotland
How did we make the dream come to life? Well, we were very fortunate to sell our Amsterdam apartment right when the housing market hit an historic high in 2021-2022. Mixed with some smart saving, a bit of luck and supportive families, we were able to relocate back to Scotland and make the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond our new home.
A New Chapter
I was able to maintain some loyal clients (and great people) over the years while setting up Nàdar and welcoming our wonderful daughter Lily to the world in 2024. Following an unfortunate redundancy in 2025, Jenny turned this setback into an opportunity to throw herself fully into the business while we both juggled raising wee Lily at home full time.
Getting the Green Light
Living in a 260-year-old listed building in a National Park does present its challenges when it comes to a speedy Planning Application. After 16 months of navigating many obstacles, we finally got the approval we needed. Now it was time to start the groundworks and tackle our wild, overgrown field…
A Race Against Winter
Creating something beautiful in this area was always going to be challenging, particularly considering the harsh and wet winter conditions we get in the West of Scotland. In order to have everything looking well established for the summer 2026 season, it was important to plant as much as possible before the winter arrived to allow the roots to take hold. This was only possible with a small but stellar team of local gardeners (led by Holly, our garden design extraordinaire) and our family providing much needed physical labour!
Delivery Day
At long last, it was time for the huts to be delivered. After several days of sunshine and dry weather leading up to delivery day, of course as luck would have it, the rain lashed down creating a boggy mud pit making it much harder to get them inside the field! Driving them up from Leeds, Oli and his team worked with our skilled contractor Davie to carefully tow them into their positions on site.
Many Hats, Many Weeds
Weeds, interior design and more weeds. The sun coming back out brought with it the unenviable task of keeping on top of the weeding and making sure all the lovely things we’d planted didn’t get overrun. There were lots of decisions to make about the look and feel of the hut interiors, all while wearing many different hats to get the business off the ground.
Our Wellness Corner
Time to put the finishing touches on our wellness area with the arrival of our outdoor sauna, nestled in its rightful place next to the cold shower. Once the lighting was in and all the small practical details were sorted, that little corner of the field, with views towards Dumgoyne, finally started to feel like the space we’d imagined from the beginning.
Opening The Doors
After three years of planning, building and bringing Nàdar to life, we finally welcomed our first guests. Embracing the slower pace of winter, this opening season is a chance for everything to settle in, help us learn from real stays and put the finishing touches to the landscape and experience. Over the darker months, the gardens and meadow will rest and store energy, getting ready for spring to bring back the colour, the light and the longer days. We’re excited for our first full year of hosting in 2027.
Looking Ahead
What does the future hold for Nàdar? We’ll continue to offer high-quality self-catered stays in our huts, with the aim of introducing fully catered nature retreats on site by 2029. With our passion for fitness and the outdoors, we envisage a range of retreats, each centred on a particular activity or shared interest. From exploring local trails on a gentle walk to tackling an ambitious hike, group run or cycle, there will be different ways to get active together. We’d also love to offer guided yoga retreats and hand balancing retreats for those looking to build strength, develop flexibility and improve their movement skills at their own pace.
Above all, we want to bring like-minded people together to learn, challenge themselves and have fun.
