10 Unlikely and Enchanting Guest Houses

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Scotland has produced some of the most enduring cultural wonders of the last century including Sir Sean Connery, Annie Lennox, David Byrne, the television and a fictional media darling of a monster that was supposedly seen fourteen years ago. To honor our favorite skirt-wearing nation, we thought we’d shed some light on another fabulous Scottish endowment: the quaint and exceedingly cozy guest house.

Not to be confused with it’s wealthier cousin, the country house, the guest house is to Scotland what the Bed & Breakfast is to New England. Much less awkwardly intimate, Scottish guest houses are often separate and self-sufficient. And, exceptionally charming. After spotting a restored 1956 fire truck turned guest house complete with wood-burning stove and fully equipped kitchen, we couldn’t help but wonder what other unlikely and enchanting guest houses sit nestled in the Scottish Highlands and beyond.

From a modern shipping container retreat to a spare room you can hang from a tree to a canvas yurt with a grand Victorian bed and your very own truck wheel barbecue, click through to check out our offbeat roundup of the most beguiling freestanding abodes perfectly suited to receiving nosy house guests and meddlesome in-laws.

Fire Truck Guest House at Inshriach House — Cairngorms National Park, Scotland

Image credit: Design Mom

Shipping Container Guest House — San Antonio, Texas

Image credit: poteet architects

Sleeping Cabin/ Greenhouse — Helsinki, Finland

Image credit: Arsi Ikäheimonen via Dwell Magazine

Canvas Yurt Guest House at Inshriach House — Cairngorms National Park, Scotland

Image credit: One Off Places

Swamp Hut — Newton, Massachusetts

Image credit: Moskow Linn Architects

Guest House on Stilts — London, England

Image credit: Pasi Aalto via designboom

Futuristic Mobile Egg-Shaped House Extension — Antwerp, Belgium

Image credit: dmvA

Leaf House — Multiple locations

Image credit: O2 Treehouse

Karin Matzz’s Reclaimed Window House — Sweden

Image credit: Inhabitat

Guest House in a Riverboat — London, England

Image credit: webUrbanist