Words and art by Cori Birkin.
Nestled in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands is a land where the wind pushes at you with otherworldly force. Living on this land requires a sturdy kind of rockiness akin to the mountainous giant Ben Rinnan that sleeps above it. In the crook of the elbow of this giant, there lies a little hideaway of a homestead that feels more folktale than reality.
Falling in love with WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) when I was 17 and not stopping since, I’ve been lucky to dig my hands into an abundance of landscapes. Each space imparts its own imprint in my being, inspiring growth and hope for a way of living that sustains people, land and future alike. This is how I came to be at Dunbalen – within days of finding it on the WWOOF UK website, I was on a bus winding through the dramatic burnished copper of the autumnal Cairngorms, on my way to another dream-like place that would soon become part of the patchwork quilt of experiences that weaves its way around my memories.
Dunbalen is no ordinary homestead: this three-acre haven lives and breathes permaculture, and magic! The main house, a surprisingly normal-looking structure made of straw-bales, stands as a testament to the potential of natural building. Volunteers sleep in a cosy wooden pod complete with a log-burner, while the chickens reside in a Cob “palace” – a fitting home for such esteemed contributors to the land. Venture out past the food-forest and permaculture garden and you might find yourself transported to a fairy glen, complete with an outside apothecary, a cob ‘coorie witch’s hut’, a toadstool dining table, and whimsical representations of the trolls and fairies that also make their home here.
At the heart of it all is Kim: the self-proclaimed “mud mother” and “crazy chicken lady”, and one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.
“The Big Boss, Mother Earth, led me here 15 years ago and told me what I needed to do”, Kim tells me as we dance upon the clay to make cob. Silver waves escape her updo, she’s always dressed in long layered skirts and scarves and green holey overalls, with a wide witchy grin and a sparkle in her eyes. Over many Barley-cups we talk about her journey to get here, her visions for the land’s future and the spiritual philosophies that also play a key part in her life.
At her very core, Kim wants to do good. She often repeats her guiding mantra: “To do all the good I can, in all the ways I can.” I see this ethos woven throughout her life’s work — whether as reiki teacher, social enterprise advisor, community cafe manager, foster carer or mother to 5 daughters. Now, her mission is to share her small patch of land with as many people as possible.
Natural building was her first passion when she bought Dunbalen. Her questions were, “how can I build as sustainably as possible?” and “how can I share this knowledge so that others can do this too?” She worked with small companies and councils, and ran experiments on the benefits of natural builds for mental wellbeing.
She takes me to see the inside of the natural built ‘Hobbit Hideaway,’ shaped by a community of people who came to this land to learn and share, although it feels like it grew from the land itself. “My first intention here,” she says, “was for it to feel like a warm hug.” I am embraced by the space.
Then came permaculture, a natural progression from her first intention of natural building. Her questions shifted to, “how can I work in relationship with the land? How can I help it support itself and reap the benefits of harvest?” Around the homestead, the 12 permaculture principles (ethics that guide the way in which permaculture growing spaces are designed) are posted on boards, gentle reminders to all who visit of their responsibility to honour this delicate balance between nature and people.
The Fairy Glen is another natural extension of Kim and all she stands for. How could a Mud Witch not have a glen filled with whimsical instalments that bring the fairies and creatures that supposedly play there to life? She tells me the fairy pools have real healing powers, and I feel the sincerity of her words. Beneath the shade of rowan and birch, there’s a sense of the presence of small watchful eyes. As I plant bulbs by their roots, it feels like an offering—a gesture of thanks to the unseen hands that will help them grow, a continuation of the land’s unfolding story. I think about how these bluebells might continue to flower over the years and decades to come, how they will form their own presence within the land. To plant is a powerful act worthy of my respect.
The animals also play an equal part in what they can give to the land, with 3 cats, 3 dogs, 14 chickens and 4 ducks also taken under Kim’s wings. Nothing is left to waste and nothing goes unloved. The chickens and ducks are not livestock: they are co-creators, each with their role in the ecosystem. They offer their eggs, their warmth, their feathers; they help ferment the hay for cob-making under their feet; they are participants in the ongoing conversation between earth and air, soil and seed. In return, Kim treats these animals with the care she treats everything on this land – with deep respect and attention.
I spend most of my time sculpting a tree out of clay and cob to sit in her living room, behind the log-burner. There’s a timelessness to this act of creation, making a building material from the very earth beneath our feet. We become a part of the structure as we stomp and dance and mix the potion with our hands. The product, infused with fibres of our beings and landscape. This time becomes a memory infused in the walls of Kim’s home. Kim exclaims, “how can you not get excited about mud, right?? It’s magic!”
I leave filled with inspiration, gratitude, and the deep wisdom this land has shared with me. Kim thanks me for the energy I brought to Dunbalen, and it’s clear the exchange has been mutual—a week of equal sharing and benefit. My muscles ache and I’m excited to no longer wake at 6am for the chickens. But, my heart is full with the memories and lessons of this place. I honour Kim and all those who have shown me kindness as I carry with me the mantra: “To do all the good I can, in all the ways I can, as long as ever I can.”
Kim and her homestead can be found on Instagram @hideawayunderthestars. If you’re interested, you can check out the WWOOF UK website for more organic farming/smallholding opportunities.
UnEarth Magazine. 
Leave a comment