A striking silver cabin shaped like an airship has become one of Scotland’s most recognisable holiday rentals, and now the business behind it is on the market. AirShip 002, along with two neighbouring retreats at Druim Na Cracaig on the Morvern Peninsula near Oban, has been listed by Savills for offers over £750,000. The collection of architecturally designed properties generates around £100,000 in gross annual income and has attracted guests from around the world, including visitors from Japan. The sale offers more than a distinctive place to stay. It includes a proven hospitality business, a four-acre elevated coastal site, and three properties that have become destinations in their own right. According to The Scotsman, AirShip 002 has earned international attention for its curved aluminium form, dragonfly windows, and dramatic views over the Sound of Mull, while the wider portfolio has appeared on television programs and regularly features in lists of Britain’s most unusual holiday homes. Read more details about it here:
The cabin that looks like an Airship
AirShip 002 was designed by architect Roderick James and designer Amanda Markham as a modern interpretation of a streamlined airship. Its aluminium-clad exterior, curved silhouette, and distinctive dragonfly windows give it the appearance of a futuristic vessel resting above the Scottish coastline. The cabin sits in a remote setting with panoramic sea views toward the Ardnamurchan Peninsula and across the Sound of Mull.The unusual design has made AirShip 002 one of the most wish-listed Airbnb properties in the United Kingdom. Savills describes it as an internationally recognised retreat with a large collection of five-star guest reviews and a loyal following. Its appeal lies not only in its appearance, but in the sense of escape it offers: a compact, carefully designed cabin set within one of Scotland’s most dramatic coastal landscapes.The cabin’s success inspired the creation of two additional retreats. The PilotHouse is a two-storey hideaway with an elliptical form and a raised first floor living space designed to maximize views toward Tobermory and the open sea. The Captain’s Cabin is a smaller, nautically inspired escape with a private rooftop viewing balcony, a cosy salon, a pantry kitchen, a double bedroom, and a shower room.
A business with a proven income
The Druim Na Cracaig portfolio is being sold as an established holiday rental business rather than simply a collection of unusual buildings. Savills says the three retreats have produced a stable annual gross turnover of about £100,000 over the past four years. Owner Roderick James told The Scotsman that the lets require relatively little time to operate while continuing to attract international guests.The listing includes The Old Chapel, a two-bedroom owner’s or housekeeper’s residence beneath the Captain’s Cabin. It provides a practical base for managing the business while preserving guests’ privacy and independence. The four-acre site also includes extensive parking, storage, outbuildings, and workshop space, making it suitable for someone who wants to continue running the retreats as a hospitality operation.The properties have been designed with comfort and sustainability in mind. Savills highlights features such as high levels of insulation, underfloor heating, triple glazing, renewable electricity, and wood-burning stoves. Those details help make the cabins usable throughout the year, extending their appeal beyond the summer season and supporting the business’s consistent income.
Why the retreats became famous
AirShip 002 and its neighbours have appeared on television shows including Scotland’s Great Escapes and Alan Cumming’s Paradise Homes. They have also regularly appeared in media roundups of the most offbeat and distinctive holiday rentals in Britain. That exposure has helped turn the properties into a recognizable brand, with guests seeking them out specifically for the experience of staying somewhere truly different.The location adds to the appeal. Druim Na Cracaig is set on the Morvern Peninsula near Drimnin and Oban, a remote part of Scotland’s west coast known for sea views, quiet landscapes, and access to the Sound of Mull, as per the reports. Guests can look toward Tobermory and the distant mountains, making the retreats attractive to travellers seeking both architectural novelty and a genuine escape from busy city life.Savills property agent Iona Conn said few hospitality businesses combine imaginative architecture, proven commercial success, and such a captivating setting, as per The Scotsman. She described the portfolio as a rare opportunity to acquire an internationally recognized tourism business with an established income stream in one of the country’s most spectacular coastal locations.
A Legacy Beyond Holiday Lets
For Roderick James, the retreats have also supported a wider purpose. A former architect specializing in oak-framed buildings, James designed new timber roofs for the Great Hall at Stirling Castle and Windsor Castle following the fire. He later became involved in social projects that build homes where they are needed most and teach project management and trade skills to disadvantaged young people and ex-offenders.Income from the holiday lets has helped support that charitable work. James has built at least 15 homes on the Morvern Peninsula, and a project to build cabins in Rwanda is also underway. He said sharing the special place with visitors from around the world has been hugely rewarding, and the sale now offers someone else the chance to continue that story.For buyers, the listing represents an unusual combination of lifestyle, architecture, and business. AirShip 002 may look like a silver airship floating above the coast, but behind its memorable design is a functioning holiday rental operation with a loyal audience and a steady income. At offers over £750,000, the next owner will inherit not just three distinctive cabins, but one of Scotland’s most recognizable small-scale hospitality brands.
