It's a modern-day medieval home! The luxurious Scottish Highlands holiday retreat built using 500 bales of STRAW (15 Pics)

The eco-friendly home in the Scottish Highlands sits on an elevated position in Strontain near Fort William 

It uses 500 bales of straw as its main form of insulation and exports five times more power than it imports

The property has glass doors offering spectacular views over dramatic Loch Sunart and the Morvern Hills

Holiday home also boasts a large lower outside deck with a hot tub and a seating area with a chimenea

Jill Strawbale House, which sits on an elevated position in Strontain near Fort William, uses 500 bales of straw as its main form of insulation

The retreat gets most of its power from two micro hydro generators and guests are encouraged to recycle and only use public transport during their stay

The owners are Robert and Justine Dunn, who have a background in tropical forest management. They built the straw house to generate extra income for their retirement 

The property, as this picture shows, commands breath-taking views of the Scottish Highlands 

The floor-to-ceiling windows offer spectacular views over Loch Sunart and the Morvern Hills

The eco-friendly home has a fully-equipped modern kitchen and the house can be rented from £813 a week in the low season

The holiday retreat can accommodate up to five guests. They can all gather around a large dining table in the main living room

One of the two bedrooms in the property, which are decorated in a minimalist theme and have huge inviting beds 

The main bedroom has direct access to the decking area where, during cold spells, guests might like to warm themselves by the chimenea

The second bedroom in the property. Owner Mr Dunn said: 'Many people do not realise that straw is one of the cheapest and most sustainable forms of insulation' 

The bathroom inside the retreat. The building is also covered in lime on the inside and out, which is said to make the house 'breathable' 

And relax: The house is clearly the place to go if you really want to get away from it all 

What better way to enjoy the views than from the bubbling embrace of the hot tub 

Mark Whitehouse, Area Manager at cottages.com for western Scotland, said: 'Sustainability continues to be high on the agenda, so we are delighted to have signed this extraordinary property that uses straw bales as its main form of insulation'. The owners' vicarage home sits in the bottom left-hand corner of this picture

And there's the proof: The designers have included a porthole that reveals the straw insulation