'This is regenerative tourism': a cabin stay that helps regenerate the Scottish Highlands
From the terrace of my cabin, I can see through the trees to Loch Broom below. Everything is quiet except for the faint sound of the breeze teasing the branches of the forest. I close my eyes and listen to the silence, breathing in the cool of the early evening.
A cabin in the woods is the ultimate escape - and mine, Pine Marten, a of two recently opened in Leckmelm Wood, near Ullapool in the Scottish Highlands, gets top marks for its setting. Best of all, a stay here contributes to the site's nature restoration projects, so you can relax and enjoy its simple comforts, knowing your stay is doing well too.
"We want people to come here to connect with nature, but they also contribute to our efforts to regenerate and care for the land, and demonstrate alternative lifestyles," says Sam Planterose, whose family owns Leckmelm "It's an example of regenerative tourism - the type that has a positive impact on the surrounding area and local communities."
The story began 30 years ago years when Sam's parents Bernard and Emma, conservationists and co-founders of Reforesting Scotland, bought the 13-hectare (32-acre) site from the Forestry Commission and moved their young family into the woods. commercial conifer is slowly being transformed to create a more diverse habitat sified and rich in wildlife, with areas cleared for native forests, small farms and forest gardens, and others left to regenerate naturally.
Three generations of the family now live in the woods in self-built wooden cabins. Bernard runs an eco-friendly timber construction business, while his daughters Tiril and Merlin run Kinder Croft, an outdoor children's nursery and forestry school (guest children can participate if times permit), and Croft No 1 , a pioneer forest croft. Emma tends to West Edge, a forest garden, plant nursery and place of education for everything from permaculture to mindfulness.
I roam in the woods with Sam, passing areas that have been replanted, seeing newly blooming wild gardens, fruit trees, polytunnels teeming with organic produce, and wooded classrooms. Monoculture plantations (many of which were planted after World War I in place of native forest) are notoriously species-poor. a healthier ecosystem – back. "We show that what's good for the environment is good for us, even on a small scale," says Sam. ="inline" data-spacefinder-type="model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class="dcr-10khgmf">
From the terrace of my cabin, I can see through the trees to Loch Broom below. Everything is quiet except for the faint sound of the breeze teasing the branches of the forest. I close my eyes and listen to the silence, breathing in the cool of the early evening.
A cabin in the woods is the ultimate escape - and mine, Pine Marten, a of two recently opened in Leckmelm Wood, near Ullapool in the Scottish Highlands, gets top marks for its setting. Best of all, a stay here contributes to the site's nature restoration projects, so you can relax and enjoy its simple comforts, knowing your stay is doing well too.
"We want people to come here to connect with nature, but they also contribute to our efforts to regenerate and care for the land, and demonstrate alternative lifestyles," says Sam Planterose, whose family owns Leckmelm "It's an example of regenerative tourism - the type that has a positive impact on the surrounding area and local communities."
The story began 30 years ago years when Sam's parents Bernard and Emma, conservationists and co-founders of Reforesting Scotland, bought the 13-hectare (32-acre) site from the Forestry Commission and moved their young family into the woods. commercial conifer is slowly being transformed to create a more diverse habitat sified and rich in wildlife, with areas cleared for native forests, small farms and forest gardens, and others left to regenerate naturally.
Three generations of the family now live in the woods in self-built wooden cabins. Bernard runs an eco-friendly timber construction business, while his daughters Tiril and Merlin run Kinder Croft, an outdoor children's nursery and forestry school (guest children can participate if times permit), and Croft No 1 , a pioneer forest croft. Emma tends to West Edge, a forest garden, plant nursery and place of education for everything from permaculture to mindfulness.
I roam in the woods with Sam, passing areas that have been replanted, seeing newly blooming wild gardens, fruit trees, polytunnels teeming with organic produce, and wooded classrooms. Monoculture plantations (many of which were planted after World War I in place of native forest) are notoriously species-poor. a healthier ecosystem – back. "We show that what's good for the environment is good for us, even on a small scale," says Sam. ="inline" data-spacefinder-type="model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class="dcr-10khgmf">
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