Cairngorm Bothies, which proudly holds a Green Tourism’s GOLD AWARD, offers woodland retreats within a 100-year-old Scots pine forest targeted at eco-conscious guests seeking self-catering holidays. Bothies are completely off-grid, powered entirely by renewable energy and operated in accordance with their Purpose: “to leave the place better than it was found” and values centered on their people; profit to continue their regenerative ambitions, and to invest in their environment and community. This dog-friendly off-grid accommodation is ideal for adventure seekers, natural advocates, and guests who share environmental awareness and behave as such.
Their ongoing climate action involves several areas that they monitor and promote in addition to unique off-grid energy usage. The focus is on making the reduction of carbon integral to the experience they offer. They live it, promote it, make it the unique selling point; it is the core value. Their target market is the residents of the nearest conurbation, Aberdeen and its surrounding areas. The aim is to aid the guests, minimize their own carbon footprint by coming to stay with them. It is believed that environmentally conscious guests, the target market, are themselves trying to seek their own reduction in their carbon footprint. This is achieved by reducing the amount of international and national travel when taking a break and by staying longer. Customers are targeted with social marketing tools and paid advertising; Firstly, within the region Aberdeen City and Shire, then within Scotland, then the UK, and then further afield. Measurement of customer origin and analysis of success in ambition. Their off-grid bothy offering is a unique experience by providing immersion into living with energy, waste, and water consciousness. These aspects are highlighted to guests through a visitor charter. Guests receive a “responsible visitor charter” with its suggestions of how to conserve energy, give the car a rest, shop local, reduce, reuse, recycle, be water-wise, be respectful of nature, and support other aligned green tourism businesses. Increased awareness and the importance of such behaviors are achieved by giving guests the experience of living in an environment where these elements are of primary concern through the completely off-grid experience. Guests have employed sustainability in their holiday choices, integrated into the natural forest environment. It provides an exciting staycation & experience improving awareness of Scotland’s natural capital, its flora and fauna, and the importance of conserving these fragile ecosystems. The guests, through target marketing, almost by definition have an interest in human-powered pursuits such as the outdoors, cycling, and walking. Guests are directed towards activities that are locally available and encouraged to take their leisure in a sustainable way with pre-approved suppliers. To those already practicing sustainability, they provide a complicit offering with their own values. To those who are less environmentally aware, they provide an educational experience in a non-judgmental way. Cairngorm Bothies aim to generate a better and wider adoption of sustainable practices by making it a joyous experience and thereby improving the uptake. Guests receive “local things to see and do” in an online format, reducing the need for printed paper. Bothies are cleaned using environmentally friendly products from the Bio-Hygiene range that includes the use of refillable bottles. These are sourced from a local Aberdeen-based supplier and ordered monthly, to reduce the number of delivery-miles and selected to minimize the impact on the environment from aggressive chemicals. Procurement is very carefully considered from an ecological and local business viewpoint. They avoid plastic products for use in the bothies, ordering cotton or wooden items as the preferential alternative. e.g., wooden cooking utensils instead of plastic. Employment - the strategy for staff recruitment is to secure local people, minimizing where possible their emissions in how they come to work. Staff are made aware of their green credentials in the recruitment process and are exposed to the responsible visitor charter. They seek to employ locally also because the important consideration of the local rural economy. Heating and cooking facilities in the bothies are provided by a wood burner which is run on waste wood from the woodland & forestry business. They have a sustainable FSC certified forest, meaning that the forestry practices they employ are sustainable. They have an active tree planting regime. They measure the waste they produce, volumetrically and continuously seek to reduce and improve how they manage waste through the help of their guests. This typifies the approach. They seek to measure the carbon footprint of operations and continuously improve upon what they do and how they do it.
The Bothies had sustainability at the heart of their very design and their value proposition from the outset. No purpose-built holiday development existed that was completely off-grid. That presented design and build challenges as it had to be invented. The first thing that had been successfully overcome was the location within the Blelack Forest. A water aquifer was located and an appropriate site for the solar array was identified. Water is sourced from a sub-surface aquifer and treated and pumped to the bothies using solar energy. The solar array was sized by matching demand from the bothies and creating a supply commensurate with that demand. The water plant was also sized in a similar way to the solar array. From a sustainability perspective and the challenges in site design, they aimed to minimize disruption to the natural forest environment. To this end, they designed the integration of the units into the forest with minimal impact on the forest floor. This entailed a specialist foundation type and no man-made paths. One of the most difficult aspects to control in terms of their tourism activity is the generation of carbon emissions is that of waste management. Their household refuse is segregated into different waste types and dealt with through the normal practicalities of waste management and recycling. However, within their welcome pack, conscientiousness about waste management is encouraged and visitors are encouraged to use the facilities in an environmentally sensitive manner.
Cairngorm Bothies are fortunate to be able to work within a beautiful estate with its native flora and fauna. It is imperative that they play their part in preserving and protecting this for generations to come. It is recognized that, firstly, they need to survive in these challenging economic times and in doing so continue their ambitions to be a world-leading exemplar regenerative tourism business. Director Dr. Gordon Drummond was invited and gave a talk on Responsible and Sustainable Tourism at COP 26. Gordon is shifting his view away from being simply “sustainable” towards “regenerative”. He wants tourism to be a force for good in terms of the people they employ, the community in which they exist, and the environment in which they operate. Gaining the ‘Green Tourism’ Gold Award for both Lodges and Bothies has been very important to the team in recognizing that collectively they are doing their bit for the planet through continued staff training, product use, recycling and reducing, energy use, and looking for ways to improve the offering. They were asked to present to the VisitScotland staff in "Scottish tourism businesses that are leading the way when it comes to sustainable tourism." They aim to proliferate the message of best practice and by example and demonstration help pave the way for Scotland to lead in the field of being the sustainable destination. The choice location for the discerning green traveler. Company ambitions for the future are that they are better able to demonstrate success through working in the environment to protect the natural habitat and collaborate with communities and groups. The Cairngorm Nature Partnership is set to protect the capercaillies in the Cairngorms National Park and they are keen to assist with the re-introduction of Capercaillie into the area where formerly they had a stronghold in their estate.
Find out more about the finalists for the Helping it Happen Awards 2023