Craigmyle Estates Ltd over the years had depleted into being simply a woodland, growing and harvesting timber. Formerly, Craigmyle Estates had been a completely, vertically integrated business that took tree seeds through to finished timber products, e.g. pallets which were distributed and sold into the oil and gas industry. In 2007, under new leadership, the firm embraced change and diversified. Tourism is now the core enterprise. The 100-year-old Scots pine woodlands are now the primary attraction, and sustainability is the new unique selling proposition. The brands of “Cairngorm Lodges” and “Bothies” are now synonymous with pioneering regenerative best practices in Tourism. Turnover has increased 100-fold in 18 years. Future viability is secure, and profitability is now a reality.
Craigmyle Estates diversified in 2012 to offer self-catering accommodation in an ancient Scots pine forest setting within the Cairngorms National Park. Five lodges (Cairngorm Lodges, 2012) are set in one location of the Blelack Forest, with the twelve “off-grid” Cairngorm Bothies (2020 and 2023) in an adjacent Woodland setting. The first six bothies launched in 2020, coinciding with the start of Covid-19 Lockdown(s). In spite of being open sporadically, market penetration was achieved, and the brand quickly became established. The bothies offered a completely new philosophy for tourism, being the first-ever, completely off-grid, purpose-built holiday development. The bothies are entirely off-grid, powered entirely by renewable energy, and operated in accordance with their Purpose: “to leave the place better than they found it” and their values centered on their people; profit to continue their regenerative ambitions, and to invest in their environment and community. The Lodges and Bothies are holders of Green Tourism’s GOLD AWARD. If the setback of COVID had not been enough, the devastating storms of 2022 completely destroyed the second phase of six bothies that were under construction at the time. This delayed the opening of the business expansion until Spring 2023. The resilience of the staff was significantly tested. Now the lodges and bothies are run by a team of approximately 8 staff members. Combating climate change is entrenched in their very being, and widening awareness of that cause is their ambition. The dog-friendly self-catering accommodation is ideal for adventure seekers, natural advocates, and guests who walk the talk of environmental awareness and behave as such.
The Bothies and Lodges were constructed with locally sourced trades and contractors; local architects through to local painters and decorators. Sourcing “local” is entrenched in the firm’s ethos. They operate with an employment strategy to recruit local people, minimizing where possible the CO2 emissions when they come to work. Staff members are made aware of their green credentials in the recruitment process, along with their responsible visitor charter. The team hugely values their staff, who are the ambassadors for their cause. Their core values include their people. Firstly, their staff, but it is wider and beyond that, it is also their community, e.g., they supported the LEADER development project of their village hall by lending funds so the cash flow could be kickstarted. They are aware of their own impact in being able to dissipate the money brought into the local economy by their guests. The money positively impacts the bars, restaurants, and attractions in the area, helping safeguard local aligned sustainable businesses and the livelihoods associated with them. Close ties with the local community are made through the creation of paths and green space that can be shared with both locals and guests. Sharing their forest’s stream for the local community duck race is another means of other local supportive behaviors. In business, they are now seeking to embrace collaborative ways of working, e.g., with Tarland Trails, a mountain biking track with whom they are starting to work together to provide a joint offering. Their belief is that the two businesses combining in this manner are stronger than the individual offers.
The Bothies are powered entirely by renewable energy in the form of a solar array. Their solar energy is consumed on-site for powering the spring water pumps and powering the electrical needs in the bothies. No mains water or electricity is used in the operations. The 12 Bothies purposely have fewer power sockets, a low-energy fridge, LED lights, wind-up torch, and radio. To reduce the demand on the solar array, their appliances were purposely purchased as low-energy/wattage items, e.g., kettle, plug-in radiator, and table lamp. They are all about making the reduction of carbon integral to the experience they offer. They live it, they promote it, they make it their unique selling point; it is their core value. Heating and cooking facilities are provided by a wood burner that is run on their waste wood from the woodland & their sister forestry business. They have a sustainable FSC certified forest, which means that the forestry practices they employ are sustainable. Their 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.” Sustainable is simply not good enough. 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. They see themselves having the role of custodians of the present and also ambassadors for the future. Their guests receive their 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.