about us
Highland Hangout: Living with Nature
Back in the 1990’s we were exploring the coast of north-west Scotland, looking for a house or a house-site in a woodland where we could live with nature, invest in small-scale rewilding, and enjoy local food from land and sea. We thought we had found the perfect site, near Gairloch, but we sadly concluded that it would not gain planning consent for a new house – so the hunt continued.
On our journey back to Edinburgh we found an advert in a Sunday newspaper for a house in a 20-acre woodland further south, so we thought we would take a small diversion and have a quick look at it. It turned out to be a perfect fit for our needs, and we were successful in acquiring Duirinish Lodge, near Plockton, overlooking the Isle of Skye and Isle of Raasay. That decision shaped the rest of our lives.
Fast forward to 2015, when we decided to sell the Lodge with 10 acres of woodland, and retain the other 10 acres to build a new nature-friendly, timber house, that aims to generate more renewable energy than it consumes. We were now on a mission to live the rest of our lives as close to ‘net zero’ carbon as possible. We moved into Duirinish Oaks in 2021, which is now our ‘passive’ green home – complete with solar panels, Tesla power-storage, air-source heat pump and a sustainability score of 96%. We drive an electric car and an electric bike, and are planning a second solar-power installation.
In 2018 we found Tree Tents International, an award-winning UK company that designs and builds some of the most innovative outdoor accommodation structures in Europe. So we decided to embark on a new venture and created Highland Hangout. It allows us to share our ancient pine and birch woodland with guests who value nature, wildlife, tranquility, extra-ordinary mountain and coastal landscapes and sunsets, an endless range of walks or hikes, and dark skies.
Highland Hangout is more than just unique and luxurious accommodation. We also have a native tree nursery in which we grow trees from seeds collected each autumn from the north-west Highlands – oak, beech, aspen, rowan, birch, hazel, pine, horse-chestnut, hawthorn and more. We are now creating our own fruit and vegetable garden and will soon plant a new orchard.
In 2018 we joined a partnership with Trees for Life to re-introduce red squirrels, after an absence of almost 100 years, here and in 7 other locations on the north-west coast of Scotland. There are no grey squirrels in this part of the country, so the Reds have had a successful experience. They are very much at home in this environment, supported by winter and spring feeding of their favourite fruits and nuts.
We have developed a growing interest and knowledge of wild birds which live here year-round, or migrate from the Arctic and from Africa in different seasons. In our amateur wild-bird sanctuary, we captured bird-song of more than 90 different species during the past year. You can hear many of them every day.
We would be delighted if you would like to spend some nature time at Highland Hangout and enjoy the unique experience of living in either the Tree Tent or the Fuselage. There are many days in all seasons when the only sounds you will hear are bird-song, running water in a mountain stream, and the wind in the Scots pines.
The Tree Tent is suspended in the tall woods, with no sign of human habitation. The Fuselage is carefully situated to benefit from afternoon and evening sunshine and sunsets, along with un-interrupted views of the Inner Sound, the entire Cuillin Mountain range on the Isle of Skye, past the Isle of Raasay and Applecross, to the Torridon Alps in the north.
Sustainability, nature conservation, native tree planting, wildlife protection, local food, renewable energy, and weather observation are all at the heart of what we do.
If this all sounds good to you, come and join us in a wonderful adventure at Highland Hangout! We are open to welcome you in all seasons.
