Eco-Friendly Staycations

The green tourism movement is growing in Scotland and its great to see more and more cottages, hotels and glamping sites being built using sustainable methods, green enery and paying attention to their environmental footprint. At Meander we love to travel and of course, if we can do it in a more sustainabile way, then we’re all for it. We’ve put together a list of some unique eco friendly Scottish accommodation to help inspire your next adventure.

The Brochs of Coigach

If you're looking for a bit of history, art and luxury these two converted iron age round houses in the Highlands are perfect. Surrounded by rolling hills and ocean there is an abundance of wildlife to be spotted, from stags to sea eagles and dolphins. As if the setting isn’t relaxing enough, Scàl's Broch has its very own sauna.

Sustainability is literally built into the walls of these round houses. The Brochs are both made of broken down stone walls around Coigach. Timber used for the doors, lintels and posts came from a derelict pier and the window frames are crafted from reclaimed pine floor boards. The houses are built into the hillside of a working croft and sheep can often be found grazing on the roundhouse’s grass roofs.

Find out more about The Brochs of Coigach here.

Arcadia Glamping

Sitting within the Loch Lomond and Trossachs national park these two glamping cabins offer an opulent alternative to camping. Uniquely these cabins are located in the Arcadia Sculpture Center which is 21 acres of sculpture trail. If that wasn't quirky enough for you both cabins have outdoor baths built into their private deck.

Arcadia are committed to sustainability and conserving the 21 acres of land around the sculpture centre. The cabins themselves are highly insulated and the heating and lighting comes from 100% green energy sources. Recycled and up-cycled furniture and fixtures can be found throughout both of the cabins and even eco friendly cleaning products are supplied. By leaving a lot of the surrounding land uncultivated they are supporting the wildlife and biodiversity of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.

Find out more about Arcadia Glamping here.

Woodlands Glencoe

Woodlands Glencoe offers cosy riverside woodland lodges and larger modern seabed lodges with views over Loch Linnhe. Each of these lodges comes with a private veranda and its own hot tub adding to that relaxing luxury feel. The estate sits at the foot of Glencoe and offers numerous activities from golf to clay shooting and has cafes, bars and lounges on site.

The Woodlands Glencoe Estate works to conserve the natural environment around it by planting trees, supporting local wildlife and conserving paths and burns around the estate. The lodges themselves are made of sustainable materials with exceptional insulation to minimise energy loss. Both the lodges and hot tubs are heated by an air source pump transferring heat from the outside inside. Even the driveway up to the lodges is constructed of recycled road materials.

Find out more about Woodlands Glencoe here.

The Lewis Longhouse

Located on the Isle of Lewis The Longhouse boasts stunning views over the ocean to the east and moors to the west. Built as a low impact, modern twist on a traditional island house the interior is luxurious but understated to reflect its peaceful surroundings.

Nicknamed the ‘eco house’ for its sustainable features The Longhouse gets its energy from solar panels, heating from solar gain and highly insulated glazing and natural, recycled or sustainably sourced materials are used throughout. The moorland outside the property is maintained for wildlife and birds and the garden has machair wildflowers that are native to the Hebrides growing around it.

Find out more about The Lewis Longhouse here.

Eagle Brae

Eagle Brae is a village of 10 unique log cabins in the Highlands just a 45 minute drive from Inverness. Each log cabin is eco-friendly and handmade using sustainably sourced red cedar logs with impressive wood carvings decorating the interior. There are numerous activities available at Eagle Brae such as canoeing, dog sledding, camera stalking and mountain biking.

The village aims to offer carbon-neutral holidays and is committed to eco tourism. The site is fully self-sufficient in creating its own energy and their micro-hydro scheme provides enough hot water and energy for all their log cabins. As well as this all of the water used at Eagle Brae is sourced and treated on site. Grass roofs and wood burners insulate and heat each cabin in a sustainable way. All visitors to the village are invited to plant a native tree to try and offset their own carbon footprint.

Find out more about Eagle Brae here.

These are just a few of the most unique eco-friendly stays in Scotland we have found. Hopefully this has made it a little easier for you to choose your next staycation, but if you are looking for some more inspiration, you can check out our previous post on Staycations including the very environmentaly friendly Croft 103 here.