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Glamping the Scottish Way at Inshriach

When you think of traveling to Scotland does staying in castle accommodations immediately come to mind? What if you’re an off-the-beaten-path traveler who enjoys the nature experience? Then the quirky glamping choices at Inshriach in the heart of Cairngorms National Park will be just your style.

Walter Micklethwait has transformed his family’s 200-acre estate into a glamping haven. After restoring the Edwardian country house (for those who need a touch more in their lodging experience), Walter set out to create a quirky assortment of glamping choices.

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You’ll find yurts available throughout the glamping world. But the yurt at Inshriach includes Walter’s special touches like a Victorian double bed and woodstove. Secluded in the woods, the yurt has a view of the Monadliath Mountains with wildlife as your only neighbors. Bath facilities are 600 meters away at the farmhouse.

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But why stay in a yurt when you can experience sleeping in a fire engine? Yes, you read that right. Walter has transformed a 1954 Commer fire lorry into The Beer Moth, cozy accommodations complete with parquet floor, wood stove and that all-important Victorian double bed. Guests have the option of opening up the sides to be that much closer to nature. Again, bath facilities are located at the farmhouse.

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If a shepherd’s hut appeals to you, enjoy a bit of Sweden on a Scottish estate. The hand-built hut sports a raised oak bed with plenty of cushions. A private compost loo is close by or walk the 600 meters to shared facilities at the farmhouse. And be sure to amble down to the river for a soak in the wood-fired horsebox sauna.

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The Bothy Project rounds out this glamping menagerie. Used half the year as an artist’s residence, the sleeping hut is available to guests in the summer. And just maybe some creative influence will rub off on you.

For meals guests self-cater — yes, you cooking on top of the woodstove is allowed — or visit a local pub. But Walter doesn’t leave it completely up to you. Eggs are available in the farmyard and during the growing season, salads and vegetables are supplied from the Inshirach’s gardens.

Now all you have to do is enjoy the adventures of Cairngorms National Park knowing that comfortable sleeps await you at Inshirach’s glamping choices.

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Cruising on Yathra and exploring Kurulubedda : Jetwing’s Eco-Retreats

As I seek the horizon on Bentota River, a sense of unperturbed relaxation takes over me. I hear and see no one; the falling rain and a sparse flutter of leaves are my only companions.

I arrived on a rainy afternoon from Galle, to a silent Dedduwa boat house, Yathra by Jetwing. No one was expecting me, although they should have. It was in fact, best. I took to myself to intrude; I walked down the graveled path, out onto a murky garden of sorts and there she was, pastoral and gracious, the Yathra by Jetwing, anchored by the riverbank.

Jetwing Yathra Boat

I came a long way to see the first of its kind houseboat in Sri Lanka. Inspired by the Kerala waters (more specifically, the Indian Kettuvallan), the island’s inaugural floating hotel appeared to be as peaceful as I had expected it to be.

Simply crafted from bamboo, with wooden, thatched roof, the houseboat is at the same time, a green, rustic vision of elegance, thanks to the craftsmanship of environmental architect Sunela Jayewardene.

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Featuring two air-conditioned bedrooms complete with their own private balconies and enclosed bathrooms, the boat includes most amenities you may need or find in an otherwise high-end hotel (slippers, robes, hair drier, iron, toiletries, etc). Ok, no Jacuzzi! But who needs a Jacuzzi when you’re leisurely cruising the river?

A soft, nautical interior design can be noticed in the bedrooms as well as the entrance parlor that links the rooms: vintage chests, navy blues and seashell motifs.

I walk up and down the teak-wood floors and notice the deck aft, used for dining. Guests can enjoy their meals here, in the open towards the lake, as service is provided via the galley adjoining the after deck.

There is also a sun deck above the cabins for guests to enjoy.

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Under the direction of Captain Koralage, retired from the Sri Lankan Navy after 22 years, the cruise is set to traverse the calm Bentota River starting from Yathra by Jetwing, all the way to Awittewa, a small village some 11 miles away.

Similarly, an escape to Jetwing Kurulubedda is an eco retreat in itself. Concealed amidst the foliage of a wild environment, near the village of Mahamodera on the Southern Coast, you’ll surely feel in your very own secret forest.

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Rustic in appearance, each of the two villas at Jetwing Kurulubedda has been aesthetically built and adorned so as to perfectly blend in with the surrounding paddy fields. The facilities however, are completely modern, to fittingly accommodate its guests.

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A stay at Jetwing Kurulubedda is clearly best suited for couples that wish for absolute tranquility. Each of the two dwellings cloistered into the woods opens to a large terrace and furthermore onto a canopy of trees. There is also a private plunge pool at the base of each one.

And that’s not the best part. Whether you want to dine on your own terrace, or further down into the coppice, the chef will be there at your disposal: with the dinner of your request, where and when you desire.

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Given the success of the property and authenticity of the experience, Jetwing Kurulubedda has plans to expand to four dwellings total, as well as another pool.

Although I didn’t stay the night, I thoroughly enjoyed the silence, disturbed only by the sound of crickets and birds.

I visited the Yathra by Jetwing houseboat in early May, ahead of its inauguration. This review is based on my brief visit on property. Guests can now book various packages, to include roam and board, as well as cruises. For rates and availability, please visit their listing pages, here on Glamping.com.

Image Credits: Jetwing Kurulubedda, Yathra by Jetwing, Monica Suma

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Saving Wildlife and the Wilderness

In the world of glamping — which inherently is a culture of excess out in the wild — it’s always nice to give back. Sure, you can donate money directly to conservation groups, but you could also support properties that already strive to preserve the animals and wilderness of the regions where they’re established.

save the rhino trustImage Credit: Save The Rhino Trust Namibia

For example, Desert Rhino Camp in the Palmweg concession of Namibia, is a collaboration of safari operator Wilderness Safaris and the Save the Rhino Trust (SRT). It’s the base of operations for rhino tracking tours, where guests are led in vehicles and on foot to encounter the elusive and endangered black rhinoceros — a species whose population has been decimated over the decades from illegal poaching. When the tours are over and you’re sipping a gin and tonic on the porch of your canvas cottage, the SRT continues to dedicate itself to the protection of the rhinos and their habitat.

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With a customized safari through Namibia by outfitter CW Safaris, you can drive just a couple hundred miles away to Okonjima, home of AfriCat Foundation, which strives to work with local farming communities in their rehabilitation programs for misplaced cheetahs, leopards, and wild dogs. They also sponsor school trips to educate future generations on the importance of conservation. Guests can visit the big felines as they are reconditioned to their natural environment by day, while sleeping in camps with luxury amenities by night.

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Meanwhile in Nevada, a similar effort is being done by the folks at the Mustang Monument Wild Horse Eco-Resort, which is not just a place where you can camp in a tipi fitted with hardwood floors and cosy beds. Founder Madeleine Pickens and her team of cowboys are committed to the Saving America’s Mustangs foundation, which aims to protect the mere thousands of wild mustangs left in America with a permanent preserve for them to roam free.

Precious ecosystems are also being supported by glamping destinations. The folks at EcoCamp Patagonia, in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, are committed to sustainability with green energy practices in conjunction with their inventive design of sustainable — and comfortable — dome tents. They share their innovations with the Corporacion Fomento & Producción (CORFO), so that other local businesses can follow suit in this region increasingly affected by climate change.

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At Kenya’s Camp Ya Kanzi, in Hemingway’s “Green Hills of Africa,” the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT) works with Maasai leaders to educate the local communities on best practices to co-exist with wild animals, and to maintain their ecosystem wisely. While the MWCT USA office president and acclaimed actor Edward Norton may not be there during your stay, you can rest assured — in tented cottages so luxurious that they even have bidets — that part of the money you spend goes to their conservation efforts. After all, the environment, and the indigenous animals within, are the real celebrities in these parts.