The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Branch out and enjoy the high life
Rebecca Shearer ventured to Aviemore to spend an unusual, and windy, weekend in an eco-friendly tree tent
Who would have thought I’d spend a night in a tree pod during a raging storm? But that’s what happened, and it was far less traumatic than you’d expect. Aviemore has long been one of Scotland’s “staycation” hotspots, where many escape the hustle and bustle of urban life. There’s plenty on offer for everyone in the surrounding area, with accommodation ranging from hotels to lodges; the food available ranges from burgers and pizzas, to fine dining and self catering; and activities include spas and skiing.
Although a native of Scotland the Highlands have always been largely unknown to me, so I took the opportunity to try an altogether new experience – staying in a suspended tree tent.
The Macdonald Aviemore Resort lies in the centre of Aviemore and is popular with everyone from families and couples, to avid outdoor adventurers and spa enthusiasts. In the grounds of the resort is a lone pod-like structure that houses a wood-burning stove (yes really), a bed for two, tea and coffeemaking facilities, two boxes of giant chocolate buttons, and space to charge electronic devices.
Macdonald’s commitment to sustainability and protecting the natural environment is what sparked the experiment by Highland Hangout – the first of its kind in Scotland. The tree tent is only available from November to mid-March.
Our stay happened to coincide with Storm Ciara, so it’s fair to say we wondered what would be in store for us, spending the night in a tree.
A member of staff explained a bit about the tent, our dinner bookings and also that due to the expected storm a room was on standby in one of the main hotels.
There isn’t a parking space allotted to the tent as such, and visitors park behind one of the cabins. The pod hangs alone, with its own deck on ground level with Adirondack deckchairs and a quaint wooden staircase leading to the zipcontrolled front door.
One delight was the log-burning stove, which made the fact we’d chosen a cold February night to take to the “skies” that little bit easier. Though surrounded by trees, guests do not need to “hunt” for wood as there is an endless supply.
For lunch we continued the glamping theme with sandwiches and snacks from a nearby M&S and settled on the sofa bed to watch the rugby on an iPad. As it got warm from the stove the tent
As it got warm from the stove the tent began swaying...and we ended up falling asleep for an hour or so. When we came to, it was time to get ready for dinner
began swaying gently and we ended up falling peacefully asleep and, when we came to, it was time for dinner.
Aspects restaurant is in the resort’s Highlands Hotel and, according to its website, is “dedicated to serving only the highest quality food”. It certainly made an impact. The restaurant was moderately busy with a party and groups of families with young children down one end and couples away from the noise at the other.
We ordered burgers, which were worth the wait and just what we needed after battling the elements on our walk from the other side of the resort. However, the service was incredibly slow and almost every table around us made a complaint. Thankfully it hadn’t really affected us. The only impact being that we chose one dessert in the hope it would be made quickly, although it still took about 20 minutes. That being said, we would give it another chance based on the quality of the burgers.
Suitably fed, we headed back to our
tent where we realised the wind had died down drastically, making it feel much less like we were on a boat in rough seas.
One of my favourite features of the tree tent was that the window on the roof had no blinds on it, meaning you could lie in bed looking up at the stars on a clear night. And having managed to get the log fire going we fell asleep easily in the warmth, aided by gently swaying in the wind.
Breakfast was in the Italian restaurant in the Morlich Hotel, a standard hotel breakfast buffet with pastries, cereals, fruit and cooked items galore. It was quieter than our dinner location; the staff were much more attentive.
Despite the weather not always being at its best behaviour, we enjoyed the experience.
Next time we might opt to stay during the summer months so we could appreciate the outdoor space more.
The food was delicious, even if the evening service was a bit disappointing and we were hugely grateful that the staff had reserved one of the hotel rooms for us due to the weather. All in all, I really hope Macdonald make tree tents part of its year-round accommodation, and add a few more, so that more people can enjoy the experience.