It may not be a five-star hotel – but the setting makes you feel very rich indeed
AN open invitation from a billionaire to his property may sound like a great idea, writes Katherine Sutherland. But while an overnight stay at the Glenfeshie bothy is free, there’s still quite a high price to pay. When we set out to reach the bothy we soon found out we faced a long yomp through wild countryside – and a soaking in a bitterly cold mountain burn. Even a chauffeur-driven Range Rover wouldn’t have helped, as the bothy can only be reached on foot from a car park four miles away. Weighed down with rucksacks full of essentials such as sleeping bags, food and water, we scrambled down steep slopes as we leapt over and into burns.
Once at the bothy, however, it was worth the effort to see how a billionaire transforms a humble stone cottage.
Where most bothies reek of damp and smoke, this one has the delightful odour of freshly sawn timber. The interior is beautifully fitted out and boasts a stylish pine staircase.
Beside the door, a set of deer antlers is mounted, with a plaque bearing the name S. Skoeboe – possibly the hunting trophy of Simon Skoeboe, another Danish billionaire. Also on the wall is Landseer’s famous Monarch Of The Glen – a reproduction print, sadly, rather than the original oil painting.
As we warmed ourselves beside the new cast-iron stove, the double glazing did a good job of muffling the howl of the wind. Pots and pans were provided, although our rations of baked beans and packet soup were hardly a feast fit for a tycoon.
Even though Mr Povlsen has spent a fortune making the bothy comfortable, it’s hard to imagine fellow billionaires such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg rushing here in a hurry. Rather than four-posters, the upstairs rooms have bare pine floors for your camping mat and sleeping bag, and the outdoor toilet is a hole in the ground – definitely no gold taps. Nor are there any servants; in bothies, you clear up after yourself.
It may not be a five-star hotel, but stepping out into the breathtaking landscape makes one feel very rich indeed.