Life goes swimmingly on Moray’s Dolphin Coast
Renovated caravan park is a wonderful business and a family home
EVERY Sunday the Scott family don wetsuits, step out of their Cape Cod-style home and stroll the short distance to a sandy beach on the glorious Dolphin Coast.
Their Sunday swims are a dream come true for interior designer Ruth, who used to run a shop in Inverness, and Barry, a surveyor.
They quit the nine-to-five routine for a better life owning and running West Beach, a 24-acre caravan park and campsite at Hopeman near Elgin.
Ruth tells in10: “We had always wanted to find a business that we could run together and make our home.
“We were camping at Arisaig on Scotland’s west coast with our two little boys, before our daughter was born, and we thought, ‘Surely we could do this’.”
West Beach had been for sale for years and was in a sad state of repair when the couple took it over.
But they knew they shared the right combination of skills to turn it around and create a wonderful business and life, not only for themselves, but for their kids Lachie, aged seven, Louis, five, and daughter Georgie, 18 months.
Ruth, who hails from nearby Burghead, and Barry, who comes from the inland Moray village of Dallas, put their every spare hour into refurbishing the site.
And they added some luxurious glamping extras such as traditional wagons with en-suite facilities, as well as introducing the Dub Box – towable reproductions based on vintage
VW camper vans.
One of the greatest transformations is in their own onsite home.
Ruth recalls: “It was covered in a hideous brown harling, with an adjoining eyesore of a motorhome shed.”
The couple relocated the shed and in its place built an extension to the house with a deck above affording panoramic sea views.
The building’s exterior was clad in rough-hewn softwood panelling stained in Scandinavian blue – an economical, practical option, perfect for the coastal setting.
Inside the home has been imaginatively reconfigured and stylishly updated, creating a sense of space and light.
It now accommodates an office and the children’s rooms on its lower level, with the upper level comprising the master bedroom suite and the large kitchen-dining room. It opens into a living room which leads on to the deck.
The modern interior is in a classic coastal palette where blues and whites predominate.
Natural materials and textures add depth and interest while Ruth’s art collection – sourced locally – is a highlight.
Outside, picket fencing and cotton bunting enhance the retro-cape Cod vibe that the couple were keen to inject throughout the site.
Signage for the site was designed by Mini Moderns to great affect.
The site opens at Easter and closes in last week in October and is a labour of love for the couple.
But they enjoy the challenge of the busy times and bask in the peaceful moments. Ruth smiles: “We can’t go on a summer holiday. It really is non-stop here.
“But every Sunday morning we all make a point of donning wetsuits and having a swim in the sea together, come rain or shine.
“There can’t be many families who can say that!”
westbeachcaravanpark.co.uk