‘It’s basic, but perfect. The enjoyment is in having a simpler life, being close to nature’
“My hut is my sanctuary,” says Sarah Mcleod, community liaison at Carbeth Hutters. “It’s a much simpler way of living, and more in touch with nature. I love bringing my granddaughters up here because there is no television or screens.”
Mcleod bought her hut in 2017, when the previous owner advertised it for sale on Facebook. “That’s not the traditional way to go about hutting! But I have enjoyed it ever since and during lockdown it was really quite a wonderful thing.”
Mcleod’s hut is around 15 years old and is fully insulated with a wood burner installed so it can be used both in summer and winter. It is a simple one-room hut but it is perfect for the art teacher. “My hut is quite basic, but it suits me fine because part of the enjoyment of hutting for me is having a much simpler life,” she said.
“Every hut is different, and you can see their owner’s fingerprints all over it. It is something I never tire of looking at.”
Mcleod, 53, is interested in off-grid community living, leading and assisting on projects around Carbeth to make it even more environmentally friendly.
She said: “We’ve put in three community orchids, and as the John Muir Way and West Highland Way both cross through Carbeth, we are looking to add beelines to help support bee pollination. We are replanting native Scottish trees in Carbeth, and trying to rewild the surrounding area.
“With the price of fuel, food and oil going up, it is really important that we look at other ways of living. I’d love it if Carbeth could be a flagship for off-grid living, like the Centre For Alternative Technology in Wales.”
While Mcleod spends most her time at the hut alone or with her partner, hosting her grandchildren has been a particularly lovely experience. She said: “A grandmother taking her grandweans up there, it’s special. I’ve planted trees with them, and I really like to think of them coming along with their own grandchildren sometime in the future, and showing them where they planted trees with grandma, and even taking an apple or pear from them to eat. I love to imagine that.”