YOLO Journal Issue 12 - Flipbook - Page 54
It’s a chilly day on the very edge of
Scotland’s far north coast, conditions
we Highlanders might wryly call “brisk.”
As clouds move across the big sky, they
cast ever-changing pools of light over
imposing mountainsides, their colors
oscillating from muted greens to golden
browns. The gentle hum of the wind is
punctuated by the reassuringly reliable
melody of the sea—tidal symphonies
crashing into ancient rocks. This landscape feels vast, but is filled with secret
nooks that bring everything into an
altogether more personal and manageable perspective. It’s empty and alive all
at the same time.
The brainchild of Danish entrepreneurs Anne and Anders Holch Povlsen,
Wildland is the custodian of over
220,000 acres of outstandingly diverse
Scottish landscapes. Their mission to
restore these environments is ambitious,
to say the least, one that the Holch
Povlsens readily admit will outlive them.
Wildland has already planted
millions of native trees (and created
the conditions for countless more to
naturally regenerate) as part of a multimillion-dollar investment in nature.
Wildland’s efforts have subsequently
seen the emergence of rare and joyous
wildlife—from the capercaillie bird with
its distinctive croak, to mischievous
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red squirrels who dart from branch to
branch. Golden eagles soar, safe from
persecution. The mission is noble, but
do not confuse this with benevolent
or banal greenwashing. The Holch
Povlsens are very clear that nature can,
and must, pay her way. Their 200-year
vision is to create a financially sustainable model for large-scale conservation.
The result is a collection of quiet, beautiful places to stay in the Highlands of
Scotland: a portfolio of private lodges,
simple cottages and convivial guest
houses with nature at the fore.
The watchword across the
Wildland project is consideration. Just as
the land is managed with a strong sense
of purpose and an eye to the future, so
too are the myriad places to stay. Over
the past five years working as a photographer for Wildland, I’ve had a unique
opportunity to see this considered
approach in action across the portfolio.
Each one of the twenty or so properties
tells a captivating design story amidst
breathtaking scenery.
When asked which of the properties
I would recommend as an introduction
to Wildland’s ethos of slow hospitality—
from a castle on the banks of Loch Ness
to a cottage deep in the mountains—I
always point my friends to Lundies
House on Scotland’s remote northerly •
