The new way to holiday – hobbit style

Kelty Cabins at Wester Third Farm, near Gartmore, owned by the Hamilton family, John, his wife Jackie and John’s mum Christine, have just opened their little doors (mind your head) to the public and you are in for a treat.

First off, if you have kids, you’ve cracked it, they are going to love it, it doesn’t matter how old they are. And if you’re heading there with a group of adults, I can only assume that the BBQ huts are going to see a lot of fizzy wine action.

What are they?

I can only describe them as co-joined hobbit huts, though I doubt Frodo and Sam had the option of spending the evening in the hot tub in the Shire.

The idea came when the family, tied to the dairy, a little fed up with having no time to go out and socialise, decided to buy a BBQ hut and bring their social life to them. The hut was a hit. And it sparked an idea. But more of that later.

The cabins/huts, it’s hard to pin a name on them, let’s say cabins as hut suggests something less salubrious, are just stunning inside. The fittings are easily five-star in my humble opinion. An open plan living area can facilitate disabled access and include a fully fitted kitchen and dining area along with both a two and three-seater settee (which are also sofa beds), in the living area.

From the outside they look tiny. It suggests you are going to be bent double inside, they definitely have the TARDIS effect, as the roof is actually four metres high, there’s loads of space. The sleeping area has two double beds, one on top of the other like bunk beds, and a single, just beside a massive wet room and loo. They are all centrally heated, and everything you could need, including a coffee machine is included.

Now the fun part. Mirroring your living space, there are another two cabins which house your hot tub and a BBQ hut which can seat more than 12 people. The four cabins are for your use only, no need to share with anyone else, unless you want to.

It is perfect for a group of families or friends going away together. It’s got a social get-together written all over it.

We got ourselves settled in, the kids were ecstatic just with the general uniqueness of the place, then jumped into the hot tub. I believe it holds five or six, and you are under cover and facing onto a quiet field which runs down to the little Kelty River, the title which gave them the name for their unique Kelty Cabins.

Then the BBQ was lit, the Hamilton’s had kindly left us a selection of very unusually flavoured marshmallows for toasting after we had made dinner.

The BBQ hut is a delight, the seats are padded, it’s cosy, there’s food and I would think it will always see a tipple being served with the burgers. The standard welcome packs include a bag of logs and charcoal briquettes. And if you haven’t organised your BBQ food supplies the family have organised a discount from Aberfoyle’s deli and butcher for BBQ hampers for Kelty Cabin residents.

To complete the hobbit look there is an all-weather pitch outside the cabins, where picnic and patio activities can be planned. They’ve thought of everything.

Now to rewind a little to bring you up to speed with the process of changing from a dairy farm to running a cabin mini village. The Hamilton’s were traditionally a dairy farm, with John’s wife Jackie working as a part time secondary school teacher and looking after their young son.

Anyone who knows anything about the dairy industry will know that 2016 saw the milk price plummet and the family had a hard year to deal with, but to their credit they made it through. However, it was this difficult journey coupled with the sad and sudden loss of Christine's husband, and John’s dad, who was an active business partner, which motivated them to consider new ways of becoming a stronger and more robust business.

Jackie takes up the story: “To date, thankfully, milk prices have shown signs of recovery and farm subsidies previously received through the EU have been guaranteed by the UK government until 2020. In addition, securing contractors, on a part-time basis, has already helped to provide stability and enable the business to move forward. We are a family business and by its very nature, we are committed to maintaining our beautiful landscape whilst finding opportunities to diversify and create space for pleasure, visitor experience and support to our local economy.”

How did they come up with this idea?

Jackie continues: “As a town girl marrying a farmer, I learned quickly about the realities of farming life and sometimes it felt like we couldn’t manage a life for always being on call and on the rare occasions we could be spontaneous, the wind and rain would most likely be horizontal and a car picnic called for. Finding a BBQ hut at the Highland Show made our hearts glow – it was fun, quirky and a sociable, happy, cosy and inviting place to be. Our first BBQ in the snow with sixteen friends made us feel like we could dance in the rain. Farming is so isolated and such a unique way of life, we knew the only way to grow and become more efficient was to reach out beyond farming.

“Like a good recipe, we pulled together all our finest ingredients and mixed them with the best of our knowledge and experience. Living in the most beautiful setting, we had captured something good and we wanted to take it further and share. We are proud to be Scottish, love the countryside and delight in encouraging visitors to join us in one of our greatest national assets: Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park.”

In truth, the family are part of the joy of these cabins. Jackie didn’t go for the handshake at first meet. It was a lovely hug and a really warm welcome. John was on hand to show us around and it is clear they are very proud of their work. Rightly so, it is clear that they have taken a long time making sure they are offering a wonderful experience for their guests. John’s mum Christine was on hand to offer local information on where to go for a decent walk, which shops to go to in the local villages and was telling us about the deal they have made with the bike hire shop in Aberfoyle. (They can deliver bikes to the cabins for your arrival).

The area is surrounded by natural beauty. Located within the Loch Lomond National Park, there is ample walking and cycling routes around. We drove to Aberfoyle and walked round the Doune Hill Fairy Walk. It’s an easy hour’s walk round a small hill covered in woodland, but there are some surprise fairy houses carved into the trees on the way round, it’s quite lovely. Aberfoyle isn’t big, but it has all you need. And if you crave some more adventure, Go Ape, is just along the road, where you can throw yourself off trees and fly around on zip wires all day long. In Gartmore there is Action Adventure Activities, which offers gorge walking and off-road driving.

Back at the cabins and Jackie tells us that their first bookings are just coming in now (they have just opened), and one of their first is a wedding party which has booked all three of their properties. Which is a great start. She’s nervous about what people will think of the place, and I can reassure her that they are going to love it. It’s a magical little place and I know that anyone who walks through those short little doors will do exactly as we did and gasp: “Wow!”

For more information check them out on facebook, search Kelty Cabins or at their webpage www.keltycabins.co.uk. Get in early before word gets out.