Highland Rewilding and Repeopling

Using slow, sustainable tourism, a Danish billionaire is rejuvenating the Scottish Highlands and revitalising its rural communities.

- MICHELE KOH MOROLLO

Those who love nature and untamed places will enjoy Killiehuntly as a slow travel destination like no other. The remote 1,618-hectare estate lies within the majestic Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands, about 64km south of Inverness and 6km from the hamlet of Kingussie. And what was once a 17th-century farmhouse is now a luxury, four-room guest house with communal living and dining spaces, and self-catering cottages. Each has been tastefully decorated in a style that combines Scottish ruggedness with Scandinavian warmth.

After chatting with the cook and other guests over a scrumptious breakfast (blackberries, apple compote, dried figs, granola with yogurt and Scottish smoked salmon, asparagus, and a poached egg), I explore the Caledonian pine forests, lakes and glens surrounding the farmhouse with my ham, cheese and chutney sandwich and homemade flapjack in a brown paper bag tied with string. Along the way, I see a black grouse and a red squirrel, and I am awed by the magic of ancient woodlands and lochs coming back to life.

Killiehuntly is one of 13 Scottish estates managed by Wildland Limited, a hospitality and nature conservation group owned by Danish billionaire and fashion mogul Anders Holch Povlsen. The CEO of multibillion-pound fashion company Bestseller, the largest stakeholder in British online fashion retailer ASOS, and the richest man in Denmark, he purchased his first Scottish estate Glenfeshie in 2007 and refurbished the estate’s lodge that was built around 1880. Today, the Glenfeshie Lodge—featured in The Crown and The Queen—is just one of many properties available for rental through Wildland.