Shepherd's Loch Glamping

The eclectic mix of quirky accommodation on this small glamping site gives it the feel of a village – but one that’s straight out of a fairytale. There's a wooden wigwam and a turf-roofed cabin among the hideaways, which are scattered across Shepherd’s Loch Glamping. It’s a farm-based site on five acres with five little lochs where you can fish or swim. There’s also a zip wire over the water, a home-built waterwheel, an honesty-shop, help-yourself veg garden and a sauna. It all feels as rustic and handmade as the painted signs directing you here and there.

Shepherd’s Loch Glamping is the work of Jamie Menzies, who is the second generation on this family-run farm in Aberdeenshire. Ask and he is only too willing to show you around the farm if you have an interest in the sheep, cows and crops. Each of the accommodations he's built here is self-contained, with its own toilet and shower, and each of them is off grid, with a log burner and a camping stove to cook on. Dragonfly, the wooden wigwam or Swiss-style chalet, is set up just for two and offers a great-value place to stay. The Otter House is a little more – but it sleeps more people, too, with space for up to four. It’s full of quirky curves and natural shapes thanks to the materials used in the build.

To stay here is to immerse yourself in another world for a few days and most people end up feeling like they don’t want to leave. It’s in a handy spot if you’re touring Aberdeenshire or its coast but our advice would be to spend more than a night or two here. Then you’ll have time to experience the on-site fun as well as to explore beyond. From here, you can walk out onto wild moors which stretch away behind the site or drive out to the coast to visit places like Covie, Portsoy Harbour or Pennan.