The idea is to give nature a second chance, by turning the clock back and trying to set years of wrongdoing right,” says Anne Storm Holch Povlsen of Wildland, the portfolio of Scottish estates that she and her husband, Anders Holch Povlsen, owner of Danish retailer Bestseller, have committed to rewilding as part of a luxury model of conscious tourism. At present, Wildland is one of the largest landholdings in the U.K.—nearly 550,000 acres made up of a mix of former farms and shooting estates with fragile habitats and ecosystems. The properties offer various forms of accommodation including five private abodes and two boutique hotels, with farm-to-table dining rooms. The first inn was Killiehuntly Farmhouse, in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. September saw the opening of Lundies House, a seven-bedroom hotel set in a former 17th-century manse in the northern village of Tongue.
The restoration of Lundies House brought together Scottish craftsmanship—maintaining the original flagstone floors and woodwork, for example—with a Scandinavian sense of refined comfort. The quiet elegance of the interiors gives way to the main event: the rolling hills and blanket bogs beyond. All of Wildland’s revenues are funneled back into conserving these lands. At Glenfeshie, a former sporting estate, the red-deer density was 100 times higher than the natural ecosystem allowed. That population was ideal for seasonal hunters but led to the overgrazing of native saplings. With the help of the director of conservation, Thomas MacDonell, Wildland remedied this imbalance and initiated the regeneration of the ancient Caledonian pine forests—a boon not just for guests who love to hike, but for future generations. “Everybody is more interested in experiences now, rather than amassing things, and they are very interested in what we are doing,” says MacDonell. wildland.scot