Interesting article from the Guardian about “hutting” in Scotland and the Thousand Huts campaign which is led by Reforesting Scotland and is centred around the idea of the hut as a “place, an experience, an endeavour, an ideal for all to enjoy,” taking their lead from other countries in Northern Europe – such as Norway and Sweden, where hutting is long established. The campaign is also interested in the practical aspect of hutting alongside its social and community benefits, with the belief that “building huts with local timber can revive skills that all rural communities once took for granted and strengthen community resilience.”
From the Guardian (05/01/12):
Gerry Loose calls it “the long view”. Standing a few yards from his moss-carpeted wooden hut in a Stirlingshire forest, Loose gestures towards the hill-line of the Campsie Fells, their peaks and flanks dusted with snow. The air is crisp, sharpened by the winter chill.
The hut is Loose’s retreat from urban Glasgow. Built about 80 years ago, its weathered green paint now peeling, the cabin has three small rooms and an outdoor privy built from salvaged timber. Still lit by prewar gas lamps, it has no electricity, no mains water and a brisk walk takes him to the nearest standpipe, which frequently freezes in winter…
Under a Grey Sky 