Doors open at Scotland’s first hutting site for 70 years

Ever dreamed of owning your own hut? For nearly a million Scandinavians it is a reality but by comparison only a few hundred Scots have the same opportunity. Now, for the first time in 70 years, it is going to be possible to build your own personal retreat and stay in it overnight.

In the early decades of the 20th century, hut sites did spring up all over Scotland as a response to the dirt and grime found in the cities. The most famous is Carbeth north of Glasgow. However, changes in planning law after WW2 led to the end of this practice as huts just weren’t recognised in law. Reforesting Scotland’s Thousand Huts campaign has resulted in huts being officially defined in planning policy and the burden of building regulations being relaxed. This means that the historical hutting movement can now be revived.

Expressions of interest are being invited to become one of twelve hutters or hutting families at Scotland’s first new hutting site since the 1940s. The site, known as Carnock Wood, is located in west Fife, near the village of Saline. It is part of a larger mature pine plantation managed by Forest Enterprise Scotland (FES) as part of the National Forest Estate. The lucky hutters will have the opportunity to build their own huts which they will own, whilst paying an annual ground rent to FES.