We know that our guests care as much about sustainability as we do.  When we were developing the concept of this new visitor experience at Thirlestane we felt it was important to create a development with sustainability front and foremost.    

Our approach to addressing the need for sustainability started with the construction phase.  Accordingly, for the foundations of the timber-framed and clad lodges, we opted for a low-carbon solution in the form of ground screws as opposed to concrete foundations.  The joy of this approach was in the speed of installation which took only a few hours for each lodge with no drying time required.  

We also believe that comfort does not need to be compromised in the name of sustainability and to this effect the hot water and heating are generated from ground source heat taken from a collector loop while power is supplemented by a 50kW photo voltaic solar array.  With the lodges powered on renewable energy, we were lucky that the choice of an electric stove over a wood burner became easy as it gives the cosy flame effect of the real thing, without the carbon cost.  However, irrespective of the renewable energy at our disposal, careful choice of a hot tub with excellent energy efficiency credentials has been very important and each hot tub carries the Gold Standard for energy efficiency.

It is important to us that our guests are able to relax as much as possible during their stay and so we are delighted that those who drive electric vehicles will not have to plan their days around visits to a public charging point – why would they when they can plug in at the lodge whilst they enjoy a wallow in the hot tub or sleep soundly as the deer tiptoe past in the night.

Fun Facts

• Each lodge is supported by 32 ground screws.
• The heat collector loop for the heat pump extends to almost 1km.
• PV Solar panels can still harness energy from the sun on cloudy days.