Sustainability. It’s a big word, and it’s a big deal – to us in any case, and we hope it is to you too.
Sustainability and responsible travel to us is about protecting, understanding and loving our environment, our people and our places.
Put simply, we love our country. But do we want to leave it as we found it? No, we want to leave it better.
So what do we do?
The basics
- We seek out producers that care about the environment as much as we do. We try not to use plastics (reusable water bottles and fabric bags are a great start!). We try to buy local and organic where we can.
- We pick up litter! Even if it’s not our own.
- We support local suppliers, be that food and drink, adventure and activity, craft and culture, historical site or hotels and restaurants. A thriving local economy with home-grown jobs and home-grown talent is the best way to protect our local places for future generations to enjoy. It’s what responsible travel means to us.
- When we go for walks, we care about where we put our feet. Scotland has an incredible “right to roam” legislation which means we can walk (almost!) anywhere – but also we care about the fragile and diverse ecosystems supported by our ancient land. Luckily we have an army of hardy folk who go out in all seasons to build and maintain footpaths for us all to enjoy – so we stick to them where we can. It’s better for us, and it’s better for all of that lovely stuff about us – Scotland’s spectacular landscape.
- We learn about the people and places we visit. We understand what makes them tick, we respect the traditions and the debates, we listen to all sides of the story – we listen to all stories! We learn, we take home, we repeat…
- We use transport that has as little impact on our environment as possible. Sometimes that’s difficult in Scotland – often the only option is a car. But by including walks in our tours and suggesting activities such as cycling, canoeing and pony trekking we get to see the country at a slower pace, a more peaceful pace, and with a totally different perspective.
- And on that note, Scotland is well on its way to becoming a carbon-neutral economy – in fact, with all of the renewable energy produced in the Highlands, that region already produces more “clean” energy than it consumes.
Welcome to some of the freshest air on earth!
The future
- When you go home, we hope that you start planning your return. In fact, we hope that you start planning your return when you’re still with us! And then tell all of your friends to plan their visit too.
- This is how we truly support a sustainable Scotland for every generation to come.
