Three Glens at Moniaive was named Eco Champion of the Year at the Vision Style Awards, which celebrate stylish hotels, B and Bs and guest houses.
Praising the top notch bed and breakfast which looks over the Cairn Valley, the judges said: “It’s absolutely magnificent to see how sustainability and design have been combined at Three Glens.
The floor-to-ceiling windows offer unparalleled views of the nature the owners are clearly so proud of, whilst the house itself offers gorgeous reclaimed fittings and stunning decor.
“The result is a getaway in perfect sync with its surroundings.”
Three Glens was built by farming couple Neil and Mary Gourlay, who used 286 railway sleepers as timber frames; 500 tons of stone from local fields to build the walls; and 2000 fleeces from local Blackface sheep for wall insulation.
They are working towards off-grid status and have a reduce, reuse, recycle and recover philosophy.
Other features of the property include wind powered electricity, electric vehicle charging, ground source heating, a biomass stove, water from a bore hole, solar thermal water heating, triple glazing, a heat recovery system, cow hide seats from the pair’s own cows, a turf roof and reclaimed slate flag stones.
On their website, the Gourlays say: “Neil has achieved his lifetime’s ambition: developing an organic building that’s free from future utility bills and blends seamlessly into the landscape.
“In fact, Three Glens is virtually invisible from across the Cairn Valley. The slope of the roof is the same angle as the slope of the valley and is covered with the same turf that was scooped off the land to build on. Furthermore, the oak cladding is fading to a weathered silver tone, complementing the surrounding dry-stone walls.”
The Vision Awards aim to find the most stylish ‘hidden escapes’ across Europe and attracted entries from as far afield as Kosovo and Ibiza. They were judged by a range of travel industry experts and the finalists will all appear in the Vision Style Guide, to be released in April.
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