I


t all started when Ailsa’s dad decided to retire and he asked Ailsa if she’d like to take over his business, Big Sky Lodges in Muir of Ord in the Scottish Highlands. Her father had bought


the croft, which consisted of three fields, 17 acres and a run-down cottage when Ailsa was a child. “He eventually sold the cottage and over time built six Finnish log cabins which he turned into a holiday letting business,” she explains. The plan was for Ailsa and her husband Jonny to try out life on the croft for a few years, running the business – and if they enjoyed it, they could build their own home there as well. Ailsa was used to life in the country, but Jonny was brought up in


Perthshire, and it was a big change for him. The couple therefore decided to buy a static caravan and live on the croft until they were sure that life in the Highlands was right for them.


In the meantime, Ailsa got to grips managing the holiday lodge business, and Jonny trained to be a primary school teacher. Then baby Rosie came along. “We realised we really needed a house. It had always been our plan to build eventually and for seven years we hadn’t had to pay any rent.” Their savings had built up, and with the offer of a loan from Ailsa’s dad, it was time to decide what to build.


nov/dec 2021


www.sbhonline.co.uk


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