A mini glamping getaway to a converted Leyland horse lorry at Alexander House, Perthshire replete with roll-top bath and outdoor hot tub proved the perfect breath of fresh air before we hunker down for a wintry Highland Christmas season…
An hour’s drive from Edinburgh you’ll find the tucked away Alexander House – a glamping and self-catering holiday house site (dog-friendly too!) all set up with yurts, converted lorries and hot tubs for an easy family break in perfectly presented cosy conditions.
We drove down from the central Highlands, an easy mooch along the A9, stopping in Perth – just 10 minutes from the site – for food supplies and arrived to our cleverly converted Juniper lorry just as it was getting dark.
Mid-November is not readily warm of course, but on finding our way to our patch, within minutes we had warmed the place up with a piping hot radiator while simultaneously ohh-ing and ahh-ing over the cute mini kitchenette, roll-top bath, double bed and kids’ upper level sleep nook. And all with a next door loo cubicle too! It was perfect.
Our pasta (a fridge & little hob makes meals nice & easy) never tasted more delicious – what is it about camp/glamp-ing meals that makes them taste extra good? – and we were soon more than ready to snuggle down with hot water bottles and extra blankets while the wind played up outside.
Once the sun came out the following morning and coffees had been had we were keen to get the wood-burning hot tub up and running! It may have still been windy but nothing was stopping us from taking a dip! There’s something inexplicably exhilarating about getting into water in the wild outdoors – the whole experience kept us on a buoyant high all day!
Only 20-minutes drive away is Stirling. Home once upon a time to my grandmother’s family (my schoolmaster great grandfather is buried at Cambusbarron) and, of course, William Wallace’s great Battle of Stirling Bridge. We spent the afternoon making our windy way up to the top of the Wallace Monument – a great visit for kids with lots of swords, armour and interactive installations on the various levels.
This time for supper we swung by The Kirk Style Inn and picked up pizza and a bottle of wine to have back in the cosy truck as the night closed in. With Covid the check-out tidy up is slightly different than normal – all sheets into laundry bags and crockery etc (everything for mealtimes was supplied – from pots & pans to wine glasses!) into green boxes – but easy enough!
In all, the whole experience was super smooth and great fun! Everything had been thought of for an ideal glamping experience and it was a wonderful refresh before hunkering down for the Christmas season. (*Top tip: Don’t bring towels or bedding, do bring loo paper!)
If you think this might make a lovely Christmas gift for someone (I think it’s a fab idea!) you can find Alexander House gift vouchers here!
*Complimentary press stay
