A former solicitor has left behind his life and work in Edinburgh to start a new hospitality venture in Speyside, with four new woodland cabins at the north edge of Cairngorms National Park.
The Dell at Glenlivet began as a lockdown idea for entrepreneur Paul Cannavan and, with support from the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans Programme and DSL Business Finance, he acquired a former clay pigeon shooting site near the Glenlivet Distillery to turn his idea into reality.
A £25,000 loan helped him to cover the costs of building the cabins.
As well as a 15-year career in the legal sector, Cannavan also has prior experience in hospitality businesses. Building on a family connection with the Speyside area - where he holidayed as a child - he saw a gap in the market for high-quality accommodation in one of Scotland’s best-known whisky regions.
The cabins are built from locally sourced materials, such as Scottish larch timber, and use ground screw foundations as an alternative to concrete. The design also incorporates a range of sustainable features, including a borehole fresh water supply and environmentally-friendly waste disposal.
The cabins are set within an international dark skies park, making it an ideal spot for stargazing with little to no light pollution. Each property has an outdoor bathtub to take in the views and, while they are connected to an electricity supply for power, there is no internet connection, which Cannavan hopes will encourage guests to truly switch off.
“The Dell at Glenlivet is unlike anything else that’s available in Speyside at the moment for tourists and holidaymakers - the location is the ideal spot for enjoying the outdoors or whisky tourism, as well as escaping from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life and having a digital detox,“ he commented.
“We welcomed our first guests just last month and the initial response has been fantastic.
“Sustainability was a big focus as part of the design process and I’m pleased that the cabins have turned out so well, fitting in with the woodland surroundings with a low carbon footprint.”
The British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme has delivered more than 6,500 loans to new business owners in Scotland since 2012, including more than 100 loans worth over £850,000 for entrepreneurs in Moray.
Barry McCulloch, senior manager for Scotland at the British Business Bank, said: “Hospitality and tourism businesses, particularly those linked to Scotland’s whisky-making heritage, are a vital part of our economy and continue to drive visitors from all over the world to see what Scotland has to offer.
“It’s great to have been able to support Paul with his escape from the city and a career change too.”
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