17The Scotsman Saturday 2 February 2008Self CateringWigwams provide a heap of funJohn Gow
decides
it8217s time to go back
to basics as he
enjoys a short stay
in AberdeenshireITDIDN8217T looktoopromising atthe
tourist information centrein Aber-
deen8217s Castlegate.As helpfulas the
assistant was,even shecouldn8217t
magic up a room for two nights in any of
the city8217s hotels and B&Bs. Late summer,
andAberdeenwas fullybooked.8220Un-
less8230,8221 she flicked through her list of ac-
commodationproviders, 8220Doyoumind
travelling out of the city a mile or two?8221
I didn8217t,nor did Imind thatthe ac-
commodation she hadin mind was,
well, basic. Half an hour8217s drive later,
with the occasional drone of an airplane
landing at thenearby Dyce Airport
barely noticeable,I pulledin tothe
grounds ofthe ScottishAgricultural
College,picturedbelow, where,itbeing
out ofterm-time, itshalls ofresidence
were in their summer guise of holiday
accommodation.
Whenitcomes toself-cateringac-
commodation,youvery muchgetwhat
you pay for. And the halls at the SAC were
about aseconomical asthey come,with
the facilitiesto match. A singlebed, tea
and coffee, ashower, wash hand-basin
and shared cooking facilities.
My most immediatefeeling was one
of nostalgia.Student hallshaven8217t
changed much since my college days, it
appears.No badthing. Peacefulsur-
roundings, afine viewover theAber-
deenshire countryside and a place to lay
my head. And at probably half the cost of
any of the booked-up rooms in the city.
It was never my intention to stay more
than a couple of nights, though. Royal
Deeside was my real destination for the
rest of the week. The student room at the
SAC, though,was prettyplush incom-Get to know your self-accommodationSPENDING a holiday in self-
catering accommodation can
mean having the opportunity to
come and go as you please and
freedom from fixed mealtimes,
but arrive at your apartment,
lodge, cabin or wigwam
unprepared and you could be in
for a miserable time. Hot water
and a jar of coffee is not much
use without a cup to drink it
from, and a bed to sleep in might
not look so welcome if you8217ve
nothing to cover yourself with.
The facilities provided can vary
hugely, from the most basic of
requirements to the most
luxurious of touches. Some offer
little more than somewhere to
sleep while others offer
satellite TV, some have a
window that opens and
others have air
conditioning. If what is
included in the price isn8217t
immediately accessible
on a website or
brochure, it8217s worth
asking a few questions
before booking.
Whether or not
bedding is provided is
perhaps the most
important. If it is, will there
be enough? Are there extra
blankets available? If you8217re
staying for more than a few days,
it8217s worth asking too if the
accommodation will be serviced
and bedding changed.
Most places will offer cooking
facilities, but do they have
cooking utensils? There might be
pots, but are there pans? Even
plates, knives and forks? It might
seem obvious that these will be
provided, but the time you take a
chance and make an assumption
will be the time you end up frying
an egg in a saucepan.
Shower and toilet facilities are
important too. There will have to
be some 8211 a site couldn8217t earn
even a single star rating without
any 8211 but are they adequate and
how many people will be
sharing them?
Finally, heating and
lighting will almost
always be provided too,
but on what basis? It may
sound antiquated, but
you could find yourself
in darkness on a
February night in a
Highland chalet miles
from anywhere, raking
through your pockets trying
to find a 50p piece for the
m e t e r.parisonto mynext billet.Thanks tothe
website, www.wigwamholidays.com, I
already had a fair idea about what I
would find. What I didn8217t quite expect
was how appealingthe surroundings,
near Banchory, would be.
Having givendirections involvinga
three or four-mile detour from the main
route through Deeside, the owner had
told me you couldn8217t see the wigwams
from theroad 8211no smallwonder asthey
weresetlowin ahollowquitedistinctly
apart from the pine lodges and caravans
thatmade uptherestof thesite.A
bubbling stream ranby, completing an
idyllic setting.
To describe them aswigwams is a bit
of misnomer, really.These tiny lodges
could probablybe betterdescribed as
permanent tents, madewith wood
rather thancanvas 8211but thatsounds
clumsy, so wigwamsthey remain. In-
side,my roomfor thenext threenights
consistedof aseating/sleeping area8211
which,with someclevermanipulation
ofspareboards andmattresses,could
sleep three comfortablyand more, well,
lessso 8211andafridge, kettle,ovenand
sink. That8217s about it.
I8217dcome prepared,though.Well,
nearly. Sleeping bag,pillow, plenty of
food, bottles of water, tea and coffee. But
no cup, no bowl orplate. A quick dash
back to Banchory to catch the shops
solved that, but with only minutes to
spare. Banchorymay bebeautiful, buta
24-hour town it most certainly isn8217t.
I could say the nights spent in the wig-
wam were comfortable.They were ade-
quate,let8217sputit thatway.Afteratime,
the four-inch mattressbrought to mind
the taleof the princessand thepea, the
lighting was harsh and the heating tem-
peramental.ButasI laywiththenight
soundsall aroundme, hootingowls,
rustling branches and babbling brook, I
couldn8217t thinkof anywhereelse I8217d
rather have been.8216I lay with the
night sounds
all around
me, hooting
owls, rustling
branches and
b abbling
bro ok8217SHED EXPERIENCE
The wigwams
facilities are basic, but
allow visitors to get
close to nature
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