Huntly woman's equestrian holiday home plan gets full approval
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A Huntly woman’s 10-year dream to bring holiday homes with a twist to Aberdeenshire have taken a huge step forward to becoming a reality.
Louise Booth is leading the “unique” project that will allow animal-loving tourists to take their dogs and horses along on a trip with them.
Under the plans, four chalets and a block of eight stables will be built at Logie Newton Farm which sits in rural Abereenshire near Fisherford off the B9001 Inverurie to Bognie road.
The one and two-bedroom holiday homes will come complete with a BBQ, fire pit and a hot tub for guests to enjoy.
Louise’s husband Mike will be part of a team responsible for building the lodges and the couple are using every opportunity to use local suppliers.
However dad David Cruickshank, who owns the farm, will be part of it too.
The proposal was recently given the go-ahead by Aberdeenshire Council.
Louise admitted she wanted to explore the possibility of opening her own accommodation that was linked to outdoor activities back in 2014.
But it wasn’t until last summer that the idea dawned on her as she found herself struggling to find someone to look after her animals ahead of her own holiday.
“I thought there is going to be other people in the same position as us, why not offer the accommodation?
“The Ythan Riding Club came out to do a fundraising farm ride last year and everybody was so amazed at the hacking facilities that we had.
“Following that ride dad and I were speaking and we thought this is what we can do to be different.”
And that’s when the plan to create the Huntly equestrian retreat was born.
The proposal will allow the farm business to diversify and help secure its long-term future.
The family has owned Logie Newton Farm for around 200 years and Louise is the sixth generation to be raised there.
Louise was brought up on the farm with horses, but it was only after she moved to Edinburgh when she noticed what she missed most.
“When I was down there I started to realise how lucky we were being on the farm with all the off-road tracking that we have.”
Louise hopes the development will also bring a welcome tourism boost to the area.
But it’s not just about horse holidays.
The site is also perfect to offer routes and somewhere to stay for bike fanatics from near and far.
“The north-east is absolutely amazing for cycling, whether that’s road biking or mountain biking,” Louise stated.
“I wanted to be able to provide cyclists a place where they can come and train or just enjoy the area.”
Louise is a keen cyclist herself having completed a Tour O’ Scotland bike ride back in 2018 in aid of CLAN and Kayleigh’s Wee Stars.
She completed the 1000 mile charity challenge in just 12 days and raised over £31,000 which was split between the two worthy causes.
“I know quite a lot of the north-east course so I’m hoping to be able to help guests if they want to find road cycling routes,” Louise explained.
“I can recommend them some good places to go – and obviously where there is good coffee and cake.”
The facility will also double up as a wellness retreat as there will be opportunities for both horses and their humans to get pampered.
And guests – with or without pets – will be able to relax and unwind in the quiet surroundings.
Louise explained: “What I realised over the last few years is just how peaceful our farm is.
“If you go for walks in the evening we’ve got no light pollution so in the winter you can see the stars and the Northern Lights if they are out.
“We want it to be somewhere where people can come and escape and switch off, connect with nature and get away from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life.”
Anyone looking to visit the new accommodation won’t have to wait too long as Louise is hoping to have it in operation by the summer.
She said: “I’m so excited, I just can’t wait to be able to get everything going and be up and running and welcoming guests.”
“A lot of people are saying they want to know as soon as they are able to book so they can start planning their holidays for next year.
“You obviously hope that everyone is going to like your idea, but when I saw the response to it I was really pleased.”
