Staycation Scotland: New luxury glamping just for adults opens at Borders coastal beauty spot

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A luxury glamping site exclusively for adults has opened in the Borders boasting hot tubs, under floor heating, smart TVs and free superfast broadband.

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Located just outside Coldingham in Berwickshire, Braeview Glamping is the first of its kind in the area and is the brainchild of local business woman Morag Sallabanks and her husband Jonny.

Covering 6500 square metres, the site was designed by Edinburgh firm Glampitect and offers the latest in luxury staycations for the perfect rural escape for couples.

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Kid-free zone: Morag Sallabanks and her husband Jonny at their glamping siteKid-free zone: Morag Sallabanks and her husband Jonny at their glamping site
Kid-free zone: Morag Sallabanks and her husband Jonny at their glamping site

“We are based on a farm just outside Coldingham,” said Morag. “We have a great location in that we are an hour from Edinburgh and 90 minutes from Newcastle. We offer a peaceful and rural location, so having two cities within an easy commute is important. People really love the fact that it is so rural and peaceful but without being too remote.”

A shared love of motor sport actually put the couple on the road to the glamping business, as Morag explained.

“We met in 2010 when Jonny came to watch the Jim Clark Rally which is based around the roads in Berwickshire where Jim Clark lived,” said Morag, who has a background in event management and also spent time working offshore in administration and logistics.

“We honeymooned at CarFest Cheshire in 2015 in a tent and then Silverstone for the Moto GP in a hired motor home. We loved being outside but weren’t fans of driving the motorhome and I am past camping in a tent, so we bought a caravan to use to stay at motor sport events and loved it!

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“We found a caravan site not far from our home that we loved and that’s when the ideas started

“Our favourite place to take the caravan was Silverstone for the Moto GP – we always went for four days and it was just brilliant to spent all day soaking up the atmosphere and being able to enjoy the full day at the circuit without having to waste loads of time queuing to get in and out every day!

“We would meet up with friends and it became bit of an annual tradition! Maybe the glamping seeds were planted when we decided we were past using a tent!

“2016 had been a challenging year for us, so we were looking to make a change and eventually we just thought that we had nothing to lose and I’m so glad we did. We couldn’t have done it, though, without the guidance and expertise of everyone at Glampitect who steered us through the whole roller-coaster process of planning.”

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Where possible the couple used local businesses as they set about getting established, Berwick firm SWP making bespoke firepits and the town’s H. B. Longbones making all the made-to-measure soft furnishings.

The site, which is pet-free, has an honesty box for eggs from the farm, as well as milk and a few other Braeview-branded items.

“It’s a collection box and any overpayments are donated to St Abbs Lifeboat,” said Morag. “People have been incredibly honest.”

READ MORE: North Coast 500 Glamping business owner from Edinburgh speaks of turmoil faced by businesses on the route due to pandemic

The new venture has seen Morag return to her roots having grown up in the Coldingham area.

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“When we got married, we had guests from all over the country and they were amazed we hadn’t decided to move back to the area as it is an incredibly beautiful part of the world,” she said.

“I think when you grow up surrounded by it, you don’t appreciate it until you move away. Now when I hear our ‘glampers’ rave about the views and the local area it makes me realise how much I took it for granted.”

Calum MacLeod, managing director of Glampitect, the UK’s No. 1 glamping site design consultancy, said: “Morag and Jonny were one of the first clients we spoke to so it’s very satisfying to see their project right the way through to completion. An added bonus for us is that it’s so close to home that friends and family, who can’t go to sites that further afield, can experience the joys of glamping at Braeview.

“It’s an exciting development for the Borders and we were delighted to play our part in making it happen.”

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