Is Conservation travel as Boring as It Sounds?

Nobody is saving the world on their next vacation. But a few nights in a Scottish castle will get you a lot closer than you might think.

- BY ADAM RATHE

Aldourie Castle, located on Loch Ness, is one of 21 Wildland properties across the Scottish Highlands.

Before Anders Holch Povlsen was a billionaire fashion tycoon, he was a boy on a family vacation. The particular holiday in question brought the Povlsen family to Glenfeshie Lodge; it was a trip that would change the course of his life. Years later, in 2006, the Danish Povlsen and his wife Anne would buy Glenfeshie, the first glimmer of their vision for an ecological rehabilitation of the Scottish Highlands, the lush, mountainous region in the north of the country. Six years after that, WildLand officially launched.

Today, WildLand sprawls over 1 percent of the country, but in the beginning it was more of an idea than anything else. The Povlsens, unnerved by the impacts of climate change, deforestation, and invasive species in the Highlands, launched a 200-year natural regeneration plan to bring back the wildlife, plants, and habitats the area had lost. In the process they would strengthen the communities around their properties through locally focused business ventures. “It is a project that we know cannot be realized in our lifetime,” their mission statement reads. “We wish to restore our parts of the Highlands to their former magnificent natural state and repair the harm that man has inflicted on them.”

None of this, it should be said, is meant to be invisible to visitors. Guests are encouraged to hike the Highlands to learn about the local flora, get to know the stalkers on staff to discuss efforts to control the population of invasive deer, and stroll the gardens at Aldourie Castle, where much of what they eat has been grown. The conservation aspects of WildLand aren't spoon-fed to guests; they're expected not only to keep up but to want to. After all, they're not merely a feature. They're the reason for the place.