Press release -
Buckle up for Scotland's first glamping plane
There’s more good news for flight fanatics, as the tiny Stirlingshire village of Thornhill is set to become home to Scotland’s only plane glamping experience.
A Scottish farmer who put Thornhill on the map by converting a Royal Navy Sea King Helicopter into glamping accommodation, has added a Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer to his fleet. Martyn Steedman has lofty plans to transform the classic high-winged plane into a holiday home.
Designed and built in Prestwick in 1959, Twin Pioneers were Scotland’s most successful aircraft of the era. Their unique design meant they were able to take off and land within an area of just 30 metres by 275 metres.
Martyn said: “G-APRS, or Primrose as she is affectionately known by those who flew her, was one of last flying Twin Pioneers in the world. She faithfully served on civilian and military missions for nearly 50 years, before being retired because of her ageing wing struts. We’re delighted to be bringing her back home Scotland where we’ll convert her into a first-class glamping experience. We’re sure that like our Sea King she’ll attracts tourists and aviation enthusiasts alike, which is great news for the rural economy and local jobs.”
The distinctive red, white and blue plane has an impressive 76ft wing span and comes complete with engine, full cockpit and 14 passenger seats. Martyn’s first job will be to reassemble the aircraft, which will have had its wings and tail removed for transportation. He said: “We’re hoping it’ll just be like a giant Airfix model, just with lots of bolts and bit less glue.”
Once manoeuvred onto the Mains Farm Wigwams site, Primrose will be given a first class upgrade. Her passenger seats will be removed to make way for a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. There are also plans to light up the field at night like a runway.
Martyn hopes the conversion will be plane-sailing: “We’ll be drawing on our experience of converting the helicopter and preserving as much of the interior as possible for future generations to enjoy, including the stunning two-seater cockpit. Primrose will turn 60 next year, so we’re hoping to get her into tip top shape for her big birthday. We’d love to track down the team who built her and involve them in her transformation.”
Neil Christison, VisitScotland Regional Director, who said: “It is great to see such a unique accommodation option being created for visitors to Scotland. Mains Farm is a fantastic example of a tourism business thinking outside of the box to create a special holiday experience nestled in Stirlingshire’s stunning countryside.”
“Tourism is the heartbeat of the Scottish economy, causing a ripple effect which touches every industry and community, creating employment and economic growth.”
Topics
- Tourism
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by five overarching strategies: Marketing, Events, Quality and Sustainability, Inclusive Tourism, International Engagement.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
2018 Year of Young People
- The Year of Young People (YoYP 2018) will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally
- Central to YoYP 2018 will be a celebratory events programme that puts young people at the heart of its development and delivery, creating new and valuable experiences for young Scots and the wider public, with links to the inaugural 2018 European Championships.
- Over 200 young people throughout Scotland are currently being recruited to become YoYP 2018 Ambassadors. Ambassadors will ensure that people and organisations in their communities know about what’s happening and will lead on projects and activities to create events and opportunities to celebrate young people.
- The Year of Young People will have six themes which were developed in co-production with young people themselves:
- Participation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
- Education – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
- Health and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
- Equality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
- Enterprise and regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live
- Culture – celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
- Further information on what’s happening and how people can get involved can be found on the new website www.yoyp2018.scot or @YOYP2018 on Twitter.
