Sustainable Travel in Scotland: How Staying at Scotland’s Top Hostels Helps Replant Native Highland Trees
Did you know that less of 2% of Scotland's native Caledonian woodland remains? Despite many flocking to the Scottish Highlands for the area's unparalleled natural beauty, many don't realise that throughout the past few centuries, there has been a massive clearing of the ancient forests to be replaced by woodland designed to be chopped down for lumber. This has led to a massive shift in the ecology of the Highlands, and a concerted effort to restore the natural landscapes and ecosystems around Scotland.
For eco-conscious travellers, making choices in their trip that help support the natural environment are essential. Ecological restoration depends on practical, localized initiatives that bring native species like Scots Pine, Rowan, and Birch back to the glens of the Highlands - Scotland's Top Hostels and Macbackpackers Tours are helping sharpen that focus, by revitalising 100 hectares of land in the Cairngorms National Park with 100% native Scottish tree species.
Read on to find out more about what both businesses are doing to help revitalise Scottish nature, and help backpackers make sustainable travel choices in the face of the climate crisis. If you're travelling to Scotland, book your trip through Scotland's Top Hostels and Macbackpackers Tours directly for the best price, flexibility, and eco-conscious savings:
The Native Woodland Project: Restoring the Caledonian Forest
Working across Scotland, a group of organisations, charities, non-governmental organisations, and businesses are working to restore the native Caledonian Forest that has been decimated by centuries of deforestation, industrial logging, and manmade climate change. Among them most prominently is the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre, run by the charity Trees for Life.
Located just a short 10 minute drive from the Lochside Hostel in Loch Ness, they offer an opportunity to explore ancient pinewoods, experience rewilding in action, discover Gaelic culture and immerse yourself in the wild beauty of the Scottish Highlands.
Across the Highlands, tourism businesses and charities are implementing change at different scales to support rewilding efforts. Supporting businesses that have taken steps to reduce their impact to deforestation and actively contribute to the rewilding of the Highlands is a way to offset your carbon footprint from travelling without incurring extra costs on yourself.
Scotland's Top Hostels and Macbackpackers Tours are revitalising 100 hectares of land in the Cairngorms National Park with 100% native Scottish tree species, a long term commitment to preserve biodiversity, improve native habitat restoration, and implement carbon reduction efforts.
Practical On-Site Eco Practices Across Scotland’s Top Hostels & Macbackpackers Tours
Both Macbackpackers Tours and Scotland's Top Hostels believe travel should have a positive impact on the places, people, and communities that our guests visit. There have been a number of changes made to business practice as the extent of the climate crisis we face has become apparent over the past few decades.
We actively work to minimise waste across our tours, hostels, and office operations. This includes recycling waste produced by our tourism operations and encouraging our guests to do the same through actively promoting recycling and making it as simple as possible for our guests to understand.
Similarly, we encourage the reduction of single use plastics by providing our hostel guests with alternatives, including reusable cutlery, crockery and food storage solutions in our communal kitchens. The items sold in our hostel shops are packaged in recyclable packaging where possible, and we are able to provide returnable umbrellas for those (not so occasional!) rainy days in Scotland, to avoid the purchasing of single-use plastic rain coats common in tourist destinations.
Our guests are encouraged to save energy and water around the hostels as much as possible, and energy saving bulbs are in use throughout the buildings to preserve energy use even when necessary.
Macbackpackers Tours' fleet of tour buses meet modern Euro 6 emissions standards, are regularly maintained for maximum fuel efficiency, operate with real-time telematics and performance monitoring, and have achieved EcoStars recognition for sustainable fleet management.
MacBackpackers is a member of the Green Tourism Scheme and has been awarded Bronze status in recognition of commitment to sustainable tourism practices.
How Backpackers Can Minimise Their Footprint in Scotland
We encourage all guests to help us protect Scotland’s environment by following a simple principle:
Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.
By following easy-to-use signage that promotes recycling, energy-saving, and other environmentally green practices, backpackers can minimise their footprint and offest the emissions caused by their travel. But the biggest way to reduce their footprint overall is to invest their money and time in businesses that are actively working to fight the climate crisis, rewild Scotland's native forests, and increase biodiversity without passing the cost onto their customers.
If you're travelling to Scotland, book your trip through Scotland's Top Hostels and Macbackpackers Tours directly for the best price, flexibility, and eco-conscious savings:
Frequently Asked Questions: Sustainability & Tree Planting
Which native tree species are planted through the Scotland’s Top Hostels initiative?
The most common types of natively Scottish trees being used to rewild the Scottish Highlands are Scots Pine, Rowan, and Birch. The trees replanted on land owned by Scotland's Top Hostels and Macbackpackers Tours are depenedent on location and expert advice.
How does staying at a hostel help support native tree replanting?
Travellers can offset their carbon footprint by choosing to stay at a hostel that is actively investing in revitalising Scotland's biodiversity, native forests, and to reducing carbon footprint.
What are the most low-carbon ways to travel between Scotland’s Top Hostels properties?
Macbackpackers Tours exclusively stay at Scotland's Top Hostels locations, meaning you get the best of both worlds in supporting business that is recognised for its low-carbon approach to travel. Alternatively, check out Citylink and Ember bus routes to continue to offset your carbon footprint while travelling Scotland.
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