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Hutting in Scotland
Dear Kay,
Kate Davies sent along a short video (that’s it, up top) that has been on my mind all week—it’s about the concept of “hutting.” Hutting is big in Scandinavia, and has existed in Scotland since the aftermath of World War I, when city workers and war veterans both found a way to escape the city.
When we knitters hear “Carbeth,” we think pullovers and cardigans. But there’s a community of hutters in the actual place called Carbeth, Scotland—and while the charms of a small house in the forest are obvious, there’s also political philosophy at work. Here’s a bit about why little houses in the big woods can be an important way to take ownership of land in a country where the vast majority of real estate is owned by a very few people.
Naturally, the idea of a hut in the forest is wildly intriguing, so the Carbeth Hutters Community Company provides plenty of information and history. And they’ve posted their guidelines for building your own hut.
Which would be fun, wouldn’t it? Are there any knitters out there who have experience with hutting?
Love,
Ann
It’s a lovely idea, and a direct parallel to what we in North America strive for in RV camping (which I’ve noticed seems on the upswing) ..But the clutter of life and people just moves to that campground/hut ground I’m afraid..
It certainly does jere in the Uk. Folk seem not to be able to travel without all the paraphernalia of modern life. Screens to hide yourself away from your neighbours , fancy cooking kit , elaborate seating and shades .
A bit beside the point and possibly oversharing but I’ve called my place a “hut” or a “shack” for years because that way, when people see it for the first time they say, “But it’s so rustic and unique – it’s a cottage in the woods!” whereas I found that if I called it a “cottage” or such, first-time guests got a sort of stunned look and sometimes blurted out, “Oh my God, how can you live like this?”
So much of life is just adjusting expectations. I think the critters are probably impressive to visitors no matter how much their expectations have been set in advance.
Very true – I think if the cashmere goats happen to be browsing on the Upper West Side when someone comes up my driveway, those folks never even SEE the house! 😉
I usually refer to mine as ‘early Appalachian’. It does sort of have a second floor, so it’s a bit large for a hut or shack. And I have city friends take 5 minutes to explain to me why I really should get some street lights on my (dirt) road, and are very nervous about walking in the woods.
More on topic, I’m happy to now know that it’s carBETH not CARbeth.
❤️❤️❤️ Brilliant! Henceforth our cottage-in-the-woods is officially Our Hut. Guests should be far less censorious about the occasional indication that a mouse stopped by overnight or by the not infrequent power outages when a tree limb takes down the wires, and instead impressed that Our Hut has wifi. Quinn, you are a genius!
That’s much like it was in Minnesota but we call them cabins. Unfortunately now many are grander than “in-town” homes. And that brings the stress of maintaining 2 places. Oh, to go back again…..
In Omaha my parents’ friends had “a cabin down by the river.” I think the phrase “down by the river” sets the expectations correctly. Rustic good times. Amenities included fly swatters and flashlights, and that was about it.
Omaha? That’s where I’m from. We just leased an annual spot “at the lake” for our RV. Can’t wait til April 1st! No tv, no fancy stuff. Unless you count my yarn and needles and spinning wheel…
We backpacked into the wilderness with the children. It was a time to connect wilderness, family, and all of that. Of course, living in the West, there are a lot of places to back pack in.
Interesting!
On first read, I saw “Scotland has a community of nuts.” Slightly disappointed, but hey! Huts are fun, also.
How interesting. Thanks for sharing the video. It makes me think of your Monteagle Assembly, though I think that was always a much bigger undertaking?
Such lovely cabins, and no one mentions midges!! 😉 I would love a hut but I do need to be near water to be happy. The loch for me!
If I’d of “escaped the 21st century” I’d of never seen your video.
My “hut” is a 985 square foot cottage was built in 1909 and is smack in the dab of the city
When we were children, our family rented a fishing cabin for a week each summer, and it was wonderful! At first, there was no plumbing, with only a hand pump at the kitchen sink. It became more and more luxurious, with the later years including indoor plumbing and even a shower in every cabin. When my son was young, we repeated the experience for a few years, and he remembers those trips fondly. No TV, no internet, no microwave! We did have electric, so were able to read or knit late into the evening. I treasure those memories.
Unfortunately, most of those resorts have been sold (owners couldn’t afford the high taxes) and were replaced with huge homes that people who can afford them referring to these as their “cabins”. I saw some log “cabins” that were 3 stories tall and equipped with elevators! So sad!
And, yes, we reconnected as families. It was a wonderful time. The experience then was affordable to almost anyone.
My grandmother had a summer cabin on a lake in Massachusetts — my grandparents bought the land when my mother was an infant and my grandfather and his friends built the cabin. It was quite rustic — a pump provided water from an underground spring and that was the extent of the plumbing. For some reason, we called it “camp” and when we headed out there we were going “up to camp.” Everyone in that area referred to their summer cabin as “camp.”
We escape to 275 sq ft in the woods, near MN BWCA access points. No running water. Electricity restricted to a car battery. It’s an 1/8 mile from the road and we haul everything in by toboggan in winter. Comtemplating a return to candlelight in winter as we age. Those batteries are heavy!
Should probably start calling it a hut but anyone invited up has the full scoop before they commit.
It feels so much more away than the “cabin” with a 6-person jacuizzi my friends have. (but the view from their loft is killer :-))
Am I the only viewer who cringed at the thought of despoiling that beautiful glade with huts? And if you want to “escape” modernity, just turn off your electronics and knit. Go for lovely walks in the woods. Leave nature as you find it.