Hello Huntly, from Greenmyres

Let’s take a look at the HDT eco bothy

In March I was invited to do some cooking for an event organised by the Rural Youth Project, and this was to be held at Greenmyres as they had booked the space for the whole weekend. I must confess that even though I’d heard of Greenmyres, I’d never actually been up there. I’d seen a couple of pics and had heard mention of it but I’d never had a reason to actually go there. After this visit I started doing some work for HDT exploring their work and their spaces and bringing this information to the town, and so it made sense to start this “Hello Huntly” process by talking about Greenmyres.

Greenmyres is situated 4 miles South East of Huntly. HDT bought the site in 2014 and has created a 63 acre multipurpose venue and space which is owned and run by HDT for the community. There is a main meeting or exhibition space that is warm and modern with a well equipped kitchen, and the woodburner was a very welcome sight on a chilly evening. The building is essentially a bothy that has been fully restored and adapted on an environmentally conscious basis and it’s fully accessible. There’s everything you’d need for an event, workshop or exhibitions with office space and good connectivity.

Outside the landscape stretches away in all directions in a sympathetically managed environment of ponds, fields, meadows and pathways. All with the surprisingly gentle swoosh of the windfarm that generates a steady stream of income that HDT can put back into community spaces like this (more on the turbines in a future Hello Huntly blog)

The foot and bike paths that span out from Greenmyres take you into the myriad of tracks in the peaceful Gartly Moor forest (and towards Insch) and to Huntly. I’d heard people mention the “ponds” and in typical modest Aberdeenshire terms these turned out to be big enough to paddle board or fish in, and one was perfect for the kind of pond exploration that I loved as a little ‘un. HDT have planted over 5000 native trees in the space around Greenmyres and gentle paths weave their way through it all.

I had no idea that this space was available for booking for community events as I assumed it was a private space - but no, it’s easy and affordable to book and you can book for the inside and outside spaces. The site is absolutely beautiful and since opening in 2021 has been used by many community groups from playgroups to mindfulness to cookery workshops.

To find out more you can explore the HDT website but for a real taste of just how beautiful the place is head over to Instagram. The new dedicated Greenmyres Instagram account is run by project officer, Sandy Philip and aims to give a look at the eco bothy, its work, and the landscape around it.

For more pics and information about booking, have a look at the HDT website and Facebook, but event better is to head out there and have a look for yourself. It’s a community space, so go and have a look!

https://www.huntlydt.org/what-we-do/greenmyres/ecobothy