The Glentrool Hive visits the SCOTO National Gathering and Learning Exchange - Words by Billie Jones, as told to Sonia Rego
It is the first week of March as I make the rolling scenic drive up to Kingussie, in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. As soon as I pass Perth, faced with big beautiful mountains, I know I am headed into a national park.
I am on my way to the Scottish Community Tourism (SCOTO) National Gathering and Learning Exchange to represent the Glentrool Hive and the Glentrool & Bargrennan Community Trust. SCOTO is a new network of community tourism enterprises located throughout Scotland and is led by a team of dynamic individuals who each have extensive and varied experience in community tourism.
My name is Billie Jones, and I am the Project Manager for the Glentrool Hive, located in the Galloway Forest Park. I grew up in this area, and visited throughout my life, so I was well acquainted with the area before the job opportunity came up. I have had a long career in hospitality, and have done everything from pot washing to managing large estates. But working for the Glentrool Hive, I feel like I have come home.
At the conference, I had the pleasure of meeting fantastic folks, including Howard Wilkinson from the Colmonell Community Association and Gowan Miller from the South of Scotland Destination Alliance. I also tried my hand at mountain biking at Laggan Wolftrax by the Laggan Forest Trust, which has worked with Forestry and Land Scotland to create a community cafe and mountain bike trails.
Laggan Wolftrax Trail Map
I left the conference feeling inspired by community based projects from other regions of Scotland. The general spirit amongst us was that we are keen to learn from one another and avoid mistakes. There is a shift towards promoting community led tourism, rather than commercial business tourism, and I am keen to promote the history and natural environment of this region.
We are proud of the work we do in Glentrool, and as the project manager, I endeavour to give visitors the gift of feeling like a part of this community, even if it is just for a little while.