Carry on Glamping: Strathfillan Wigwam Village near Tyndrum offers a cosy, quirky stay

WE mosey on down to The Trading Post and clamber on to its wooden porch where supplies are stacked in neat bundles.

Nearby, tiny varmints scurry about in pens while weird-looking chickens strut their stuff. Just across the way someone is panning for gold.

As the sun sets on the rugged hills around us we step inside and are warmly greeted by Rena Baillie who points us to our home for the night – a wooden wigwam.

“Will you be cooking over the camp fire?” she asks with enthusiasm.

The Trading Post has everything we need to perform the task, from matches and logs to tough cookware and a tripod on which to hang it above the flames.

We check out the vittles on offer and find bear and bison on the list.

No surprise if you’re on the Arapaho trail in America’s Rocky Mountain National Park – but we haven’t left Scotland and are in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs equivalent!

We wonder if Rena is joking but soon learn that shark, kudo, zebra and wildebeest are among other exotic meats that are the speciality of Strathfillan Wigwams at Tyndrum.

We really do want to tough it out and go native. Sadly we are lily-livered novices – so opt to go to the pub for haggis, neeps and tatties instead.

This quirky camp near Crianlarich is part of the Wigwam Holidays operation which offers similar fun at more than 70 locations around the UK.

The “camping made comfy” idea is a Scotland’s Rural College initiative, with the Strathfillan camp based on a working farm.

We head up the track to our “Big Chief” heated home which sleeps up to five people comfortably. We could have opted for the more compact “Wee Brave”, or “Running Water”, the ultimate in glamping cabins offering full en suite facilities, a mini-kitchen and satellite TV. But we think our Chief is just great.

Across the camp, bright fires burn in metal bins and campers aged nine to 90 pad past our pod to powwow the night away in the 24-hour fully equipped community dining/kitchen or take in a movie in the TV room.

This camp is ideally placed to explore much of what Loch Lomond and the Trossachs has to offer.

It is on the Tyndrum to Killin cycle route and is just as handy for public transport.

And most of the area’s major tourist attractions can be reached in under an hour.

The beautiful Falls of Dochart at Killin is half an hour away, as is the Glencoe ski and mountain resort.

Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre, with its exotic and farm animals, along with indoor play areas, is just 40 minutes from Tyndrum.

And the beautiful seaside resort of Oban with its Sea Life Sanctuary is a 40-minute hop away, too.

But we’re enamoured with the beautiful town of Inveraray and its magnificent namesake castle, home to another kind of “chief” – the Duke of Argyll, Chief of Clan Campbell.

A castle has been standing on the shores of Loch Fyne since the 1400s, but the edifice that stands on the spot today was inspired by a sketch by Vanbrugh, the architect behind Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard.

His sketch was the base for the house eventually built by the second Duke. But the castle was hit by fire in the late 1800s and rebuilding work included a third floor and its fairytale conical roofs on the corner towers.

Inveraray is also home to the town jail and courtroom where visitors are invited to step back in time and experience life for the people who were tried and convicted there – some as young as seven.

Close by is Argyll Adventure – just five minutes’ drive south on the A83 from Inveraray. This five star family-focused attraction offers scenic pony treks on the shores of Loch Fyne, a crossbow range and paintball and laser battles.

But we come in peace on this holiday and are already looking forward to going back to our tribe at Tyndrum, the cosy campfire and the wonders of a wigwam under the stars.

Facts

Strathfillan Wigwam Village at Tyndrum, near Crianlarich, offers a range of accommodation, starting with a small ‘Wigwam’ sleeping up to four people at £40 per night.

A large Wigman (for five people) is £48 per night, while an en suite version rises to £75.

Lodges are also available from £280-£500 per week. Contact: 01838 400251/ 01838 400298 or 07817483126 wigwamholidays.com