Almost exactly a year ago I hung up my backpack and moved to Scotland with dreams of opening a vegan business and micro sanctuary at the forefront of my mind. I’d never lived in Scotland before and the flat we rented was in Perth–a city that, at the time, had no 100% vegan or veggie places listed on HappyCow. They now have a lovely vegan spot called 269 Vegan Cafe which I visit as often as possible!
Let’s rewind a few years, back to the summer of 2014, before I continue. I was living in Brighton and writing a food and travel blog called Vegan in Brighton. I’d started to feel unsettled and living in the city just wasn’t right for me anymore. After 7 years of living together I convinced my partner to go on an epic journey with me. We’d travel, do voluntary work, and take house sitting jobs until we either ran out of money or wanted to come home. He thought we’d last four months, but in total we were away for three and a half years. Our travels took us all over Asia, Europe, North America and Australasia. We ate delicious vegan food everywhere. I reviewed restaurants and cafes on HappyCow whenever I had decent enough wifi and connected with vegans from all over the globe, but we quickly realised that the times when we were most passionate and satisfied with our travels was when we were volunteering with or caring for animals.
We started at a shelter in Thailand before moving on to Japan Cat Network, a small rescue based in Inawashiro, via Farm Animal Rescue in Australia, before returning back to Japan to volunteer at Japan Cat Network’s Kyoto branch. Every single place had its ups and downs. Helping animals who have been through traumatic events is hard but the rewards are endless.
To be able to sit down in the fields and connect with the sheep and cows at Farm Animal Rescue was unbelievably inspiring.
Before we’d even left Australia we knew that we wouldn’t be able to return to Brighton. People always said that travel changes you but we couldn’t have realised how much. Now we live in Scotland! We’ve swapped copious cafes bursting with vegan options for space, peace, and the potential to really do some good.
We purchased a property on land that used to be a farm and are at the beginning of the very long process of converting it into a space for vegan retreats, a home for rescued farmed animals, and a vegan B&B. We moved in the depths of winter and set about converting the first outbuilding. It went up on Airbnb in June and I immediately added the listing to HappyCow which was a cool reminder of the full circle from food and travel blogger living in Brighton to vegan traveller to the next stage of my journey. HappyCow has been there for every step!
For the next stages of my vegan vision to be realised, the B&B has to be a success. We need to be running a sustainable business before we can start rescuing animals so if the idea of visiting Scotland and staying at a cozy vegan and eco-friendly guesthouse appeals to you then please come and pay us a visit. I can’t wait to connect with vegan travellers from around the world and I’m sure that you’ll love the welcome baked goods, spotting red squirrels roaming the grounds, and the cooked breakfasts that will appear at your door every morning.
To follow along with our journey online you can follow me on Instagram at @ethicalveganlife or on Twitter @EthicalVegnLife. If you’re ready to book your stay immediately or if you just want more information just head to our website.
