Previously a high dependency nurse in Edinburgh, Ms Hall, 41, moved back to her family home in Nethy Bridge in 2018 to nurse locally while starting her new business venture - Highland Shepherd Huts.

With support from her partner Nic, Zoe Hall set out to build three boutique self-catering huts and spaces for mobile homes to park up on a piece of her family’s land.

A loan of £25,000 was awarded by DSL in early 2019 to get the venture started. This funded groundworks and preparation of the site, installation of water and electricity services, landscaping the area to accommodate the first hut and an initial cash flow for the business.

The second business loan of £10,000 funded the build of the second hut which was ready to accommodate guests at the beginning of September 2020.

Zoe Hall said: “My father passed away in 2017 but he always had great ideas of having Shepherds huts or cabins on our land to let out. My parents have always been involved in self-catering and I thought it would be nice to follow in their footsteps and try myself to get planning for three Shepherds huts.

“I managed to get the approval for the planning, which proved complex as we neighbour an RSPB Nature Reserve, our site sits within an ancient woodland and we are set in the Cairngorms National Park.

“The DSL loans officer for the Inverness area, Murray Marshall, gave me fantastic advice every step of the way and helped me to achieve my business goals.

“The business is just coming up for two years old now. I run it by myself but have had my partner, Nic, by my side since the start. He has made this all possible as his business undertook the groundworks, landscaped the area and have handcrafted the two shepherds’ huts.”

Between juggling her work as a nurse and running the Highland Shepherd Huts, Zoe also became a mum during lockdown to now nine-month-old, Ben. She is currently on maternity leave but is looking forward to returning to nursing in May of thisyear.

Partner Nic Houldsworth, 45, relocated his business from Edinburgh to Nethy Bridge to complete works on the huts and enjoy a more active lifestyle. The pair are both keen skiers and make the most of the surrounding hills in the Cairngorm area. Nic plans to continue building Shepherd Huts full time with a small team of carpenters.

Murray Marshall, DSL Business Finance loan officer for the Highlands & Islands, commented: “This has been a particularly rewarding case for us to be involved with as not only have we supported Zoe’s own business venture, we have been able to see Nic’s contracting business benefit from the loan too.

“We initially assisted Zoe with a loan to help her set up the Highland Shepherd Huts business at the start of 2019.

“The first hut took its initial bookings in the summer of 2019. It quickly became apparent that there was demand so Zoe came back to us asking for assistance to fund the second hut a bit earlier than originally planned. We granted the second loan in February 2020 and the second hut opened for bookings later on in the year.

“Zoe has been great to work with, she presented a very clear and straightforward business plan making great use of her family’s plot and utilising her experience with self-catering accommodation. It has been exciting to see Zoe’s vision come to life with our support, despite the trying circumstances she has pushed through with her plans and brought the business to life.”

Zoe Hall added: “We are currently in the process of planning the build of our third hut which we plan to complete in time for summer. We expect to see another busy season as the travel trend as a result of the pandemic is leading to people staying closer to home.

“Unfortunately, after the temperature recently dropped to -18 degrees, the first hut Coorie suffered a burst pipe so Nic has been working to replace the floor, walling, kitchen and bedroom area. Thankfully, it will be ready in time for lockdown restrictions lifting.

“The huts are situated just outside Nethy Bridge in an area of woodland with views of the hills and a nature reserve with an abundance of wildlife on your doorstep. We landscaped the area around the huts to sympathetically blend in with the surrounding natural beauty.”