One of Scotland’s Greatest Escapes

A unique agritourism holiday experience in East Lothian has been named one of Scotland’s greatest getaways in a BBC Scotland TV series. 

The Bus Stop, which offers visitors a selection of converted buses for accommodation, made it through to the final of the second series of Scotland’s Greatest Escape, after coming top in the Budget Friendly category. 

The Bus Stop is situated on a working arable farm near Gifford and during their stay judges, Fiona Campbell and Zakia Moulaoui Guery, had a picnic with the resident pygmy goats. 

Judges praised the experience as “just perfect” – from the customer service to its attention to detail – when awarding it full marks in the Budget Friendly category. 

However, it was The Broch on the Isle of Harris – a three-storey drystone building with a turf roof, inspired by Iron Age structures – which was ultimately crowned the 2024 series winner. 

Scotland’s Greatest Escape saw expert judges visit 21 getaways across Scotland under seven categories – ‘Unique & Unusual’, ‘Luxury’, ‘Budget Friendly’, ‘Lochs, Glens & Bens’, ‘Foodie’, ‘Adventure’ & ‘Island & Coastal’ – over the eight-part series, presented by Grado. 

Each experience was scored on four key criteria: accommodation, activities on offer, customer service and overall experience. Those with the highest score went through to the grand final held in East Neuk of Fife on Wednesday (17 April). 

Judges had previously whittled down 1400 public nominations to a shortlist of three for each category. 

Agritourism refers to working farms which have branched out into providing visitor experiences, whether it be through food and drink, interactive activities, or accommodation. 

The sector is growing in popularity in Scotland, driven by visitors interested in food provenance and sustainable tourism. 

Neil Christison, Regional Director at VisitScotland, said: “The Bus Stop is a great example of an agritourism business creating a one-of-a-kind visitor experience. Visitors are increasingly looking for responsible and meaningful experiences and events, and the use of recycled buses for accommodation taps into this trend. Taking top prize in the Budget Friendly category is a testament to The Bus Stop’s ethos of creating accommodation that is quirky, high-quality, and affordable. 

“The popularity of agritourism is growing, reflecting a shift in the farming sector which sees the economic potential for expanding into tourism. Businesses like The Bus Stop play an important role in helping rural communities and supporting our national goal of creating a world-class sustainable tourism destination that benefits all.” 

The Bus Stop has seen a visible increase in bookings since appearing on the series and received a “huge amount of support” from its loyal customer base. 

Sandy Stewart, owner of The Bus Stop, said: “It was amazing to be part of Scotland’s Greatest Escape and get through to the final. Our goal, when we established The Bus Stop, was to create a memorable visitor experience that offered value for money all year round. Being named Budget Friendly validates that decision and we are extremely proud of our team who work so hard to make The Bus Stop a success.” 

Narrated by Dawn Steele, Scotland’s Greatest Escape the full eight-part second series - made by Red Sky Productions for BBC Scotland - is available to view on BBC iPlayer.  

The judges were: Fiona Campbell, Vanessa Kanbi, Masood Khodadadi, Zakia Moulaoui Guery, Stuart Kenny, Raj Gill, and Head Judge Marina Huggett. 

The seven Scotland’s Greatest Escape finalists were: 

• The Broch at Borve Lodge Estate, Isle of Harris (Ep1, Unique & Unusual) 
• Cromlix, Dunblane (Ep2, Luxury) 
• The Bus Stop (Ep3, Budget Friendly), East Lothian 
• Glenorchy Farm, Dalmally (Ep4, Lochs, Bens & Glens), Argyll 
• Lindores, Fife (Ep5, Foodie) 
• Benmore Estate Island Pods, Isle of Mull (Ep6, Adventure), Argyll 
• Duisdale House, Isle of Skye (Ep7, Island & Coastal), Highlands 

For more on Scotland’s Greatest Escape: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0ckjdls 

ENDS 

For more on Scottish agritourism: https://www.visitscotland.org/about-us/what-we-do/working-in-partnership/agritourism-strategy