October at The Rhynd

emily4052
Nov 5
3 min read

THE RHYND'S FOREST ROOMS

The short answer is ‘yes’, the Rhynd forest rooms are in place. The long answer is that recent weeks have been very painful trying to get them sorted.

The first one arrived at 9am on Monday morning. We had rented a very expensive telehandler to lift them as no company would go near the field with cranes, HIABs or artic HIABs. It was a 24-tonne machine and could lift 18 tonnes. We needed to extend the boom, to get the height over the forest room, but even then, it could lift the seven tonnes needed. Cometh the hour, though, it refused to lift it and seemed to be stuck in a weird mode. Farm manager Stuart then had to read the (very long) manual while a team of Lithuanians stood around watching.

While all this was happening, a member of the team was picking up bog mats from Glenrothes to make sure the telehandler didn’t sink in the field. As Stuart made it to page 329, I received a call to say that our farm Hilux and trailer were in a ditch. The day continued like this, and it wasn’t long before our 13-tonne digger burst an oil pipe. The mechanic that kindly came out to fix it suffered from Tourette’s, which manifested itself with a loud ‘argh’ every few minutes. It was quite a panic-inducing sound for everyone when seven-tonne cabins were being manoeuvred on and off trailers.

Having spent months organising how to get the forest rooms into the field without getting stuck, and not a single UK company wanting to touch the job, I turn round to see the second two Lithuanian lorries just drive straight into the field. They waved away any worries with a wonderful eastern European shrug before one of them did get stuck.

The four forest rooms are in, though, and bar some final snagging, they are ready to rent. We are genuinely delighted with them, and they look amazing in the flesh.

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CYCLE SUPPER

Chef Jack and I completed our 75-mile cycle last week, picking up ingredients from across Fife for our ‘cycle supper’ series. We managed to grow or rear 80 per cent of the menu right here on the farm, but picked up salt, cheese, beef, whisky, honey, milk, butter, quail’s eggs, gin and champagne cider via bicycle. Not being able to cook with sugar, chocolate or spices was a real challenge, but Jack did a fantastic job with the food.

It was an enormously proud moment on Friday night as we had genuinely managed to do what many said was impossible – a seven-course, fine-dining dinner without any food-delivery emissions. We have more chef’s table dinners over the winter, but spaces are filling up fast. Make sure you book your place here before they sell out.

STONE LIFTING AT RHYND FITNESS

We have recently been hosting the McGregor Stonelifting Games at Rhynd Fitness and it’s been amazing to see what the human body can lift and carry.

Our head coach Dylan entered the most recent one and, without any competitive experience, finished an amazing second in class and third overall. A walking, talking advert for Rhynd Fitness right there! I think the usual competitors were quite surprised by his abilities, and one was overhead asking what he did for a living. The reply came, from another competitor, “I think he works outside”.