Virtual tourists flock to sheep therapy sessions

It was designed as a rural retreat from the stresses and strains of modern life, with an afternoon tea like no other allowing visitors to enjoy a restorative cuppa and a slice of cake in the company of a few woolly friends.

Beccy Routledge conducting one of her Zoom sessions online

Now, what was already one of Scotland’s most idiosyncratic tourist attractions has devised a bespoke solution to the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, allowing people to take part in online meditation sessions alongside three Herdwick sheep.

The unlikely venture has been inundated with bookings and enquiries in recent weeks, with visitors from as far afield as the US, Hong Kong, Australia, France, and South Africa flocking to Beccy Routledge’s smallholding near Aberfoyle – or more precisely, a virtual recreation of it.

With the help of mobile phones, makeshift outdoor lighting, and most importantly, compliant animals, the unique digital sheep therapy service has helped Routledge’s business alleviate the economic blow dealt by Covid-19 and spread a little cheer – and escapism – from her bucolic corner of Scotland.

It was only last autumn that she began hosting private tea parties with her beloved sheep, inspired by the success of pet therapy enterprises elsewhere in the world. What may have sounded like a niche proposition quickly took off, as tourists jumped at the chance of spending some quality time with Hamish, Dougal and Lochie, stroking their coats and even helping out during feeding times.

But the advent of a pandemic put an end to physical visits booked via Airbnb. Undeterred, she decided that if people could not come to Hamish, Dougal and Lochie, then they could go to them, thanks in no small part due to superfast broadband investment in her area.

At first glance, her revamped outbuilding looks like an inelegant solution “It’s all very home made,” she admitted. “Phones are propped up in place with planks of wood, and an outdoor light is clipped on using cable ties. It’s pretty rustic”

With bookings running for ten days in advance, she and the sheep are in constant demand, holding an average of two sessions a day.

“I had a South African couple who were shielding and weren’t allowed to step out of their door. I could sense they were really desperate to talk, so I kept them online at the end of the event and gave them some additional coping strategies for being in isolation,” she explained.

“It’s so lovely to feel that you can do something, because most people feel completely helpless in this situation. I’m really lucky.”

Individuals, couples, and groups who take part in one of the hour-long sessions are encouraged to relax with breathing exercises and meditation. Routledge 
chats with them first of all 
via Zoom, before she takes her smartphone and lets 
her guests see the Herdwicks – a hardy breed of sheep native to the Lake District – up close.

Her daughter, Rivkah, a yoga instructor, then provides quarter-hour-long meditation exercises as part of the experience, all soundtracked by the birdsong of the Trossachs.

But Routledge encourages her guests to caress a soft blanket as they watch her run her fingers through the sheeps’ wool.

“It helps give them a tactile sense,” she explained. “I get up very close to the sheep, too. They’re bouncing around so much, it looks like they’re jumping into the camera. Sheep are very intuitive animals and pick up on the energy of the sessions, so it’s about trying to create as immersive an experience for the guest as you can.”

Indeed, those who have written reviews on her Airbnb page have been effusive in their praise, leaving a host of five-star ratings.

One customer, Lisa, a teacher from the US city of Poulsbo, near Seattle, described it as a “lovely experience” which combined “childhood joy” with therapeutic qualities.

Another reviewer, Tristan, from New York, took part in a session booked by his employers.

“I have to say that I left with a huge smile on my face and actual methods to de-stress,” he reflected.