He is used to staying in some of the world’s most luxurious hotels and lives in multimillion pound homes across the world.
But
David Beckham
chose this isolated off-grid bothy on a private Hebridean island to celebrate his 50th birthday with his sons.
Needing a 3.5-hour drive from
Glasgow
Airport to a remote harbour, a six mile crossing in a chartered boat and a three mile hike across rough terrain, the rustic accommodation on Scarba is as hard to reach as any in the UK.
Mr. Beckham spent a night at the bothy during a guys’ fishing excursion for his 50th birthday celebration.
The ex-England soccer player made a trip to this island, which remains entirely unpopulated except for visitors who undertake the challenging voyage to reach its secluded inn.
In a sequence of updates on
Instagram
He shared details about how he and his sons Cruz and Romeo snagged their meal during the fishing trip.
They next got ready with scallops and lobster before sitting down at the table within the simple bothy.
He also said he had banned his sons from using technology during the trip, captioning one photo: ‘Last time boys were allowed to use their phones. Not so happy about it.’
In another shot, he held aloft a net full of scallops which he said were ready to be cooked on the fire.
Sharing photos of them having dinner his sons were shown preparing the seafood before cooking it on a barbecue outside.
He said: ‘Doesn’t get any fresher than this.’
Nevertheless, one picture revealed that they received assistance from their fellow crew members who were aboard the vessel.
The six square mile island, which sits between Luing and Jura, is not served by ferry services and can only be reached by private charter boat, seaplane or helicopter.
Until 2013, Scarba was owned by Richard Hill, the 7th Baron Sandys, a landowner who also acted as a Whip in the House of Lords during Margaret Thatcher’s initial term as Prime Minister.
It has had no permanent residents since the 1960s, has no roads save for a short vehicle track to a lodge
It is now owned by Shane Cadzow, who farms cattle on the neighbouring island of Luing.
Kilmory Lodge, the only other building on the island, is operated by George Goldsmith Exclusive Properties and Sporting Estates.
The bothy, which can only be reached via a hike of a few miles to the south of the island, is owned separately.
Yesterday Mr Goldsmith, whose Edinburgh-based company offers ‘privileged access to some of the finest sporting estates, country houses and castles throughout Scotland’ said people who visit the island can experience the ‘best of the West Coast’ in terms of fishing, food and watersports.
Between Scarba and Jura lies the Gulf of Corryvreckan, known for its whirlpool, the third largest in the world.
The waters around the island are some of the best in Scotland for scallop fishing, which is usually carried out either by dredging or diving.
It is not known whether the bothy the Beckhams stayed in operates on the traditional basis of being a free-to-use shelter for hikers.
But the interior of the off-grid building, set on the stunning south coast of the island, showed that it was set up much like a bunkhouse.
In addition to sharing their meal details, Mr. Beckham also uploaded videos showcasing the quite modest lodging.
He playfully mentioned that his son Romeo wasn’t content with their accommodation, which stood in stark contrast to their collection of multi-million-pound homes.
Not long ago, the ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid star unveiled ‘The Suites by David Beckham’ occupying the highest two levels of the prestigious Londoner Hotel in Macau, China.
The hotel is a casino resort located on the Cotai Strip in Macau where visitors can ‘enjoy authentic British hospitality and a lavish lifestyle’.
In addition to his journey to Scotland with Romeo and Cruz, Mr. Beckham commemorated his birthday with a visit to France, staying at his favorite hotel, La Réserve, located in Paris.
They dedicated their afternoon to sampling wines at a select Bordeaux vineyard prior to returning to Paris aboard a private charter flight.
The family subsequently had dinner at his favorite restaurant, Chez l’Ami Louis.
Several days afterward, the family marked the occasion with high-profile acquaintances such as Tom Cruise and ex-teammates of Mr. Beckham’s at the three-Michelin-star restaurant Core in Kensington, West London.
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