But the most famous of all the Inner Hebrides is the Isle of Skye—one of Scotland’s largest islands at over 530 square miles, as well as the closest to the mainland. Such proximity brought the inevitable arrival of a bridge in the 1990s, putting an end to the ferry service that had run since the 17th century. Yet Skye retains its air of mystery and otherworldliness. The perfect place to drink it all in is at Kinloch Lodge, in the beautiful southern corner of the island. Built in 1680 as a hunting lodge, this elegant yet unpretentious hotel is today the home of Lord Macdonald, high chief of the Clan Donald, and his wife, Claire, a leading authority on Scottish cooking. Her passion is on display in the dinners served in the elegant restaurant, lined with ancestral portraits, where non-guests are welcome.
Farther to the west are the Outer Hebrides, also called the Western Isles, a wild and remote region that’s still relatively untrammeled by tourism. The main islands include Barra, Benbecula, and the connected pair of Lewis and Harris. Rugged topography and frequent rain mean many freshwater lochs, and the view from the top of an Outer Hebridean mountain is of a complex landscape where land and sea become intertwined.
For travelers with a taste for adventure, an end-to-end road and ferry tour of the island chain is a must. Be sure to stop for a night at the Hotel Hebrides, a boutique hotel on the Isle of Harris, with unexpectedly sleek, contemporary rooms and an excellent restaurant specializing in Scottish seafood.
Or take to the sea and view the powerful, bleak, and mystical beauty of the islands from the deck of the Hebridean Princess. The romantic, five-star vessel is more like an opulent country-house hotel famed for its service than a cruise ship. (The Queen charters it for family sailings.) It carries just 50 very cosseted passengers who lounge in the handsome, chintz-draped cabins (some with private balconies), dine on superb smoked salmon and island-raised lamb, and sample an impressive variety of Scotch whisky.
WHERE: Oban is the gateway to the Hebrides, 124 miles/200 km northwest of Edinburgh. VISITOR INFO: www.visithebrides.com. KINLOCH LODGE: Tel 44/1471-833-333; www.kinloch-lodge.co.uk. Cost: from $320, inclusive; 4-course dinner $90. HOTEL HEBRIDES: Tel 44/1859-502-364; www.hotel-hebrides.com. Cost: from $87; dinner $45. HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS: Tel 44/1756-704-700; in the U.S., 877-600-2648; www.hebrideancruises.com. Cost: 7-night cruise from $3,200; 4- to 10-day cruises available in Scotland and beyond. Originates in Oban. When: Mar–Nov. BEST TIMES: May–Sep for best weather; mid-Jul for Lewis Highland Games; early Aug for Skye Highland Games.
A Warm Welcome Among the Lochs and Glens
ARGYLL HIGHLANDS
Highlands, Scotland
Halfway along Scotland’s filigree western coastline is the dramatic region of Argyll, where hills, glens, forests, and mountains stretch from the remote Ardnamurchan Peninsula, down to the Mull of Kintyre Lighthouse. Islands such as Colonsay, Mull, and Jura are just a ferry hop away across narrow straits, and slender fjordlike inlets dissect the landscape. All across Argyll, the lines between island and mainland become wonderfully blurred.
The main town in the region is Oban (“the gateway to the isles”); from there, ferries cross to the islands of the Inner and Outer Hebrides (see previous page). Check in to Alt na Craig House, a stylish, six-room guesthouse set in large gardens on the edge of town, with great views of the bay and out toward the islands.
If driving to Oban from Edinburgh or Glasgow, be sure to take the scenic route that cuts across the heart of the Argyll Highlands, through Glen Aray and past the beautiful (and suitably named) Loch Awe. Pause at the handsome town of Inveraray (the ancient capital of Argyll) to admire Inveraray Castle, home of the Duke of Argyll, or detour down the western shore of Loch Fyne to the 90 acres of lush greenery at Crarae Gardens. Don’t miss lunch at the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar near Cairndow, an unassuming place founded in the 1980s as a roadside shed that later spawned a chain of seafood restaurants across Britain.
North of Oban, the road continues alongside the wildly beautiful banks of Loch Linnhe and to the village of Port Appin, home to the intimate Airds Hotel. Once an inn serving ferry passengers headed out to the islands, it’s now a peaceful vacationers’ retreat with ample corners for relaxation: in the garden with its views of the loch, fireside in the lounge, or in the restaurant or bar, where you’ll enjoy excellent local fare and malt whiskies.
Inverlochy Castle can be found another 20 miles beyond Port Appin, across Argyll’s northern border and near the town of Fort William. This is where Queen Victoria, no stranger to the allure of the Highlands, stayed in 1873 and famously wrote: “I never saw a lovelier or more romantic spot.” Set in a magnificent landscape, the former baronial castle, set on 500 acres of private land, is now a grand 17-room hotel awash with antique furniture, floral drapes, and overstuffed chairs. One of Britain’s most special country retreats, it offers visitors a taste of life as lived by a noble monarch.
Scotland’s longest lake, Loch Awe, stretches over 20 miles.
WHERE: 120 miles/200 km northwest of Edinburgh. VISITOR INFO: www.visitscottishheartlands.com. ALT NA CRAIG HOUSE: Tel 44/1631-564-524; www.guesthouseinoban.com. Cost: from $195. LOCH FYNE OYSTER BAR: Tel 44/1499-600-482; www.lochfyne.com. Cost: lunch $30. AIRDS HOTEL: Tel 44/1631-730-236; www.airds-hotel.com. Cost: from $450, inclusive; dinner $80. INVERLOCHY CASTLE: Tel 44/1397-702-177; in the U.S., 888-424-0106; www.inverlochycastlehotel.com. Cost: from $520 (off-peak), from $715 (peak); 4-course prix-fixe dinner $110. BEST TIME: May–Sep for the finest weather.
Hammers, Heavies, and Ancient Traditions
HIGHLAND GAMES
Braemar, Highlands, Scotland
Blazing with brightly colored tartans and ringing with the sound of bagpipes, the Highland Games are unique sporting and cultural events celebrating all things Scottish, and are held in towns throughout the Highlands every summer. The games, or “gatherings,” go back at least 900 years. They originated as county fairs with competitions providing clan chiefs the chance to observe the physical prowess of the area’s most promising young lads. The tradition continues today, as a breed of tough, kilted Scotsmen known as Heavies engage in traditional sports such as “throwing the hammer,” “putting the stone,” and the gatherings’ prime event, “tossing the caber”—heaving a 20-foot tree trunk weighing upward of 130 pounds. Alongside the traditional musclebound displays, there are foot races and long-jump competitions, plus all kinds of Highlands dancing and music, and a wee bit of whisky to help the celebrations along.
Of Scotland’s 40-plus annual gatherings, those at Braemar are among the most renowned. In the 19th century, Queen Victoria used to come to watch from her nearby Scottish residence of Balmoral Castle, and the current royal family maintains the tradition, with the men donning kilts for the occasion. The monarch is honored as Chieftain of the Braemar Gathering.
If watching the Highland dancers and athletes tires you out or stirs up your appetite, a night at the Auld Kirk in the charming little town of Ballater, a few miles east of Braemar, will reinvigorate the senses. This former Victorian-era church is now a fine restaurant, with many of the original ecclesiastical details still in place, making it an intriguing setting in which to enjoy modern Scottish cuisine. And though the emphasis here is on food, six welcoming bedrooms are hidden away in the Kirk’s upper floor, providing a perfect place to prolong the experience.
BRAEMAR: 80 miles/129 km north of Edinburgh. VISITOR INFO: www.braemargathering.org. WHEN: Gatherings are held across Scotland late May–Sep; Braemar Gathering is 1st Sat in Sep. THE AULD KIRK: Tel 44/1339-755-762; www.theauldkirk.co.uk. Cost: from $180; dinner $50.
Magnificent Home of a Mythical Monster
LOCH NESS
Highlands, Scotland
The deep waters of Loch Ness lie in a giant gash in the earth’s surface—a 60-million-year-old diagonal fault line that almost splits Scotland in two, with the Highland capital of Inverness at its northern end. Measuring 24 miles long and 755 feet deep, it’s one of the largest “lochs” (lakes) in Scotland, but its main claim
to fame remains almost exclusively as home to the mythic Loch Ness Monster.
Resembling an aquatic dinosaur, and said to have descended from a forebear trapped within the waters back in geological times, this beast was allegedly first spotted in 565 by St. Columba, the man credited with introducing Christianity to Scotland. Centuries later, the monster was given the Latin title Nessiteras rhombopteryx (quickly shortened to Nessie) and has held the world’s imagination ever since. An ancient legend predicts a violent end for the region if the monster is ever captured, but researchers using sophisticated underwater technology and sonar-rigged mini-submarines continue their quest nonetheless and have recorded large, moving underwater objects they could not explain. They are still spurred on by reports of sightings from 1961, when 30 visitors said they saw the monster just before an explosion that sank their craft, and 1973, when a local monk claimed a viewing.
Whether you believe in the creature or not (many suggest that Scotland’s age-old love of whisky may have something to do with the sightings), a glimpse of the beautiful glacier-gouged lake and the crumbling ruins of Urquhart Castle atop a small promontory is not to be missed. Take the less-trafficked road along the eastern shore to the village of Foyers and the striking waterfalls nearby. Or, from the settlement of Drumnadrochit (where the Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition is a fun place to spend an hour), aim westward and follow the road through peaceful Glen Urquhart, eventually reaching remote Glen Affric, one of the most scenic valleys in all Scotland.
Back in the “Highland capital” of Inverness, check into the Rocpool Reserve Hotel, an excellent little luxury option in the heart of the city. The décor is contemporary and the food at Chez Roux Restaurant is first-class. Alternatively, opt for the larger Loch Ness Country House Hotel at Dunain Park, just south of Inverness on the road to the loch, complete with cozy drawing rooms, log fires, and a beautiful outdoor garden. It’s worth going the extra mile down the west side of the loch to the village of Invermoriston and the Old Manse. This warm, family-run B&B has just two romantic guest bedrooms, each with a private Victorian-style lounge and beautiful formal gardens surrounded by woodland.
WHERE: Inverness is 171 miles/275 km north of Edinburgh. VISITOR INFO: www.visitlochness.com. ROCPOOL RESERVE HOTEL: Tel 44/1463-240-089; in the U.S., 866-376-7831; www.rocpool.com. Cost: from $320; dinner $55. LOCH NESS COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL: Tel 44/1463-230-512; www.lochnesscountryhousehotel.co.uk. Cost: from $240; dinner $50. OLD MANSE: Tel 44/1320-351-296; www.theoldmanse-lochness.co.uk. Cost: from $180. BEST TIMES: May–Sep for nice weather; end of Jul for Inverness Highland Games; Sep–Oct for fall colors in Glen Affric.
Water of Life
THE MALT WHISKY TRAIL
Speyside, Highlands, Scotland
Just as true Champagne can come only from the Champagne region in France (see p. 107), authentic Scotch malt whisky (spelled without an “e” and from the Gaelic uisge beatha meaning “water of life”) must be made on its native soil. There are distilleries all over Scotland—at any given time there are 18.5 million barrels of maturing whiskies—but the most celebrated home of whisky is the Highland region, and the very epicenter is Speyside—the valley of the River Spey—to the north of the Grampian Mountains. Here the finest examples of Scotland’s amber spirits have been produced for centuries.
Coming from the south, the gateway to the area is Grantown-on-Spey, where you can pick up the Malt Whisky Trail—a signposted route for drivers that leads to some of the most memorable spots at which to discover the mystery of the malt. These include the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, the whisky-making capital of the Western world; the Glenlivet Distillery, in the village of the same name; and Cardhu and Glen Grant, both near the town of Aberlour. Nearby are other companies, well known to whisky aficionados, such as Glen Moray, in Elgin, and Benromach, near Forres, as well as several smaller and lesser-known distilleries that all make tempting detours.
Each whisky made in Speyside has a distinct flavor, as a visit to a number of distilleries will prove. The use of pure water is key, as is the quality of the barley and the amount of peat used to stoke the fire used in the production. To fully appreciate these nuances, connoisseurs delight in sampling a range of single malts—as opposed to blended whisky, which is the marriage of single malts and “neutral” spirits and regarded as an inferior product. Keep to the genuine article, though, and after a few wee drams you’ll find the distinction between one amber elixir and the next may get a little cloudy.
Designated drivers can take their charges to Cawdor Cottages, a location hard to beat for either history or style. Set within the 50-square-mile estate belonging to the 1375 Cawdor Castle, just west of Forres, its five cottages have been decorated with flawless taste by Lady Cawdor, a former fashion-magazine editor. Or base yourself at the other end of the whisky trail, in Grantown-on-Spey, where small and friendly Dunallan House is a lovingly restored Victorian villa on a quiet street near the edge of town.
Glenfiddich is still owned by the family that founded it.
WHERE: 100 miles/161 km north of Edinburgh. VISITOR INFO: www.maltwhiskytrail.com. CAWDOR COTTAGES: Tel 44/1667-402-402; www.cawdor.com. Cost: 3-night stay from $490 (off-peak), from $730 (peak). DUNALLAN HOUSE: Tel 44/1479-872-140; www.dunallan.com. Cost: from $90. BEST TIMES: May–Sep for pleasant weather; May and Sep for Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.
In the Footsteps of Rob Roy and Braveheart
LOCH LOMOND AND THE TROSSACHS
Scotland
Just beyond the city limits of Glasgow, the hills, lochs, and glens of the Trossachs (“bristly country”) provide an enticing first taste of the classic Scottish wildness usually associated with the more mountainous country farther north. This is where the Highlands meet the heather-clad Lowlands, whose centerpiece is Loch Lomond, the largest and most famous of Scotland’s fjordlike lakes.
It was here that Rob Roy (“Red Robert”) MacGregor—a real-life, 18th-century cattle dealer, Highlander, and outlaw—became a Scottish folk hero akin to England’s Robin Hood. His fame spread far beyond Scotland thanks mainly to Sir Walter Scott’s 1817 Rob Roy, a major blockbuster of its time.
Scott also found inspiration in the beauty of nearby Loch Katrine, where he set his narrative poem “The Lady of the Lake.” Both it and Loch Lomond (and dozens of others) lie within the 720-square-mile Trossachs National Park—Scotland’s first national park, established in 2002. Visitors come to hike and bike before stepping aboard the SS Sir Walter Scott, a small, century-old steamboat that plies the serene waters of Loch Katrine, which mirrors the forested shores beyond.
More heroes of Scotland’s turbulent history are recalled just a few miles east of the Trossachs at Stirling Castle, the country’s most significant stronghold: “He who holds Stirling, holds Scotland,” goes an ancient adage. Dating from the 12th century and second only to Edinburgh Castle (see p. 35) in grandeur, it was the residence of the infant Mary, Queen of Scots: She was crowned here in 1543 at the age of 9 months. Just beyond is the National Wallace Monument, an impressive neo-Gothic tower overlooking the battlefield where William Wallace, legendary leader of Scotland’s struggle for independence (and better known as Braveheart), fought against the English in the 13th century.
The only struggle you’ll face is deciding where to stay. Monachyle Mhor, a remote, 18th-century farmhouse in the heart of the Trossachs has been transformed into a stylish family-run hotel with a celebrated restaurant that attracts foodies from miles around. Make time to visit the grave of Rob Roy in the churchyard of nearby Balquhidder as well as the charming town of Callander, situated neatly between Stirling and the Trossachs.
For a sampling of baronial life, there’s the Cameron House, a grand castle-turned-hotel on the banks of Loch Lomond. In addition to its elegant rooms and tempting choice of bars and restaurants, the adjoining championship-standard Carrick course lets golfers test their skills. The best view in the house is from the spa’s pool on the rooftop terrace.
WHERE: Callander is 50 miles/8
0 km northwest of Edinburgh. VISITOR INFO: www.lochlomond-trossachs.org. SS SIR WALTER SCOTT AND LOCH KATRINE: Tel 44/1877-332-000; www.lochkatrine.com. When: Apr–Oct. STIRLING CASTLE: 44/1786-450-000; www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk. MONACHYLE MHOR: Tel 44/1877-384-622; www.mhor.net. Cost: from $300; 5-course dinner $70. CAMERON HOUSE: Tel 44/1389-755-565; www.cameronhouse.co.uk. Cost: from $180 (off-peak), $450 (peak); dinner $65. BEST TIMES: May–Sep for finest weather; 2nd Sun in Jul for Stirling Highland Games; last weekend in Jul for Callander Highland Games; Sep for autumn colors.
Scotland’s Rocky Northern Outpost
ORKNEY ISLANDS
Scotland
Disconnected from the mainland by 6 miles of North Atlantic waters, the 67 islands that make up Scotland’s remote Orkney archipelago are often figuratively—and literally—off the map. Their history is unconnected from the rest of the country’s too: The islands have been part of Scotland only since the 1470s. Before that they were under Norwegian rule—a legacy of the Viking era, when Nordic peoples settled here and used the islands as a base for raids against other parts of Scotland. The Orkneys’ Neolithic sites, from a much earlier period, are some of the best preserved in Europe. These include the village of semi-underground stone houses at Skara Brae and the mysterious standing stones known as the Ring of Brodgar.
Ferries run from Aberdeen, on the Scottish mainland, to Kirkwall, the small but surprisingly lively Orkney capital on the island of Mainland—one of just 20 that are inhabited. Set up base at the small and impeccably styled Albert Hotel, with clean lines and contemporary furniture and a famously welcoming bar. Or go for the more traditional décor of four-poster beds and antique accents at the Lynnfield Hotel, close to the island’s distillery (it produces Orkney’s finest export, Highland Park Whisky).
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 8