When I moved from Scotland to London in the early 2000s it was for work, plain and simple. When I moved back years later, the landscape and my ache to escape into it was part of the reason. This country, with its congregation of lowlands and highlands, peninsulas, islands and anchorages, is a beautifully wild creature yet one that’s always ready to reward the senses with a lovely cabin, bothy or hotel to retreat to. Decades on, still smitten, I wouldn’t be happier anywhere else.
If you love Scotland like I do, then know that we are far from alone. The country’s most memorable regions are busier than ever — in 2024 there was a 14 per cent increase in visitors on the year before, according to official figures — but that’s helping to cultivate a growth mindset and, nowadays, so many places to stay, old or new, are truly world-class. Into the bargain, the country really comes into its own in spring: fewer crowds, drier days than in the unfairly wet summers and — the crux for me — no midges.
Part of the appeal is eating (isn’t it always?) and I can’t think of anywhere better for a cosy waterfront stay than the Pierhouse in Appin, Argyll and Bute, where the chef Michael Leathley hauls in lobster creels from the seaweed-slicked quayside a clam shell’s throw away. Not far from here is Ardnamurchan, the British mainland’s westernmost peninsula and another of my favourite escapes. It still feels undiscovered, abandoned even, and that’s the lure of Eilean Shona, a tidal isle a hair’s breadth from the promontory and home to restored Hebridean crofts.
Between you and me, I’ve stayed in Kate Winslet’s favourite, Tioram Cottage, and the foreshore is for muddy-booted rock pooling, crabbing and pretending never to grow up. Then there’s the Torridon in Wester Ross with its Hogwarts-esque towers, groundskeeper huts and fields of fantastic beasts (OK, Highland cattle). It works its magic on me every time.
• Read our full guide to Scotland
Not all the places I’ve suggested lean into the landscape quite as much. Many of Scotland’s greatest escapes have been gulped up by the cities they’re in (Edinburgh’s Prestonfield House is one sure-fire hit) and there are others that are easier to reach, without the need for a boat or broomstick. But what should be clear by now is that this is a country crammed with daydream-worthy stays. These are the best to book.
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1. The Pierhouse, Appin, Argyll and Bute
The light ripples on Loch Linnhe and in any mood, sun-blessed or storm-worn, this end-of-the-road inn is a marvel. It was once the house and office of the Port Appin pier master. Now, instead of pen-and-ink logbooks, the pearly white hotel brims with seafood recipes and maritime chic decor. The restaurant is its heart and soul, and the ebb and flow of oysters, langoustines and lobsters from fiercely local producers confirms you’re somewhere extraordinary. Small wonder, then, that people far and wide are so fond of its dozen shipshape rooms, the best of which overlook the action on the pier.
Details B&B doubles from £155 (pierhousehotel.co.uk)
• 18 of the best luxury hotels in Scotland
2. Monachyle Mhor, Balquhidder, Stirling
The loveliness of this lochside escape has gradually dawned on visitors to the Trossachs, ever since the farm estate added all manner of funky accommodations, from a 1950s showman’s wagon to a reclaimed bothy. The main event is the sprawling Peppa Pig-pink farmhouse, with 17 rooms, a snug bar and a restaurant, but the lasting impression is of the unbridled hospitality of the co-owner and chef Tom Lewis. Although it’s only 90 minutes’ drive from Glasgow, the surrounding landscape has also got the lot: lochs Doine and Voil to swim in, a ruffle of craggy peaks to summit and a cast of Old MacDonald animals to befriend.
Details B&B doubles from £177 (monachylemhor.net)
3. The Treehouses at Lanrick, Doune, Stirling
Transplant the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse to central Scotland and you’ll have something like these five terrifically cosy nests, set high among a beech and sycamore canopy. The setting on the River Teith is tremendous, as are the back-to-nature activities on offer (forest rambles, birdwatching, riverbank picnics, a woodland sauna), but it’s hard to improve on the treehouses themselves. Each is different — my favourite is Treecreeper, with walls fashioned from upcycled doors — and the dangly rope bridges and outdoor copper tubs bring out the wild from within. This, you can imagine, is how a woodpecker must feel as it settles in for the night.
Details Two nights’ self-catering for four from £420 (lanricktreehouses.co.uk)
• 20 of the best treehouse stays in the UK
4. Eilean Shona, Ardnamurchan, Highland
That JM Barrie once holidayed on this storybook island gives its eight castaway cottages added stardust: the sign at the welcome pontoon reads “Neverland Found”. By going for a yomp around the coast you’ll see them all, from a former shepherd’s cottage to an old schoolhouse. Each has been painstakingly brought back to life by the island’s custodian, Vanessa Branson, little sister to Richard, and they feature open-plan kitchens and rolltop baths, cantilevered balconies and barbecue pits. You’ll have the freedom of the forests and beaches in the company of red squirrels, pine martens, deer and seals.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for two from £1,000 (eileanshona.com)
5. The Torridon, Achnasheen, Highland
There are times in the Highlands when it seems like the only thing to do is uncork the whisky and “coorie doon”, wrapping yourself in a blanket by a glowing fire. The Torridon knows this and delivers a Brigadoon-fantasy bar and mountain-viewing lounge as satisfying as any. The cosiness carries on throughout the former hunting lodge’s 18 rooms and each day, bucketing or bonnie, you’ll hike, bike, kayak or snorkel (well, if you’re brave enough). For the rest of your stay, it’s ceremonial feasts at 1887 Restaurant, where you’ll dine on produce that’s firmly rooted in the landscape you’re visiting (tasting menus from £125).
Details B&B doubles from £289 (thetorridon.com)
• The Torridon hotel review: a lochside lodge on the North Coast 500 route
6. Prestonfield House, Edinburgh
If your idea of cosy is a Beauty and the Beast fairytale then this gothic masterpiece is the riposte to the capital’s other prim and proper hotels. Location-wise, the tower house is swaddled by woodland thickets and rose gardens in the shadow of Arthur’s Seat. You’re here to stay in one of its 23 razzmatazz rooms, which are bursting with four-poster beds, velvet drapes and tapestries, gilded mirrors and treasure stashes of valuable antiques. Naturally in such a snuggly, stately place, there are afternoon teas by a log fire and a lavish whisky room.
Details B&B doubles from £293 (prestonfield.com)
7. Pine Trees Hotel, Pitlochry, Perth and Kinross
This area embodies the wilderness many people crave, with low-rise mountains, pewter lochs and forests that run through the spring colour spectrum from daffodil yellow to poppy red. The new 32-bed Pine Trees Hotel marks a first foray into the countryside for the Edinburgh-based Apex Hotel Group and the forest setting is my favourite discovery of the year so far: what’s not to like about a Victorian manor, a roaring fire, a dog curled at your feet and snug rooms in green, gold and pine? In my experience, a herby cocktail at the bar Flora then a post-dinner dram at the restaurant Fauna is the equivalent of a hug.
Details B&B doubles from £238 (pinetreeshotel.co.uk)
8. Flodigarry Hotel, Isle of Skye, Highland
Whenever I wax lyrical about Scotland, the Isle of Skye is always mentioned and anyone who has driven across the humpback Skye Bridge will know why. This far-flung 21-room hunting lodge at the tip of Trotternish is rarely spoken of in the same delirious tones as Kinloch Lodge or Edinbane Lodge but now it’s under the same owners as Portree’s Cuillin Hills Hotel, it’s set for a timely reboot, even if its master suites and garden log cabin had me hooked on my last visit. Also enchanting as it comes is the stone and wood whisky bar, with ocean-wide views of Wester Ross.
Details B&B doubles from £132 (flodigarry-hotel-skye.co.uk)
9. Kingairloch Estate, Morvern, Highland
Fourteen thousand private acres … is that enough space for you? One glance at the map and you’ll be glad you’re here for a week, as Kingairloch is a world unto itself. Set between Loch Linnhe and mountain-creased forests on the west coast, the estate consists of eight cut-granite cottages and the Boathouse restaurant. Whatever you do here (hiking, fishing, wildlife-watching), I’d urge you to ditch your togs for a dip in Loch a’ Choire, then get sizzling in the estate’s Finnish barbecue hut.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for two from £660 (kingairloch.co.uk)
10. Glen Dye Cabins and Cottages, Banchory, Aberdeenshire
This tree-hugging nook has been well known for a while but it remains a joyful place to experience. The back story is that it was a run-down family estate given a kick up the backside; now it’s home to a trip-making throng of 11 cabins and farmstead rooms. This year’s news is the arrival of the Discovery and Adventure Centre, where the powers of bushcraft and forest bathing are fully explored. My advice is to throw yourself in completely: hurl an axe, arrange some flowers, dunk yourself in its outdoor cold dip tanks. There’s a wood-fired sauna to treat yourself to afterwards.
Details B&B doubles from £185 (glendyecabinsandcottages.com)
11. Alpnhaus, Newcastleton, Scottish Borders
Yodel-ay-hee-hoo, said no one holidaying in the Scottish Borders ever. A hard-to-believe-in Alpine chalet in the Cheviot Hills may not have the shortbread biscuit tin look you’re after but hear me out. This off-grid larch wood snug bursts with character, from the sledge-turned-bedside table to the antler towel rails. It’s sustainable as they come, with solar panels, a biomass boiler and a private spring, and there’s an outdoor tub to pick out all those fuzzy stars on beautiful, lonely nights.
Details B&B doubles from £225, two-night minimum stay (alpnhaus.co.uk)
12. 57 Nord, Ardelve, Highland
Seeing so many timber-clad cabins in the Highlands, you’d think their only job was to embrace Scandi minimalism. This works up to a point but only if the surrounding landscape merits the spartan look. That’s the case here, as all eyes are on the fully coloured-in panoramas of lochs Duich, Long and Alsh, plus sweeping views of Eilean Donan Castle and the Five Sisters of Kintail driving deep inland. Inside, the look is all soft tones, stone tubs and cosy throws, while for that essential hit of hygge there are Danish wood-burning stoves.
Details Three nights’ self-catering for two from £1,450 (57nord.co.uk)
13. Foyers Hotel, Loch Ness, Highland
Loch Ness’s western flank is increasingly worth dodging thanks to coach tour hotels and motorhomes, so thank Nessie for this gorgeous six-bedroom boutique on the quieter eastern banks. On entering you’re struck by the bay window views of Scotland’s most famous loch but also by all the home comforts: a chessboard, a grand piano to tinkle, a drawing room to lounge in like a laird or lady. Fittingly, the look is a mash-up of Victorian nostalgia and art deco romance. Pay attention also to the snug room, a wee den of nooks, books and handwritten guides from the open-armed owners Anna and Phil.
Details B&B doubles from £235 (foyerslodge.co.uk)
14. Kabn, Loch Fyne, Argyll and Bute
Loch Fyne is much the same as when I first visited 40 years ago: the draws are still the lovely town of Inveraray and the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar. Days are spent lochside and that has led to the arrival of Kabn, a duo of sustainably minded cabins on a stretch of secluded shore. They are whittled down to their purest elements — pine, natural fabrics, wood-fired stoves — and the message is to forget about the rest of the world for a while. Accept the challenge if you know what’s good for you. For a dreamy meal there’s Wild Kabn Kitchen, which runs supper clubs and Sunday lunches from a greenhouse on the nearby Ardkinglas Estate (from £85; wildkabnkitchen.com).
Details One night’s self-catering for two from £355 (kabncompany.com)
15. Killiehuntly, Kingussie, Highland
Wildland, owned by Scotland’s richest landowner, the Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, is a rewilding empire operating on estates across the country, many of which offer miraculous Scandi-slanted reinventions of old farmhouses. Among those is Killiehuntly in the Cairngorms, which includes Geordie’s Cottage, where the hospitality means a natural stone lounge, an ember-glow fire and a whisky bottle with its seal broken. Geordie’s is so simple, in fact, that it feels like a bare-boned bothy but one with the luxury of rippling landscape all around. To paraphrase the beloved nature writer Nan Shepherd, who spent her best days hiking these parts, “often the mountain gives itself most completely when you have no destination”.
Details Three nights’ self-catering for five from £1,065 (killiehuntly.scot)
16. Kylesku Hotel, Kylesku, Highland
Highland Coast Hotels has taken the keys of many of the North Coast 500’s finest small hotels and all provide a quick dose of escapism — if you pick the right season, that is. Rather than choose the equally cosy Tongue Hotel further north, I’m opting for this intimate 11-room hideaway overlooking a slipway on Loch Gleann Dubh. Last time I visited, the clouds were thick, the rain persistent and it seemed like the edge of the Earth. Yet my stay was wonderfully spent in the restaurant, locals’ pub and poky sitting room with honesty bar.
Details B&B doubles from £215 (highlandcoasthotels.com)
17. Penicuik Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian
Once a meeting place during the Scottish Enlightenment, Old Penicuik House is a fire-gutted Palladian ruin of staggering proportions set amid a vast wild and lilting estate that features ponds, riverside paths and a dovecote tower. On the grounds, the stables and cottages have recently opened as sumptuously restored escapes — stay here and you start thinking of Brideshead Revisited. My pick is the one-bedroom Eskfield in the spa house, set within its own Arcadian walled garden with cedar hot tub. By now you’re probably booking.
Details Two nights’ self-catering for two from £490 (penicuikestate.com)
18. Wild Luing, Isle of Luing, Argyll and Bute
Tucked under the belly of Argyll, Luing is easy to miss because of those southern Hebridean heavyweights, Mull and Islay. The clear benefit is that this isle has been left to develop unhurriedly and nowhere has been more successful at doing so than Wild Luing. Its hobbit hole-style one-bed cabins overlook the Firth of Lorn on a family-run cattle farm and your days will be filled with the drama of low and high tide and bracing swims off Cullipool Beach. Come as a couple or group of friends in multiple pods but don’t fight: all eight cabins look out onto gorgeous Torsa Bay.
Details One night’s self-catering for two from £195 (wildluing.com)
19. The Highland Club, Fort Augustus, Highland
Got children? If the stories they read are along the lines of Harry Potter and His Dark Materials, then this former Benedictine abbey turned apartment development on Loch Ness is the golden ticket. The grand reveal beyond the gates resembles Hogwarts, with turrets, quadrangles and cloisters, a giant chessboard and a common room like Gryffindor’s. I expect everyone will find the stone spiral staircases and pool in the former chapel appealing and there’s a big beastie in the loch, if you believe in that sort of thing. The apartment you want is Abbey Church 4, with a private roof terrace for stargazing and, perhaps, seeking parallel universes.
Details One night’s self-catering for three from £296 (thehighlandclub.co.uk)
20. Loch Venacher Lodges, Callander, Stirling
Many think of a Scottish escape as being ribbon-tied with plump armchairs, tweed and a dollop of tartan nostalgia. But this pair of visionary cabins in the Trossachs begs to differ. Coorie is a Rubik’s Cube puzzle, offering sleek black rooms, architectural lines and a topsy-turvy way of embracing the landscape: upstairs is the cantilevered living area with views of the national park, downstairs are the bedrooms mollycoddled by forest. Carsaig, meanwhile, is a more straightforward pad with a private jetty, petanque court, hot tub and outdoor snug with wood-burner.
Details Two nights’ self-catering for four from £680 (lochvenacharlodges.co.uk)
21. Glenmorangie House, Tain, Highland
In the stories you read about Scottish breaks, whisky figures heavily — it’s more friendly to visitors than the midges or weather. It’s now the stylish thing to stay in a distillery and there are plenty to choose from. I love the rooms at the Isle of Raasay Distillery but I’d first book Glenmorangie House, which has nine doubles and cottages. As well as the fine drams on tap, it’s about the interiors, which pop with colour — the palettes derive from the label’s different-aged whiskies. If it’s good enough for superfan Harrison Ford, it’s good enough for you.
Details B&B doubles from £325 (glenmorangie.com)
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22. Newhall Mains, Black Isle, Highland
Far enough off the North Coast 500 that it avoids the bumper-to-bumper summer crush, the Black Isle is about taking your foot off the gas, be it through dolphin watching at Chanonry Point or beer drinking at the Black Isle Brewery. Enter Newhall Mains, a fancy-pants sheep farm in the barley fields, with five cottages, four la-di-da doubles and the area’s most memorable restaurant. Nearby Cromarty is lovely for a daunder, as is RSPB Udale Bay, which attracts thousands of waders such as lapwings, snipes and redshanks.
Details B&B doubles from £290 (newhall-mains.com)
• 19 of the best hotels in the Scottish Highlands
23. The Old Manse of Blair, Blair Atholl, Perth and Kinross
The arrival of Scott Davies (formerly of the Three Chimneys on Skye) is the clearest sign yet that this 23-bedroom sanctuary is gunning for gourmets. Your reward is terrific tasting menus of Scottish bits and bobs such as Orkney scallops, Isle of Lewis grouse and Perthshire duck, but also lovely mansion house rooms, stable snugs and a former railway cottage to flop into after you’ve demolished the cheese board. That’s all local too.
Details B&B doubles from £225 (theoldmanseofblair.com)
24. Borve Lodge Estate, Isle of Harris, Western Isles
The first stop for many on Harris is Luskentyre Beach. I defy you not to fall in love with its shimmering sweep of beach, lagoon-blue water and no-nonsense hills. The second stop should be just to the south, at this former shooting estate now turning heads thanks to its self-catering fantasies, made from dry-stone and slate. The two star turns are the Broch (a collision between an Iron Age tower and arty minimalism) and the Rock House (a Flintstones-style pile with snazzy home comforts). Both are absolutely terrific.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for two from £1,760 (borvelodge.com)
25. Inverlonan Bothies, Oban, Argyll and Bute
Argyll does cabin porn (centrefold huts, bothy kitchens, outdoor showers) better than anywhere else in Scotland. This trio of small adult-only huts overlooking little Loch Nell are up with the best and feel so remote — yet Oban is only four miles away. You could have a wild dip, a birl on a kayak or snoop around Rubha na Moine crannog. Should that sound like too much work, have a barbecue on the fire pit or find zen in the wood sauna. Note, the cabins are a one-mile walk from the car park.
Details Two nights’ self-catering for two from £400 (inverlonan.com)
Where is your favourite place to stay in Scotland? Let us know in the comments below
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