WWW.LUXURYSCOTLAND.CO.UK
BY JEREMY HAWKINGS
The Ultimate Road Trip
If you drive from Inverness Castle to the north, through Caithness to John O’Groats, continue around the north coast of Sutherland to Durness and then head south through Wester Ross and back to Inverness, you will have travelled 516 miles of some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.
You do not have to drive, Mark Beaumont famously cycled NC500 non-stop in an impressive 37 hours and 58 minutes. But best tackled in a car over a period of 5/7 days, the route includes Dunrobin Castle, at Golspie, the family seat of the Earl of Sutherland, the most northerly of Scotland’s great houses and the largest house in the north highlands with nearly 200 rooms.
Further up the coast at Thurso, you will find our good friends at Dunnet Bay Distillery who produce Rock Rose Gin and Holy Grass Vodka. You will be made welcome at the distillery and in the summer season there are tours on a Wednesday, Friday and on Saturday. Throughout the NC500 you will enjoy fine driving opportunities with wonderful views. The west coast however is the jewel in the crown. It is certainly one of my favourite locations in the world. You will probably see more sheep than you do people and the neat whitewashed cottages looking out to sea will encourage you to come again or even buy one and come and live in this most beautiful part of the world. Just north of Scourie, there is much wildlife to be
seen on Handa Island, a bird reserve operated by The Scottish Wildlife Trust where each summer 100,000 birds come to breed. There is a little ferry which will take you to the island where you will find puffins, skua, guillemots, razorbills and other varieties of birds. South of Handa Island, Inver Lodge Hotel at Lochinver is a convenient overnight stay and its Chez Roux Restaurant with serve you hearty country cooking using all the wonderful products from the sea, which is literally at the doorstep.
As you come down the coast, you will find The Torridon, a multi award winning hotel set in 58 acres at the head of a magnificent sea loch. This is impressive Scottish countryside and it would be well worth spending a day or two here soaking up the scenery, good food and myriad of activities that are on offer at the hotel. West of Torridon you will find the little village of
Shieldaig, where you will see various forms of wildlife on the land and in the water. Hebridean Princess visits from time to time and you may be lucky to see her in the bay. From there you can either take the direct route south to Lochcarron, or the coastal route to Applecross via Bealach na Ba which is one of the steepest roads in Scotland, passable with care, but it is does offer a spectacular view if you dare take you eyes off the road. Further down the coast, you will approach Kyle of Lochalsh and the Island of Skye, former stamping ground of Gavin Maxwell who wrote about his otters in Ring of Bright Water. A good base from which to explore Skye is Kinloch Lodge the home of Lord Macdonald of Macdonald. From there, the A890 will take you back to Inverness and the end of the holiday that you will never forget. This route can be driven in a car, a caravan or on foot. But for something a little different, if you would like to drive yourself in a Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche or McLaren then talk to
www.langatholl.com who have several options for you. They include stops at Rocpool Reserve and Chez Roux in Inverness and Boath House, the Georgian mansion house near Nairn, which sits in 22 acres of perfectly manicured gardens. m
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