The Great Escape

Charles Douglas gets away from it all

For those in search of an escape from the big city pressures of modern life, the Scottish countryside beckons. The climate, often featuring four seasons in a day, may not always be what you had hoped for, but this is off-set by spectacular scenery, open skies and the opportunity to do exactly as you please. From north to south, east to west, an all-embracing sense of tranquillity and privacy is easily to be found, with time moving at a slower pace. In the west of Scotland, it is often asked if there is a Gaelic word equivalent to the Spanish word mañana. The most typical response is no, nothing so immediate.

Boath House Hotel and Spa
Auldearn, Nairnshire
Tel: +44 (0) 1667 454 896
Website: www.boath-house.demon.co.uk
Located 15 mins from Inverness Airport, this magnificent Georgian mansion set in its own private grounds was saved by Don and Wendy Matheson. There is an award-winning restaurant Under Chef, Charles Lockley, nominated among the top 10 in Scotland. There is plenty to do in and around the hotel, but for those who enjoy visiting historic castles, there are four in the immediate vicinity – Cawdor ( ancestral home of the Campbells of Cawdor), Brodie (home of the Brodies of Brodie and today owned by the National Trust for Scotland), Kilravock (ancestral home of the Roses of Kilravock), and Darnaway (home of the earls of Moray). A short distance away is the battlefield of Culloden, where in 1746 the Jacobite army of Prince Charles Edward Stuart was defeated.

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• By : Charles Douglas
• In : Hotels
• Issue : 4
• Page : 70
• Words : 2,329