The Bothy at Loch Torridon in Wester Ross
The sturdy stone building on the hill is easily identifiable by its cherry-red tin roofing. Ben Damph You can also find out more about. The family-owned 5,868-hectare (14,500-acre) estate nudges up to Loch Torridon, and the bothy, constructed from the ruins of an old black house (a traditional thatched home), has views over the loch to the mountains beyond. The stonemasons restored the two rooms, each of which sleeps two people. They are heated by log stoves. The furniture has been made from the estate’s timber by a local cabinet maker. The “sitooterie”, a room with picture windows that frame views of Ben Alligin, is located between the two rooms. The bothy has no electricity but running water, a hot shower powered by gas and a compost toilet in the garden.
Sleeps 4, from £342.50 for two nights, bendamph.com
Cairngorms national Park, Gastropub and bunkhouse
Aviemore’s outdoor activity capital is squirming away in the trees near the River Spey, on the edge of Aviemore. Old Bridge Inn The gastropub also has a couple of cool hostel rooms. The inn with the dogs under the table is known for its live folk music and roaring fire. The riverside beer gardens is where paddle boarders and canoeists take to the water and the river. Mountain bikers, mountain climbers and hikers will find the Rothiemurchus hills and forests nearby. The bunkhouse has a vintage chic vibe, with seven en suite rooms and dorms and a kitchen – although if you don’t fancy cooking, head next door to the pub and tuck into Strathspey venison samosas with carrot and cumin sauce and roast hispi cabbage.
Dorm beds from £30, double rooms from £85, family rooms from £95, oldbridgeinn.co.uk
The Hotel The perfect bunkhouse for exploring Glen Coe
Glen Coe is a place of breathtaking grandeur. This majestic glen is hemmed in on one side by the jagged peaks of the challenging Aonach Eagach ridge, and to the south, the buttresses of Bidean nam Bian. In 1692, one of the most infamous massacres in history took place here, government forces slaying the MacDonald clan as they slept. It’s now a huge outdoor playground that attracts hikers, mountain-bikers, and Munro-baggers. The West Highland Way runs through the glen with many walkers sleeping in Kingshouse Hotel The bunkhouse, a smart wooden hostel with charcoal-grey tin roof. The glass-fronted hotel restaurant offers panoramic views of valley.
From £44 for a bunk, £54 for a bunk and breakfast, kingshousehotel.co.uk
Ulva, the island without cars, has a cottage that is remote.
Who binge watched? Banjo and Ro’s Grand Island Hotel Ulva is an idyllic little island, owned by a community and free of cars. A short boat ride from Mull, it’s just 7½ miles long by 2½ miles wide. The walk is only 5 miles from the pier. Boathouse Restaurant) through dappled woods and along a coastal path, brings you to Bearnus There are many ways to say “thank you”. This little off-grid bungalow is perched above a swimming beach. It has been carefully furnished by Andy and Yvette Primerose who also own the island’s hostel. Battery-operated fairy lights are strung around the bathroom – fill the old tin bath with water heated on the wood-burning stove. There are games, stacks of novels, guidebooks and maps, and Crocs and wellies to borrow for island yomps.
Sleeps 2, from £121 for a two-night stay, airbnb.co.uk
The inn offers rooms with fresh seafood. Isle of Skye
Charlie Haddock fell madly in love with the Stein Inn On her way to Outer Hebrides many years ago. She moved to Waternish Peninsula in the remote Waternish Peninsula in 2019 with her family, leaving behind her London life to run the whitewashed waterfront inn dating back to 1790. It is the oldest inn in Skye. Charlie works front of house and in the kitchen, preparing the langoustine, lobster and crab landed just a few feet from the door (her son and daughter help out in the holidays). In 2024 the five sea-view rooms were updated with modern artworks, burnt orange and dove grey headboards.
About £80 B&B, thesteininn.co.uk
Eco-hostel on Rannoch Moor
The old-school boathouse was originally a wooden-clad stable and boathouse. Loch Ossian hostel was built around 1895 on the eponymous loch’s shores by Sir John Stirling Maxwell, the owner of the Corrour estate. He was an environmentalist who donated the building in 1931 to the Scottish Youth Hostels Association. The eco-hostel is powered by solar panels and a windmill. It’s a ivy green and white trim award-winning hostel, nestled in the wilderness of Rannoch Moor. It features compost toilets, grey-water draining reed beds, and bat-friendly non-toxic paint. There is no access by car; catch the train to Corrour station then hike (20 minutes) or bike in.
Beds from £25 A night hostellingscotland.org.uk
Hotel with panoramic views of Loch
You can enjoy your morning coffee with the sleek wooden extension to the Kylesku hotelPicture windows allow you to watch fishers unloading their catch at the slipway of this 19th century coaching inn located in the north-west Highlands. Right on the water’s edge, overlooking Loch Glendhu, this gourmet bolthole on the North Coast 500 route has 11 rooms – four in the modern annexe, Willie’s Hoose, next door; two with a sea loch-facing balcony. This rugged Assynt area is a Unesco geopark. The hotel offers activities such as guided storytelling walks, sea kayaking, and photography workshops.
About £109 B&B, highlandcoasthotels.com
New architecturally designed bothies Argyll
The first property on the Lochnell Estate to be transformed into a hillside hideaway was a derelict, abandoned croft. It’s lit by hurricane lights, and there is a wood-fired vintage bath outside, with a sycamore shaded hose filled with water. Then, the Croft Collective‘s next batch of bothies is about to be completed. Three architect-designed boltholes, named after birds you can spot along the shoreline – oystercatcher, curlew, kittiwake – will open in June. Just a pebble’s throw from the beach, wide-angled views over the Lynn of Lorne to the Isle of Mull in the west, and the Ardnamurchan hills and the mountains of Morvern, are framed by vast windows. Each bothy comes with a Japanese-styled sunken bathtub, as well as dreamy views of the sea and hammocks. Binoculars are also provided to search for otters, seals and eagles flying above.
From about £220 A night, thecroftcollective.com
Lochside conservation village, Wester Ross
Plockton sits on the shores Loch Carron and is a charming 19th-century village. There are yachts bobbing about the bay with palm trees surrounding the waterfront. The Plockton Inn has recently had a jaunty revamp – blowsily colourful rooms with floral feature walls, crimson chairs and navy paintwork are split between the old inn, Sorley’s House over the road and The Haven next door. After a busy day exploring the nearby attractions, such as Eilean Donan CastleOn the pier, you can eat creel-caught Langoustine, or “Plockton shrimps” that have been landed.
About £170 B&B, highlandcoasthotels.com
Cabins with spectacular sunset views in the Isle of Lewis
Enjoy the sunset in this adorable cabin built by a coastal croft Croft 10,. The Hebridean flock of sheep grazes the smallholding, while hens scratch the ground (for farm-fresh eggs at breakfast). The cabin is oriented west, which offers spectacular sunsets as well as a constantly changing seascape. You can spot whales and dolphins on the water, as well as birds of prey that soar above Broad Bay. The restored ruins of the old castle are just 8 miles away from Stornoway, on the remote Hebridean island of Lewis. Shulishader Steps. Take a swim in the wild cove. Or, take the recently finished coastal path. Point and Sandwick Trail.
Sleeps 2From £1The night is 20 dollars , hostunusual.com
