For more information and to book please visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or let us arrange your whole trip, by calling +44 (0)20 8987 4312 or from the USA dial 1 866 610 3867.
Yes, it’s a struggle to avoid the gushing clichés in this land of sigh-inspiring panoramas – a world away from the cobbled streets of Edinburgh and urban energy of Glasgow, Wester Ross is Scotland’s wild frontier. This northernmost part of the British Isles is a celebration of the great outdoors: rivers, coast and lochs afford fisherfolk the ultimate fix, while crystal-clear waters framed by picturesque mountainscapes provide a walker’s paradise – and a backdrop for that most testosterone-fuelled of events, the Highland Games. Having originated under English occupation, when the Scots had to stealth-train for war without weapons, today’s games give us bare-below-kilts he-men tossing cabers, throwing hammers and lobbing rocks. These enjoyments are best taken with a stiff whisky; after all, the word for this amber-hued elixir stems from the Gaelic for ‘water of life’.
Just as Eskimos have many words for snow, Gaelic is rich with different ways to say ‘hill’, from sgúrr (‘spiky peak’) to bealach and lairig (‘pass’) – for those who would rather walk through than climb over. Whatever the scale of your ambitions, the Scottish Highlands offer some of the best hill-walking and mountain-climbing country in Britain, so you’ll be closer to heaven even if you don’t attempt an ascent to Ben Nevis’ spiky peak.
… stopping by archetypal Scottish castle Eilean Donan in Dornie, which presides over the meeting of three huge sea lochs. While you’re there, try a spot of beer tasting: the 18th-century Old Inn (+44 (0)1445 712006) in Gairloch serves particularly well-kept real ales.
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and romantic boutique hotels in Wester Ross
Pool House is full of passion – for wine, food and stylish decor, all vocations for a family who have searched the corners of the earth to furnish their delightful loch-side hotel.
Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
July Gairloch sheepdog trials – watch the hounds herding (+44 (0)1445 712412). August Assynt Highland Games at Culag Park in Lochinver: Highland dancing, piping, salmon and trout fly-casting… and a duck race, in which hundreds of rubber ducks are floated down the river in a fit of biannual watery madness (+44 (0)1571 844647; www.albagames.co.uk). Across the region, the Highland Games can be anything from a small village gathering to an enormous event like the Cowal Games in Dunoon, which attracts 3,500 competitors and 10,000 spectators (www.cowalgathering.com). September The Loopallu music festival in the fishing village of Ullapool features a sprinkling of top acts, a sideline of fringe shows and street entertainment, and liberal amounts of surprisingly sophisticated local food (www.loopallu.co.uk).
The licensed café at the sensational Perfume Studio is open 10am–6pm throughout summer (closed January to March). The tasty soups, door-stop sandwiches, home-baked cakes and aromatic coffees and teas will counter any chills; in fine weather, head to a picnic table for some otter-spotting.
Mellon Charles, Loch Ewe, Wester Ross IV22 2JL
Around the corner from Pool House on Poolewe’s Main Street, this a friendly little stop-off for home-made soups and cakes. The small gallery sells jewellery and art by local craftsmen.
Main Street, Poolewe, Wester Ross
Don't let the apparent simplicity of this little eatery put you off, there's culinary wizardry at work here. Set in the pretty walled garden of Applecross House, this café/restaurant sources all its food from the local area – veg from the kitchen garden, muchrooms and venison from the surrounding forest, fish and seafood from the Sound of Raasay – and the versatile chef has worked alongside Marco Pierre White and Michel Roux.
Applecross Estate, Applecross, IV54 8ND
The self-service restaurant set in the stunning Inverewe Garden is ideal for afternoon tea or a light lunch after visiting. Open 31 March to 30 September, daily 10am–5pm; 1–31 Oct, daily 10am–4pm. The restaurant is occasionally still open in the winter months: ring to check times and dates.
Inverewe Garden, Poolewe, Ross-shire IV22 2LG
In summer, enjoy a lunch of mussels or scallops with garlic butter at this unpretentious licensed restaurant, housed in a wooden structure. It does get quite busy in high season – thanks to its deserved reputation for deliciously fresh local shellfish and fantastic loch views – and is not always open in winter, so ring to check before you set off
Kishorn, Strathcarron, Ross-shire IV54 8XA
A water’s-edge pub in Badachro on the south shore of Loch Gairloch that serves tasty fresh prawns and salmon. Get a table outside if it's fine, and watch boats and birds puttering back and forth across the water.
Badachro, Gairloch, Ross-shire IV21 2AA
A former coaching inn right on Gairloch’s fishing harbour, where you can catch live, local music on weekend evenings. Local West Coast seafood and Scottish game such as wild venison dominates the hearty, traditional menu. Real ales are also a speciality - they even have their own brew, dubbed the Blind Piper of Gairloch (blind drunk?).
Gairloch, Wester Ross, Ross-shire IV21 2BD
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