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Ness River Lodge, Stoneyfield House, Inverness, Scotland IV2 7PA
IV2 7PA
Ness River Lodge
- Style
- Contemporary Caledonia
- Setting
- Banks of the River Ness
Ness River Lodge enjoys a spectacular location on the banks of one of Scotland’s finest salmon fishing rivers. Fly-fishermen from around the world come here to test their skill, and while we can’t guarantee a prize catch, a carefree and stylish stay is assured. The lodge sleeps up to 13 and offers the quintessential Highland experience, but the Asian and African influences reveal a decidedly cosmopolitan style. Sip a whisky by the towering fireplace and drink in the river views from the picture window. The lure of Inverness, Loch Ness and the spectacular Cairngorms will no doubt tempt you to explore.
'What a wonderfully privileged week. No fish but no problem. So relaxing. Excellent food and friendly people'
'Thanks for a superb stay. The lodge is fantastic, with such attention to detail. The staff have been so friendly and helpful'
'We’ve had a most wonderful experience here in the luxury and warmth of this spectacular house'
In the know
House style
Country house
Grounds
The lodge is right on the river bank, surrounded by four acres of lawns. Its rural setting makes it hard to believe you’re only a few minutes outside Inverness.
Sleeps
12–13 including a single room normally used by a nanny.
Ideal for
Fly-fishing, fantastic food (particularly trout and salmon) and a stylish escape to the Great Outdoors.
Rates
£5,875 a week excluding fishing and catering. These extras must be included if you stay between 5 July and 14 October.
Minimum hire
Three-night breaks from Friday to Sunday and four-night midweek breaks are available out of the main fishing season.
Also
Smoking is not allowed in the lodge
Eating & drinking
Ness River Lodge is fully catered during the peak fishing season which runs from the beginning of July to 14 October, and is self-catered during the rest of the year. Catering can easily be arranged during this time. Nothing beats eating the salmon you caught yourself. You can dine under the antler chandelier in the lodge, or in the bothy right next to the water. Ness River Lodge is fully catered during the peak fishing season, which runs from the beginning of July to 14 October. Outside the fishing season, the lodge is available on a self-catered basis but a chef and waiting staff can easily be arranged.
Weddings
You can get married anywhere on the grounds and there are facilities and space to host the largest of weddings.
Children
Welcome. Travel cots can be provided on request. The separate bedroom on the ground floor is often used by a nanny and has a small sitting room.
Music
There’s a CD player in every bedroom, and a CD library in the snug. The central focus of Ness River Lodge is fly-fishing for salmon and trout on the river. Not only can the lodge provide you with everything you need to fish in one of the best stretches of water in the Highlands, you can also get expert tuition from Gordon Armstrong, the Spey casting world record holder. Exclusive fishing rights are provided on a stretch that accommodates four to six rods.
Provided
Bed linen, towels, toiletries, books, board games and WiFi in The Lodge and the Bothy. A housekeeper is included in the cost and will visit daily.
Packing tips
Bring some sun cream. Scotland isn’t exactly famous for sunshine but a hot day out on the river can turn you as pink as a salmon.
Eco policy
Recycling facilities are provided on-site. Ness River Lodge safeguards a very valuable river ecosystem so you won't be able to fish with equipment that has been used abroad in the last six months.
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The house is arranged around a central atrium and a monumental fireplace. All bedrooms are doubles with en suite bathrooms except for the single room on the ground floor, which is often used by a nanny. Each room is named after one of the famous rivers in the area. All rooms have a flat-screen TV, DVD and CD player.
Interior
Bedrooms
Ness: This master bedroom has an en suite bathroom and large private balcony with river views. Spey: A double room with en suite bathroom and a balcony with views of the river Ness. Thurso: This double room has more limited views and an en suite shower room. Helmsdale: At the back of the house, this double room has an en suite bathroom. Brora: A double room with river views and an en suite bathroom. Beauly: This double room also has river views and an en suite shower room. Conon: This single bedroom on the ground floor has an en suite shower room and a small private lounge, but no DVD.
Kitchen The fully equipped kitchen can easily cater for house parties. Essentials like a large gas range, microwave, cavernous caterer’s fridge and an ice maker are provided.
Living room There’s a hint of a US-style mountain lodge with the monumental fireplace and fantastic double height windows overlooking the river. There’s also a snug with a high-definition TV, DVD and CD player. Both rooms lead out onto the terrace where you can enjoy drinks and dinner in the evening.
Dining room The dining table seats 10. The magnificent deer antler chandelier is quite a feature.
Other There’s a boot room by the front door where you can prepare for a fishing trip or a day in the Great Outdoors.
Outdoor
Poolside The hot tub is yards from the river’s edge, down by the bothy.
Gardens The lawns run down to the river bank to some of the best fishing in the whole of Scotland.
Parking There’s ample parking for over 20 cars, should you need it.
Other Guests have full use of the small lodge, or bothy, at the other end of the garden next to the river. It has a steam room, plus an indoor dining area and a terrace with a barbecue; the perfect setting for a summer’s evening and an excellent place for a drink by the stove after a day's fishing.
check availability
To check availability and book a vacation rental property please call the Smith travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee best available rates on all vacation rental properties.
Inverness is the capital of the Highlands and this surprisingly cosmopolitan city is surrounded by an awe-inspiring landscape of mountains, rivers, forests and sandy beaches.
Activities
Best picnic spot
The banks of the river Ness are fantastic picnic spots. It’s best to cross over to the wooded north side of the river, which is more secluded. The lodge can provide a rowing boat to get you there.
Best beaches
There are some lovely sandy beaches in the area where you can have acres of sand to yourself. Rosemarkie beach on the north side of the Moray Firth is wonderful when the sun shines.
Best walks
There’s a steep but splendid walk from the Falls of Foyers, about halfway along the south shore of Loch Ness, to Whitebridge, along the wooded gorge of the river Foyers. The area was famously described by Robbie Burns: 'As high in air the bursting torrents flow, / As deep recoiling surges foam below, / Prone down the rock the whitening sheet descends, / And viewless Echo's ear, astonish'd, rends.'
Activities
Take a tour of Loch Ness by ferry with the Loch Ness Express which runs between Inverness and Fort Augustus, at the southern end of the loch (www.lochnessexpress.com). Keep your eyes peeled for monsters! There are magnificent golf courses in the area including Skibo (www.carnegieclub.co.uk), Spey Valley (www.aviemoregolf.com), Nairn (www.nairngolfclub.co.uk) and the links course at Royal Dornoch (www.royaldornoch.com). G2 in Aviemore can arrange a wide range of summer and winter activities including rafting, kayaking, canyoning, mountain biking and skiing (www.g2outdoor.co.uk).
Smith tip
No one knows why fly-fishing actually works; salmon don’t eat flies (or anything else) when swimming up the rivers to their breeding ground. One look at a fisherman's fly will tell you that it doesn’t look like a real insect. One theory is that these fish, which spend most of their lives in the ocean, are simply curious in the novel surroundings of the river. Whatever the reason, you can still catch a salmon with this method… well, sometimes.
Eating, drinking and dancing
Restaurants
Rocpool Reserve
+44 (0)1463 240 089
This riverside fine-dining restaurant has a particular focus on local produce which changes with the seasons. The menu includes fantastic Skye scallops and juicy Aberdeenshire beef. It’s popular for Sunday lunch, too.
Rocpool Reserve, Culduthel Road, Inverness IV2 4AG
Abstract
+44 (0)1463 223 777
With one eye on a Michelin star, this restaurant has fantastic French-style cuisine that uses such local ingredients such as hare fillets, Angus steaks and locally-caught sea trout.
Abstract, Glenmoriston Town House Hotel, Ness Bank, Inverness, IV2 4SF
Contrast
+44 (0)1463 223 777
Right next to sister restaurant Abstract, Contrast is a more informal brasserie but perhaps even more popular. It’s got the same great riverside location and its often adventurous dishes are definitely worth a try.
Contrast, Glen Moriston Town House, Ness Bank, Inverness IV2 4SF
Café 1
+44 (0)1463 226 200
This great Inverness restaurant is ideal for lunch or dinner in relaxed surroundings. The menu is varied and includes some excellent pasta dishes. It’s closed on Mondays.
Café 1, 75 Castle Street, Inverness IV2 3EA
Riva
+44 (0)1463 237 377
This is a very popular Italian restaurant with a good pre-theatre menu. We didn’t get to hear the singing waiter but everyone in Inverness seems to know about him.
Riva, 4-6 Ness Walk, Inverness IV3 5NE
Cafés
Rocpool Rendezvous
+44 (0)1463 717 274
More informal than its namesake on the other side of the Ness, but with a similarly excellent menu, this Inverness restaurant does particularly good seafood. The sole and seabass are excellent.
Rocpool Rendezvous, 1 Ness Walk, Inverness IV3 5NE
check availability
To check availability and book a vacation rental property please call the Smith travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee best available rates on all vacation rental properties.
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Housekeeping
Daily housekeeping is included in the cost.
check availability
To check availability and book a vacation rental property please call the Smith travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee best available rates on all vacation rental properties.
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Planes By plane: Inverness airport is a short distance outside the city and there are regular flights from Gatwick with Easyjet and BA, and from Heathrow with British Midland (www.invernessairport.com). The flight time to London is one and a half hours.
Trains The Caledonian Sleeper service operates from London Euston to Inverness every evening except Saturday (www.firstscotrail.com). There are regular daily services from Glasgow and Edinburgh. The journey from Perth, across the Cairngorms, is breathtaking. See www.trainline.co.uk for details.
Local taxi service Highland Taxis (+44 (0)1463 222 222). For car hire, click on our Travel Offers page. Smithcard holders get a 10 per cent discount with Hertz.
Directions by road There are three main routes to Inverness; the A82 from Glasgow, the A9 from Perth and the A96 from Aberdeen. Beware of bad weather in winter, particularly on the A9. From Inverness follow Island Bank Road and Dores Road from the city centre, along the south bank of the river Ness.
On the wooded banks of the River Ness, an enormous picture window lets the light flood in, and frames a view down to the water from the sitting room
Review
Ness River Lodge is only a short distance outside Inverness, the Capital of the Highlands, but its secluded setting on the wooded banks of the River Ness is the perfect rural setting. The focus may be on the outstanding fly-fishing along the lodge’s exclusive stretch of river, but the splendour of the surrounding lochs and mountains means it won’t just be the salmon and trout that will be lured and tempted.
The lodge is a spectacular building with an enormous picture window which lets light flood in, with a view down to the water from the sitting room. It’s a wonderfully comfortable place to relax and has a refreshing style that skilfully blends Highland flourishes, such as antler chandeliers, with multi-cultural influences from Africa and Asia. The look is as influenced by American mountain lodges as traditional Scottish retreats and creates an atmosphere that is both classic and contemporary.
The lodge sleeps a maximum of 13 guests in eight warm and cosy rooms, including a single room on the ground floor that is often used for a nanny. All rooms are en suite and the river view rooms with private balconies are the most sought after. The facilities are excellent throughout; rooms have DVDs and CD players, and Ness River Lodge also has a snug with a plasma screen, board games, DVD and CD library. The sitting rooms are blissfully comfortable and the attention to detail extends to the use of carefully selected essential oils to set the mood in each room.
During the peak salmon fishing season between July and October, the lodge is fully catered and you can dine on the day’s catch at the large table next to the monumental fireplace or out on the terrace, assuming you manage to hook something! Guests have exclusive rights to four pools on one of the finest fishing rivers in Scotland, and the current Spey casting world champion Gordon Armstrong is on hand to improve your chances of landing a salmon or two.
On an long summer's evening, unwind with drinks or a barbecue at the bothy – a small fisherman’s lodge at the far end of the garden. Outside the fishing season it’s still possible to arrange a chef and waiting staff that can cater for you in style. The terrace is built out over the water, where only the sound of the rushing river disturbs the silence.
Those who want to spend their time waist-deep in a river will be in heaven here, but guests looking to explore further afield won’t be disappointed either. As well as the fabulous food at Ness River Lodge, the city of Inverness is only a few minutes drive away and there are some excellent restaurants to choose from, where the difficult task of catching delicious fish is already done for you.
Beyond Inverness, the majestic landscape of the Cairngorms and the mysterious depths of Loch Ness provide plenty of other distractions – especially if you spot the Loch Ness Monster. During the summer there’s a wide range of activities, including mountain biking, rafting and canyoning. The more sedate alternatives are loch cruises, country walks and a some of the finest golf courses in Scotland. In the winter, it’s even possible to go skiing in Aviemore. Ness River Lodge can arrange activities to help you enjoy this beautiful and unspoilt part of the British Isles to the full.
Reviewed by Jim Whyte
check availability
To check availability and book a vacation rental property please call the Smith travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee best available rates on all vacation rental properties.
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