10 of the best hotels in the Scottish Highlands Sarah Turner
Doune Knoydart, Inverness-shire
Part of the Scottish mainland, but with access only by ferry from Mallaig or an 18-mile walking track, the Knoydart peninsula is properly remote. Doune is a low-slung hotel built from the ruins of ancient cottages and has large-scale views over to the islands of Rum, Skye and Eigg. Today, there are four bothies and cottages. The hotel’s restaurant is the hub, serving organic vegetables from the its garden, shellfish from the neighbouring water and many cheeses from local dairies.
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The Torridon, Wester Ross
The rugged epitome of a north-west Highland escape, this boutique resort on the wild shores of Loch Torridon really does have something for everyone. You can go upmarket in the hotel, or chill out in the more casual and family-friendly stable conversion. Whichever you choose, there’s 55 acres to play with for walking, coasteering, snorkeling and wild swimming
A Christian community on a tiny Hebridean island which for centuries has attracted pilgrims from all over the world will reopen on Monday after a mammoth campaign raised £3.75m to save it from closure. The Iona community, centred on a Benedictine abbey in whose grounds John Smith, the late Labour leader, is buried, has spent the past three years making its buildings fit for the 21st century. The upgrade includes the installation of a renewable.