In UK terms Achnasheen is in the back of beyond. In Scottish terms it's just remote. It does have a good road to Inverness about an hour away and a train station built in 1870 (and trains between Kyle and Inverness still stop there!). It's also very small and I doubt the population exceeds double figures. It was where, at the only hotel a mile from the village, Pauline and I stayed on the first night of our safari after visiting Fort George.
Ledgowan Lodge Hotel is a Victorian hunting lodge well over 100 years old and a perfect place to stay. In addition to very friendly service and very good food here's why:
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| Arriving in the evening |
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| From my bedroom window at 0545 |
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| Before breakfast |
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| The entrance hall looking towards lounge |
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| Lounge with chess |
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| Lounge with piano |
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| Entrance hall looking towards dining room |
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| A little way from the hotel on the road to Kyle |
It looks a very grand place but still has the dreaded carpet. Do all Scottish hotels have the same or similar pattern on the floor?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question Adrian. It's certainly popular in hunting lodges.
DeleteWow - I guess rooms don't come cheap here! And you can not just show us the lounge and the entrance hall and not your bedroom which is, no doubt, something straight out of a Victorian novel, four poster bed included.
ReplyDeleteSpectacular views but truly remote... even though a train stops at the village and I certainly could walk the mile to the hotel, I doubt I'll ever stay there depending on public transport.
Actually Meike it was remarkably reasonable given that it was at the height of the Scottish tourist season. The bedrooms were actually quite modern and the bathrooms exceptional. As for staying there who can know what might happen in life?
DeleteAmazing fog in the landscapes. Love the reflections as well.
ReplyDeleteMersad
Mersad Donko Photography
Thank you Mersad. Not a patch on most of your landscapes though.
DeleteSuch a stunning lodge....a beautiful area...It looks so very peaceful. Great photos, Graham. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was very peaceful Lee.
DeleteWhat a fabulous area it looks. I really ought to be going back to Scotland! I am a sucker for Victorian hunting lodges and the like, and Scotland is very well supplied with fab Victoriana. Perhaps this is partly because Queen Vic was such a fan and so all the rich people thought they should have places in Scotland too.
ReplyDeleteJenny as you know the Highlands has wonderfully varied scenery and Acnasheen is of the remote but not severe variety. I've never wondered as to why there are so many Victorian lodges and hotels but your theory sounds probable.
DeleteLooks like a very peaceful place to spend the night....not a fan of the animal heads on the wall though.
ReplyDeleteOddly Virginia I've become so used to the stags' heads that I never give them a though these days. All of those were killed around a century ago. Now whilst stags are still killed the estates are particular about which ones and how they are culled.
DeleteIt looks so lovely there - so Scottish in a Highland way. A smashing treat for you and more especially for your lady visitor.
ReplyDeleteIt was YP. Four decades ago I came here for two years. That fact that I am still here tells you how I feel about the Highlands and Islands.
DeleteThat's a great place to stay that's a little out in the "boonies."
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure, Red, that we think of the Highlands and Islands as the boondocks. I think in US terms (and I'm not sure how the Canadian use of the word varies) most of Scotland would be the boondocks so far as I can tell. We don't see ourselves that way.
DeleteBy boondocks we mean an area that is remote from the main built up and developed areas. I like areas that are away from the crowds.
DeleteIt certainly looks like a place with "atmosphere"... Makes me think of the TV series Monarch of the Glen (which I recently watched again). Have to agree with Virginia though about all those animal heads on the walls...
ReplyDeleteMonica the atmosphere was very much like the house in Monarch of the Glen (I loved Lexie). The animal heads are just part of old hunting lodges and castles and it would seem odd if they were to be removed.
DeleteI don't see too many visitors; did you have the place to yourselves?
ReplyDeleteNo Cro the hotel was full but it doesn't have a lot of bedrooms. I think I took the photos before breakfast when there was no one around. Oddly I didn't see anyone in the lounge at all but the cosy bar and main hall were well used in the evening and were less formal (and had a good wifi connection!).
DeleteA'll huv the wee hoose by the burn.
ReplyDeleteMarcel it was a bit remote even by our standards.
DeleteSo nice to see it again, Graham ahd great to see the early morning scenes I missed. I still rememger the Beetroot and Brie Pie! too! Thanks for choosing there for our overnight stay. It was a lovely intro to the highlands.
ReplyDeleteSorry Pauline. I forgot to acknowledge your comment. Very remiss of me because I did see it. It was a very fortunate choice made even better by the lady who looked after us.
DeleteWhat a fantastic old Hotel! I absolutely love the history in the UK and the landscape really captured my heart when I was there in 2010. The last image is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteIt is a lovely old place Liz: a former hunting lodge. There's a lot of history and landscape in the UK but in many places it's difficult to appreciate it because of the numbers of people sharing it. Scotland still has many, many remote places (as does the rest of the UK if you can get off the beaten track!).
DeleteThe hotel looks very stately. I bet one can feel the presence of past guests still lingering in the lounges. Very nice photos.
ReplyDeleteHello JarieLyn. Thank you. There was a lot of atmosphere of times and people past in the hotel which was an old hunting lodge.
DeleteIt looks like you were the only guests! What a treasure.
ReplyDeleteActually, Tabor, there were quite a few guests but it's not a large hotel and I took the photos when other guests were either not up or in the dining room having breakfast.
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