Walking hotels in Scotland
Cringletie House
Peebles
‘Expensive but very comfortable' with 'excellent food', this Victorian Scottish baronial hotel on a 28-acre estate combines luxury with unforced family and dog-friendliness.
The Kirkwall Hotel - Dinner Bed & Breakfast Special Offer
Kirkwall
A French-influenced building on the harbourside, this family-friendly hotel and local hub was extensively refurbished by new owners the Original Collection in 2018.
Knockinaam Lodge - July £100 Discount Special Offer
Portpatrick
Where the road ends and the Irish Sea begins, this former Victorian hunting lodge with a private cove is secluded, unapologetically traditional and rich in comforts and good food.
Rufflets
St Andrews
Seventy-two years after its launch as a hotel, in countryside outside St Andrew's, third-generation owners of this turreted Edwardian mansion take evident pride in their legacy.
The Green Park
Pitlochry
Traditional as Burns Night and bannocks, the McMenemie family’s Victorian country house hotel stands in lawned gardens sweeping down to the shores of Loch Faskally.
Trigony House - Summer Complimentary Dinner Special Offer
Thornhill
In a ‘beautiful’ setting, Jan and Adam Moore’s dog-friendly country hotel in an 18th-century sporting lodge looks out over the hills and is surrounded by trees.
Cavens
Dumfries
'A genuine oasis of tranquility', Angus and Jane Fordyce’s Georgian mansion is set in open countryside close to the dunes and salt marshes of the Solway coast.
Forss House - Dinner B&B Special Offer
Thurso
Under the big skies of Caithness, wrapped in woodland and a curve of the River Forss, this Georgian mansion offers the grandeur of Scottish country house living but with modern-day warmth and comforts.
Knockendarroch Hotel - Book 2 nights and get a 3rd half price Special Offer
Pitlochry
More than 40 miles of signed routes around Pitlochry lead through woodland, along the loch side, by river and burn, to the Linn of Tummel waterfall, to Scotland’s smallest distillery. Struan and Louise Lothian, hosts at this hotel, are happy to advise.
Shieldaig Lodge - 'Food Lovers Package' Special Offer
Gairloch
Whale-watching, spectacular sunsets and starry, starry nights are among the wonders at this Victorian former hunting lodge on a wooded estate lapped by Loch Gairloch.
The Old Priory Bed and Breakfast
Kelso
With the market square to the fore and a walled garden behind, the Girdwoods’ Georgian town house has attractive, traditionally styled bedrooms, including a family suite, while breakfast is served in the light-filled dining room.
No 17 on The Promenade
Oban
You can drink cocktails as you watch the ferries from the opulent lounge or the terrace of this Victorian seafront hotel, which reopened in 2022 under new ownership after a six-figure transformation.
Kinloch Lodge
Sleat
'In a beautiful position' on the shores of Loch Na Dal, in the lee of a wooded hill, this former hunting lodge offers 'comfortable bedrooms and public rooms and excellent food'.
Galson Farm Guest House
On the north-west coast of the Isle of Lewis, Elaine Fothergill and Richard Inger invite you to their traditional Hebridean farmhouse to switch off, unwind and relax.
Knockderry House Hotel
Helensburgh
'Scottish baronial at its best', this Victorian fantasia with half-timbering, turrets, candle-snuffer roofs and stepped gables, sits in ‘a lovely large garden’ on the shores of Loch Long.
Cathedral House
GLASGOW
Built in 1896 as a halfway hostel for female prisoners, this fine baronial house, opposite the Necropolis, is now a comfortable B&B.
Lundies House
A Scandi makeover has transformed this 19th-century manse, overlooking the Kyle of Tongue, into an environmentally aware boutique hotel with the feel of a design and art enthusiast’s home.
Links House
At once grand and intimate, this sumptuously refurbished Victorian manse overlooking the green at the Royal Dornoch has a relaxed, country-house ambience, fine bedrooms, annexe suites and award-winning cooking.
Glengarry Castle Hotel
Invergarry
Turn off the A82 onto a wooded drive, and you will pass the emotive ruins of Invergarry Castle in the grounds of this Scottish baronial mansion overlooking Loch Oich.
Achray House
St Fillans
Walkers and wildlife-watchers returning to this small hotel on the shores of Loch Earn, in the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, can dine from short, ambitious menus of classically inspired modern cooking.
Mingary Castle
Kilchoan
‘Staying in the inner courtyard of a 13th-century castle was always going to be unforgettable,’ writes an inspector, on a visit to Colin Nicolson and Jessica Thompson’s restaurant-with-rooms.
Dunalastair Hotel Suites
KINLOCH RANNOCH
Understated modern luxury and all-day gourmet dining stand in contrast to the Victorian exterior and wildly beautiful scenery around Loch Rannoch, at this hotel in a stone-built village.
The Loch Ness Inn
Drumnadrochit
Hikers and cyclists stop for the simple comforts of this friendly 160-year-old coaching inn, a ‘busy and bustling’ local gathering place in a village on the Great Glen Way.
Coruisk House
Isle of Skye
A single-track road leads to this remote and intimate Skye ‘black house’, with simple, chic bedrooms, glorious views and a restaurant serving a four-course set menu of local produce.
Isle of Mull Hotel
Craignure
Wild swimming, wildlife watching and a rejuvenating spa are among the attractions at this immaculately refurbished hotel with glorious views across Craignure Bay.
Jura Hotel
Craighouse
The only hotel on this sparsely populated island has warm, simple bedrooms with contemporary furnishings and appetising, no-nonsense menus of gastropub-style favourites.
The Ship Inn
Elie
The catch of the day could be Shetland hake in the restaurant or nifty fielding on the sands at this pub-with-rooms overlooking the Firth of Forth, with its own beach cricket team.
Burnside Cottage
Caithness
‘I have not stayed in a better B&B,’ wrote our inspector, of this dog-friendly, eco-friendly guesthouse moments from Orkney ferries terminal.
The Roseate Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Close to the city centre, a Jacobean-style Victorian villa sitting above a manicured front garden, combines with Hampton House across the road as a ‘really fantastic hotel’.
Glenegedale House
Glenegedale
Graeme and Emma Clark’s hospitable guest house on the Isle of Islay basks in uninterrupted views over the Mull of Oa; guests often bask in the comfort – and indulgent treats – the hosts provide.
Foyers Lodge
Foyers
Surrounded by wild beauty, on the quieter shore of Loch Ness, this adults-only guest house has been styled with respect for its Victorian origins, with rich heritage colours, paintings, photographs, antiques and curiosities.
The Inn at Loch Tummel
Pitlochry
Spectacular views across Loch Tummel to the iconic peak of Schiehallion can be seen from this ‘characterful and quirky old coaching inn’ ten miles from Pitlochry in Perthshire’s big-tree country.
The Tontine
Peebles
Friendly, helpful staff win praise at this town-centre hotel, with contemporary bedrooms, some in the annexe, a drop-in lounge for afternoon tea, a bistro for informal dining, and the Adam Room restaurant.
The Colintraive Hotel
Colintraive
Walkers, kayakers and wildlife-watchers are in their element at this friendly inn, with views to the Isle of Bute, moorings for the waterborne, bedrooms supplied with fresh coffee, and seasonal produce cooked with flair.
Eddrachilles Hotel
Scourie
Amid the awe-inspiring landscape of the North West Highlands Geopark, in gardens bordering Badcall Bay, Fiona and Richard Trevor’s small hotel receives readers' acclaim.
The Three Chimneys and The House Over-By
Dunvegan
Decorated in cool Scandi-Scots style, this former crofter’s house on the shores of Loch Dunvegan is a celebrated restaurant showcasing local produce, with, across the courtyard, spacious, split-level bedrooms painted in restful shades.
Kinloch House
Blairgowrie
The comforts of a traditional country house combine with Relais & Châteaux luxury at this gracious Victorian home-from-home with fine-dining restaurant and views to Marlee Loch and the Sidlaw hills.
Craigatin House and Courtyard
Pitlochry
Pheasants wander the enclosed gardens and woodland of this stone-built Victorian house, within easy walking distance of the town.
The Prince’s House
Fort William
Close to Loch Shiel, this old coaching inn has hosted travellers along the Road to the Isles since the 17th century.
The Fife Arms
Braemar
Swiss gallerists Iwan and Manuela Wirth have had a creative fling at this Victorian coaching inn in a Cairngorms village famed for its Highland Games, filling interiors with important artworks and Victoriana, though menus are short, the cooking spare and elegant.