The Place
There is a sense of adventure in travelling to a hotel by ferry, particularly when it involves a ten-mile journey, first alongside a loch and then over a pass through a steep-sided glen. Drop down through the glen, pass through the small village of Strontian, and there, in a romantic setting on the shores of Loch Sunart, is Kilcamb Lodge.
Originally built in the early 18thC, with Victorian additions, Kilcamb is a beautifully restored country house with eleven bedrooms, some with a loch view. Set amidst lawns and woodland, filled in spring with the colours of rhododendrons, azaleas and many wild flowers, it is a romantic and calming bolthole, the perfect choice for nature lovers: sea otters, seals, pine martens, red and roe deer and golden eagles can be found.
The ground floor public rooms have been recently refurbished, creating a rustic country house feel. There is a wonderful Victorian wrought-iron staircase and a large stained glass window. All the bedrooms are individually decorated and have triple-lined curtains (it stays light very late in summer). Chef Gary Phillips prepares fresh Scottish food using locally-sourced fish, shellfish and meat from the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. Highlights of Phillips’ impressive menu include homemade focaccia with mint infused vinegar and a barbeque mackerel fillet with a beetroot and horseradish remoulade.
Kilcamb Lodge was recently named National Winner of the Country House Hotel of the Year Award in the Hotel of the Year Scotland Awards 2023.