The Place
Kinloch Lodge, a white-painted stone house in an isolated position with uninterrupted sea-views, at the southern extremity of the Isle of Skye, was built as a farmhouse around 1700 and later became a shooting lodge. But it escaped the baronial treatment handed out to many such houses in Scotland; “Thank goodness”, says Lady Macdonald, whose style is modern interior-designer rather than dark panelling and tartan. Her daughter now runs the Lodge, which has that easy-going private-house air. The guests’ sitting rooms are comfortably done out in stylishly muted colours; there are open fires, and family oil paintings grace the walls. The dining room is more formal, with sparkling crystal and silver on polished tables.
Since our last visit, the Macdonalds have built the New House with accommodation for themselves and five more double rooms for guests. New House is quite remarkable as it looks, both inside and out, as old as the Lodge, and includes a magnificent stone spiral staircase, as well as a wealth of books, portraits and objets d’art. Kinloch Lodge has long been a mainstay of our Scotland hotels selection.