Burns Night Envy

January 25, 2012

Burns Night Envy

Burns Night arrives suddenly every year - usually heralded by Lorraine Kelly in tartan and newspaper articles about the changing price of haggis - and if you’re not Scottish it’s all just mildly confusing. If you are Scottish however, Burns Night seems a lot of fun and a great opportunity to show everyone else how wonderful being Scottish really is. Much as I would usually balk at the idea of singing songs that make no sense and eating a pudding made from sheep’s offal, I can’t help feel a twinge of envy at Scots who are in “the gang” at this time of year.

To mark the occasion (and hop on the bandwagon!), we’ve been hunting out some lovely Scottish places to stay for anyone inspired by the Bard of Ayrshire to head across the border. Anyone living south of the Watford Gap might have ruled out the jaw-dropping scenery of Scotland as a weekend destination, but with the wonder that is the Caledonian Sleeper, you can catch the train in London Euston at 9.15pm on a Friday night and be dropped off in the middle of the mountains early the next morning after a good night’s sleep on-board. All of the following Scottish boltholes are within five miles of a Caledonian Sleeper railway station...


Mambeg Country House
Station: Garelochhead
This very pretty b&b (in the picture) sits on a wooded slope above Gare Loch, with its own pebble beach on the shorefront. Loch Lomond is only a few miles away and the views across the Firth of Clyde are stunning.
£60 a night

Glengarry House
Station: Upper Tyndrum
Sitting right on the famous West Highland Way, this is a popular little place in summer, but always a welcome escape from the rest of the world. Busy bees can canoe, mountain bike, hike and climb munros right from the b&b’s doorstep.
£60 a night

The Bridge of Orchy Hotel
Station: Bridge of Orchy
A cosy, friendly hotel with award-winning food and lovely bedrooms. The River Orchy (the one with the bridge) is perfect for canoeing and white water rafting, while the two munros or Ben Dorain and Ben An Dothaidh tower over the village and are screaming to be walked up.
£100-130 a night

Ewich House
Station: Crianlarich
Sitting in the part of the Highlands between Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, this friendly guesthouse has wonderful views from all its cosy bedrooms.
£72 a night

The Bridge of Gaur Guesthouse
Station: Rannoch
If you’re looking to really get away from it all, you couldn’t do much better than this b&b just 5 miles from Rannoch Moor, one of the last wilderness areas in Europe. The house sits on the shores of Loch Rannoch, where you can fish, canoe or just sit and do nothing. The friendly owners also cook delicious evening meals if you fancy some good Scottish tucker.
From £65 a night



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