YOUR WEEKEND... AWAY

Need to unwind? Recharge your batteries? Have fun? Well, take a break... on your doorstep

There can be few more romantic ideas than staying in a castle in the Scottish Highlands amid heathercovered moors, with golden eagles soaring above and a piper perhaps waking you for breakfast, as is the Queen’s preferred alarm call every morning at Balmoral. But in reality finding the perfect castle is a bit of a quest. Many are still owned privately – Blair castle in Perthshire, the seat of the Dukes of Atholl, even has its own army. Others, like Skibo in Dornoch, where Madonna married Guy Ritchie in 2000, are part of an exclusive members’ club. Still more are in ruins, or rather tired and dusty.

But Achnagairn Castle near Inverness is witty and welcoming. Recently refurbished with vibrant pink and lime green sofas against its dark wooden panelling, there isn’t a piece of tattered chintz in sight. Instead, filled with four-poster beds and a chaise longue where Marlene Dietrich once lolled, it’s been gathering 5-star reviews since it opened as a hotel for the public just for the summer season. Until now it’s been a secret known only to lucky brides and grooms who take the estate over for their weddings – Pippa Middleton is thought to have an eye on it after noting that Harper’s Bazaar named it No 1 wedding venue in the UK this year. Pop stars have enjoyed its seclusion, and car companies have filmed their ads on its private roads. But now, for a few months a year, it’s open to all, and at just a 20-minute drive from Inverness, gateway to the Highlands, it’s the perfect place from which to explore Scotland’s most spectacular scenery.

Not even our EasyJet flight being delayed could dim our excitement at the sight of lamps from the lobby beckoning us in. In the morning we would spot red squirrels doing somersaults on the branch- es of silver birches, but for now we were cocooned in the drawing room before a roaring fire, sampling a single malt. It’s the perfect place to plan your adventures – whether fishing on the River Ness, taking a cruiser out on the loch to search for Nessie, visiting the local distillery or playing golf at a championship course.

We had been told about Chanonry Point, near Fortrose on the Black Isle, which is one of the best places in Britain to spot dolphins, who chase the fish in on the rising tide. We were enchanted by three bottlenose dolphins – one clearly a little calf – leaping from the water just a few feet from us.

Inverness is also a hub for hikers and cyclists, and it’s hard to beat a day in the still majesty of the glens, where you’re more likely to encounter a stag, sheep and a good many rabbits than a motorist.

Even better is coming back to your room at Achnagairn to relax. You can almost feel the soul of the old house basking in its renewed glory, as owners Gillian and Michael, who put their hearts, souls and a whole lot of money into the estate after saving it from being broken up into flats, have let their imaginations run riot, with each room having a particular theme. The bridal suite’s name Happily Ever After is the most obvious – but Victoria’s Secret is the most surprising (it’s nothing to do with push-up bras), Ring a Ring a Roses is a circular room with a circular bed and ClanDestine is just laugh-out-loud funny.

Much of the furniture has come from the Savoy Hotel and the Hempel in London, including the four-poster in Happily Ever After, which also has a Jacuzzi in the room large enough to do lengths.

If the Scottish mists descend and you get housebound, the best tour to take is of the castle itself. We spent days exploring, discovering the snug where you can hide away, the cosy bar, the cinema room and the ballroom, and marvelling at the stained glass window on the spectacular staircase. But it was the depth of comfort which we appreciated even more. And just a three-minute stroll away are Achnagairn’s modern lodges, each with five or six bedrooms, which you can rent entirely or just by the room. Our favourite was Antholodgie where each bedroom is devoted to a literary work.

Up until now you were more likely to spot Nessie than find fine dining in Inverness, but Achnagairn’s new restaurant Table Manors has a head and sous chef who have both won the Young Highland Chef of the Year award and offers local Aberdeen Angus and salmon, venison and scallops from the Moray Firth. The problem is, with dishes such as Bit of a Gambol – loin of lamb, lamb breast, crispy potato and Madeira jus – and To Beef or Not To Beef – beef fillet, beef cheek, wild mushrooms and truffle jus – you’ll have a job getting your tongue out of your cheek long enough to actually eat. Lodge rooms from £90, castle rooms from £195. For bookings, telephone 0845 057 4212 or 01463 831878, or visit perfect-manors.com.

Romantic weekend break