Heavenly homes in the Highlands

“We could have sold, but it had become such a huge part of our lives we couldn’t part with it,” Hazel said.

“At least if we kept it on, we could still go up and squeeze in a bit of skiing when we wanted.”

They extended Cairndruie and when the property next door, Avondruie, came up for sale, Hazel and Maurice bought it, too.

A few years later, the couple, who own a number of pubs in their home town, purchased Tighguish, situated just 50 metres away.

And in September last year, they opened their newly-built fourth mountain holiday lodge, the seven-bedroomed Tighaline. It’s based in the same grounds as Tighguish.

All of the cottages, which are furnished in a mix of classic and contemporary, offer an ideal base for skiing, mountain biking, golf, fishing and walking — or simply sampling the stunning scenery which stretches for miles around.

“We love skiing and go away a few times a year — and we know what we like in a holiday home, so we try to offer our guests just that,” Hazel said.

“Tighaline is a mix of a skiing and Scottish theme, and is a great place to relax after a day on the slopes.

“We absolutely love it, just as we do all the cottages. And from the amount of bookings and positive feedback we get, we’re sure our guests do too.

“We try to get up as often as we can — we’re in Aviemore at least once a week just to check in and make sure everything is up to the highest standard for the guests.

“Maurice and I absolutely love our job anyway, but that drive up to the gorgeous mountains just makes it even better.”

Prices at the Aviemore lodges start from £885 for two nights.

Visit tighaline.co.uk, cairndruie. co. uk, avondruie. co. uk, or tighguish.co.uk