Central/eastern Highlands

The Oystercatcher, Portmahomack, Easter Ross The picturesque fishing village of seafront houses and warehouses, some more than 300 years old, is situated on the eastern tip of the Fearn peninsula, yet, unusually, it faces west, so it enjoys watery sunsets across the Dornoch Firth. Overlooking Telford’s little harbour, The Oystercatcher is a seasonal restaurant (April to October, Wednesday to Saturday evenings plus Sunday lunch) that also does B&B. The owners make their own butter, keep ducks and quails and stock 300 malt whiskies. Try the three-course Auld Alliance Diner, punctuated by little appetisers, Monarch o’ the Glen Parfait or Oysters Carnegie. How to get there About a one-hour drive, up the A9, to Tain from Inverness, then across the Fearn peninsula to Portmahomack Remoteness rating 5

(01862 871560; www.the- oystercatcher.co.uk)

Monachyle Mhor, Balquhidder, Lochearnhead, Perthshire A family-run hotel in an 18th-century lochside farmhouse ‘in the middle of nowhere’, offering ‘luxury boutique accommodation’ and a restaurant headed by the awardwinning hunter-gatherer chef Tom Lewis, who works wonders with venison, blackface lamb and Scottish seafood. Closed for two weeks in January. How to get there About 1½-hour’s drive from Perth along the A85, then the A84, you’ll find it four miles down a single-track lane on the wooded banks of Loch Voil Remoteness rating 7

(01877 384622; http://mhor.net/monachyle-mhor-hotel)