Perfect Highland home away from home... and the kids
IT sounded more like a threat than a romantic break when we were promised a home away from home in Inverness.
The stunning scenery that met my wife and I as we drove up the A9 through the Highlands could not stop me thinking the last thing I need is a home away from home.
Piles of washing, three age-assorted borderline feral children breaking and eating anything that ventures into their path, the growing list of unidentified toy injuries... yep, I could do without that for a couple of days.
But my fears were ill-founded as we arrived in the Highland capital on a beautifully clear February day to find a clean, toy-free apartment with no washing and, joyously, no children. The clichéed pressures of everyday life fell away as we familiarised ourselves with this picturesque place on the banks of the River Ness.
Inverness is a city that has the confidence of affluence. It seems self-assured and rightly proud of itself with its classy restaurants and boutique shops and hotels.
Our well-appointed one bedroomed apartment was in the shadow of Inverness Castle overlooking the river. The city’s many shops, restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars are all just a short stroll away.
Highland Apartments are part of the Mansley Group, which also has top-of-the-range properties in London and Edinburgh. The spacious and well-presented apartments are perfect for a short break or business trip and, with the two-bedroomed rentals, are ideal as a focal point for a tour of the stunning Highlands with the family.
The apartments offer all the flexibility of self-catering accommodation, plus a daily housekeeping service and facilities such as breakfast hampers, free parking and wi-fi. Ours featured a balcony overlooking the river.
Once we had settled in, we went to explore this fabulous city. Almost everything it has to offer is within walking distance. It is quaint without being coy and a joy to walk around.
But for me, the real delight was Culloden, just a short drive out of the city. My wife and I have been to several museums and exhibitions dedicated to battles across the UK but nothing comes close to this eerily atmospheric and immersive battlefield. It presents both sides of the battle with a vast amount of information at the visitor centre, giving the context of what happened before, during and after the battle that saw the end of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s claims to the throne.
THAT night we ate in a Caribbean restaurant and were charmed by the incongruity of being fed jerk chicken surrounded by sunshine-filled beach décor in a rainy Highland city.
After dinner, we enjoyed a walk through the serene Ness Islands, linked by a series of bridges across the river and illuminated at night by fairy lights. We then sat and enjoyed the view over the river from our balcony before indulging in an uninterrupted sleep in a ludicrously comfortable bed. I woke to find no children hitting me on the head with oversized boxing gloves while demanding breakfast. I was slightly uneasy at how relaxed I felt as we ventured out for another Highland adventure that involved Inverness Museum, a trip to the cinema and a feast of food in various hostelries, each one better that the last. The city is quiet and you get the feeling that even in the height of summer it would be easy to park and get a table at one of the many riverbank restaurants.
Then we had to go home. I woke next morning to the familiar bang of a boxing glove and shrill cries for breakfast. I stood on a piece of Lego and yearned for the Highland apartment that was anything but a home away from home.