Blend wild walks and cosy corners in the Highlands

Scotland has some lovely spots for blowing out the cobwebs, then battening down the hatches and curling up with a dram,

The weather, it must be said, has turned. It’s chillier, darker and wetter, and we’re all a bit fed up. But this year, instead of succumbing to the gloom, why not go where wild weather and bracing breezes are things to be celebrated? November in the Highlands indulges not just our need for a last blast of the great outdoors before winter properly sets in, but also a glorious spot of deserved cosseting after all those moorland walks. The far north of Scotland has a magnificence that truly feeds the soul and the imagination. Mighty crags above vast sea lochs, windswept moorlands and golden beaches: all have contributed to a store of legends, romances and folk tales. Here are the finest ways to experience wild Scotland at its rugged and snug best.

Try country sports in Pitlochry

It is fitting to start in Pitlochry at Fonab Castle – a red sandstone tower that would make a perfect spot for Rapunzel to let down her hair. Every fairy-tale heroine naturally finds herself in the depths of a forest and this is, suitably enough, Perthshire’s Big Tree Country, with over 200,000 acres of woodlands and forests. At this time of year, the trees are putting on their final show of astonishingly vibrant colours, an invitation to a bracing walk, and if you fancy trying your hand at country sports, this is the place to go. There’s salmon fishing on the banks of the River Tay and deer stalking on the nearby Atholl Estate. You can go clay pigeon shooting, too. Fonab will arrange all of these activities (not to mention archery, visits to other castles or a massage in its spa) and welcome you back to Scottish baronial luxury. Fonab is found to the north of Perth and is properly in the Highlands so the staff, not surprisingly, sport tartan, but there’s a lot of contemporary design, too. The bar and brasserie offer lovely views over Loch Faskally with broad outdoor terraces and – for those days when the weather is inclement – floor to ceiling windows gaze out to a landscape that gladdens the soul. Fonab Castle (01796 470140; fonabcastlehotel.com) in Pitlochry has doubles from £239, B&B.

Look ahead to festivities in John o’ Groats

After Gretna Green and Edinburgh, John o’ Groats is arguably the most famous place in Scotland, purely by virtue of its geography as one of the most northerly points on the British mainland. There is more to be said for it than this, though. There are gorgeous beaches nearby, backed by sand dunes and forests, the late Queen Mother’s Castle of Mey is open for visitors and you can even get an early Christmas frisson when you visit Lichen Caithness and the UK’s most northerly reindeer – a reminder of the time (some 1,000 years ago) when Caithness was Norwegian, and the Scandis brought their own reindeer with them. The three reindeer here today (Sven, Levvi and Mr Antlers) are very used to people and indeed will likely chase you round their field if you enter bearing a bowl of their favourite lichen (bookwhen.com/ lichencaithnessreindeer).

The country’s most northerly whisky distillery – 8 Doors (8doorsdistillery. com) – is to be found here, too. Opened this summer by the King himself, you can put your name down for a mini-cask of whisky (ready in about five to six years’ time) or, in the meantime, quaff their whisky liqueur, Five Ways, which can be drunk neat, with cava or, for a warming reviver, in hot chocolate.

The John o’ Groats Inn apartments (01625 416430; togethertravel.co.uk) offer the perfect place to watch a storm raging from the comfort of a bathtub. From £129, self-catering.

Find an obscure treasure in the east

Unlike John o’ Groats, the eastern coast of the Highlands is relatively unvisited. Its obscurity is undeserved. On a walk with the Brora Heritage Centre, I discovered history both relatively recent (the remains of villages deserted after the Highland Clearances) and positively ancient (a Bronze Age round house), all the while being watched by a herd of around 20 red deer, silhouetted against the skyline of the lovely Strath Brora. Royal Marine Hotel (01408 621252; royalmarinebrora.com) in Brora sits within easy reach of the wild beach and golf courses. Doubles from £145, B&B.

Let Lismore be your port in a storm

The western Highlands are renowned for their beautiful scenery and, of course, access to the western isles. Oban is one of the busiest ports but you can visit the island of Lismore via the hourly ferry from Port Appin. It sits in beautiful Loch Linnhe and its name (Lios Mor) means “Great Garden” in Gaelic, appropriately enough for such a green, fertile spot. You can explore the spectacular scenery and wildlife by car or on foot or – for a unique experience – go on a Shepherding Tour with local shepherd Arthur, accompanied by his collies Misty and Tam and his flock of Hebridean sheep.

The Pierhouse Hotel (01631 730302; pierhousehote.co.uk) is renowned for its seafood restaurant and lively bar full of locals. Double rooms from £105, B&B ( for a three-night stay).

Drink it all in on the North Coast 500

The NC500 is a route of just over 500 miles of stunning coastal scenery – moorland and forest, golden beaches and rocky headlands, peaty tarns and sea lochs. One of the most beautiful of these is the Kyle of Tongue on the wild north coast. Overlooked by both Ben Loyal and Ben Hope (the mostly northerly Munro in Scotland), its lovely bay is dotted with tiny islets and you reach it across the magnificent Tongue Bridge and Causeway. The NC500 is not just punctuated by jaw-dropping views – you might even rediscover that driving can be a pleasure. Often congested in summer, cars at this time of year are few and far between.

Lundies House (01540 661619; lundies. scot) in Tongue is a former manse with fine Georgian bones and beautiful Danish interiors, overlooked by a ruined castle on a hill. Doubles from £450, B&B.

Uncover myths and legends in Sutherland

North-west Sutherland is a place of geological wonders – Britain’s highest waterfall, Eas a’ Chual Aluinn, rugged terraced mountains, rolling green hills and the beautiful freshwater Loch Assynt. It’s a landscape that has invited myths and legends and Griogair MacAllein (aka Telliesperie – Scots dialect for “storyteller”; telliesperie.co.uk) knows them all. Poet, folklorist and playwright, he will take you on a ramble through old crofting settlements, along peat roads, rivers and woods, telling tales of old beliefs and forgotten ways of life.

Newton Lodge (01971 910048; newtonlodge.co.uk) crouches below the mountains of Unapool. A party of 14 can book themselves the whole place (minimum four-night stay) from £700, B&B.

Embrace high drama in Argyll

Serious walkers and climbers are spoilt for choice in Argyll, with the moody magnificence of Glencoe and the surrounding moors and mountains. To walk the entire West Highland Way takes around a week in a constantly changing landscape, from the gentle shores of Loch Lomond to one of Scotland’s most famous Munros, Buachaille Etive Mor (featured in Skyfall) to the wild desolate Rannoch Moor and the aptly named Devil’s Staircase. Keep an eye open for red squirrels, deer and eagles.

Bridge of Orchy Hotel (01838 400208; bridgeoforchy.co.uk) in Argyll has doubles from £130, with packed lunches also available for walkers.

i Kings of the castle: paddleboard on Loch Assynt at the ruins of Ardvreck Castle