Kyle take the high road to tranquillity
THERE’s getting away from it all – and there’s the Kylesku Hotel.
The Scottish hostelry, in one of the most sparsely inhabited areas of Europe, is near the north-west coast at a point where three lochs meet, and is nearer to Bergen in Norway than to London.
During the Second World War, the Royal Navy used these dark, deep waters to train men for a top-secret mission – the audacious miniature submarine attack on the mighty German battleship Tirpitz.
The Admiralty knew there was no chance of being spied upon in so remote and wild a spot.
A memorial near the hotel paying tribute to the subs’ crews also hails the local people who ‘knew so much and talked so little’. Residents are more expansive these days and
you’re sure of a warm welcome at the former coaching inn, which has seven guest bedrooms and four more in an annexe.
The rooms are comfortable and cosy rather than luxurious, but the bar and restaurant are light and
airy and provide stunning views plus first-class food and drink.
The seafood is especially good, as they virtually haul the stuff out of the water on to the hotel terrace. I also sampled an incredible Dark Island Reserve beer, a cheeky little number from the Orkney Brewery weighing in at ten per cent. And while fine malt whiskies are available in any civilised establishment, there’s a special pleasure in drinking one while gazing out over a spectacular Highlands vista, watching seals sporting in the loch.
Outside the hotel is the slipway that was once the southern end of a ferry crossing. Although the northern slipway is only a few hundred yards away, anyone missing the last ferry of the day faced a 100-mile road trip to get to the other side. The ferry was replaced in 1984 by a graceful, curving bridge that you might recognise from TV ads. However, weather permitting, there are still several sailings a day from the slipway. For £22, a boat will take you down Loch Glencoul to see, at the far end, Britain’s highest waterfall. If you’re lucky you’ll see, as I did, a sea eagle soaring above the cliffs.
The hotel, which must be one of the few to give instructions on where to moor your boat if arriving by sea, is an excellent base for hiking, kayaking, mountainbiking and bird-watching.
Or, if your idea of adventure is pairing scallops with scotch, it’s pretty good for that too.
• B&B from £170 per room, per night (kyleskuhotel.co.uk).