Pausanias

Inverlochy Castle and The Torridon - a few thoughts

I said I would report back on Inverlochy Castle and The Torridon, both of which we stayed at this past week.

We went to Inverlochy first which initially made The Torridon look rather dowdy and cramped because Inverlochy is so impressive inside. While the exterior of the building is a bit brutal, even ugly, the interiors are utterly superb and spacious. We had expected the hotel to be a bit stuffy-starchy and it wasn’t like that at all. It was warm and homely and totally relaxing.

Our room, one level below the junior suites, was quite large, with a sitting area, sofas, a proper desk and a vista of Ben Nevis if the mist and rain shifted. The bathroom had a smart walk-in shower, a roll-top bath etc. It was genuinely luxurious.

We had dinner in the dining room with blue chairs - a stunningly beautiful venue for some excellent cooking chez Roux. We had called them two weeks earlier to request roast grouse but on arrival they said the grouse wasn’t up to their standards so they did partridge instead. We would have much preferred grouse as we can never source it locally whereas we have partridge families roaming right outside our home. Nevertheless, they created a lovely dish.

In recent years Inverlochy has relaxed their dress code, requesting that men wear a jacket with an optional tie. I have to report that every man in the restaurant complied with the jacket, though the man nearest to us was also wearing jeans and trainers.

Inverlochy is expensive but we felt it was worth every penny. We had booked through the SLH programme and saw not a single benefit.

* * *

The Torridon is perhaps a three to four-star hotel and much less expensive. The BBC were there with Monica Galetti and Giles Coren filming another Amazing Hotels programme. It lacks luxury touches like someone to park your car so you get very wet walking back from the car park. The public areas are much less impressive than Inverlochy. I thought the main lounge wasn’t quite big enough and a bit gloomy. However, the view is stupendous. There is also a bar with a quite stunning floor-to-ceiling array of malt whiskies.

Room choice here is critical as the cheaper categories can be a bit cramped and have rather old-style bathrooms. However, Room 3, Loch Torridon, is a fabulous choice with a panoramic view, sitting area, huge bed and a genuine five-star bathroom. Room 5 is also spectacular with an unusual wooden slip bath in the bedroom.

For us, the real star of The Torridon was the food. We had a set three course dinner (there is also a tasting menu) which was even better than Inverlochy. The cuisine is contemporary and creative but with a firm classical base. Breakfast was even better than dinner: quite possibly the best fry-up I have ever eaten with haggis, sausage, pancetta and black pudding, so not the healthy option. The fact that this restaurant isn’t in the Michelin or the Good Food Guide is absurd. I wore my Inverlochy rig and was the only man wearing a jacket.

If I stayed more than one night, I’d chose to have one dinner in the main restaurant and another, simpler dinner in their adjoining Inn.

We liked both hotels a lot but Inverlochy is probably the more memorable experience. And I happen to like Glenapp Castle more than either of them, though the location is awkward for anyone touring Scotland.