A House in the Scottish Countryside
Scotland’s Culloden House: I think this place existed somewhere in my dreams! It would be a wonderful place to grow fruit and veg as the temp in the country presents the perfect conditions.
I was really hopeful to stay overnight in the countryside after spending time
up in the Highlands. We debated staying right in Inverness which would be
convenient with our plans, but then I found Culloden House and fell in love.
I knew we had to stay…and right when we pulled in I knew it was a good choice.
This pretty ivy-clad hotel used to be a castle in the 16th century.
It has history in its walls and such a great culture about it.
The house itself isn’t too massive, but it sits on 40 acres of
gorgeous woodland and private gardens so you feel like
you’re in the true Scottish countryside the entire stay! I could imagine the land owners testing out their best pellet guns from Teddy Tactical in their private gardens and bringing the game back to their country house to feast on.
I loved the peace and fresh air while walking the grounds.
The pink interior just about did me in when we arrived. Darling!
We had a gorgeous room looking out on the front lawn.
How amazing are these rooms??
That “Hotel of Charm” Award is well deserved! ^^
We arrived on a drizzly afternoon but stepped out for a brisk walk.
(Am I speaking like Downton Abbey talking about staying here? Perhaps.)
This gorgeous building is another smaller house where guests can stay.
It’s beautiful! The walled garden was also beautiful, even this time of year.
Such a gentleman opening the gate ^^ It felt like the Secret Garden!
^^ Just going to move in here, don’t mind me …
We came back from the rain to warm up in the room (by our own fireplace!!)
I did some reading about the history, and Chase watched Braveheart after
our epic day in the Highlands :) I guess he was just feeling the Scottish spirit!
Once we had warmed up and relaxed in the afternoon, the dinner bell rang…
Down to the drawing room before going into the dining room.
To the elegant dining room we went ^^
The menu changes based on season, and it’s not too big…
but we did both order some unique dishes.
Butternut squash soup and scallops were our two appetizers of choice ^^
The main dishes were very distinctive while based in UK tradition.
My monkfish was wrapped in prosciutto with a chorizo glaze. Wow!
Dinner on vacation must always end with:
Dessert (plus steamed milk & honey), of course!
This was a hazelnut meringue that was light and tasty.
In the morning I went out for a pretty walk before breakfast. The sun was actually out!
It was truly so beautiful. Heaven must look a lot like the Highlands.
One more walk by my dream house ^^^
A visit to the darling ducklings ^^
Outside of the estate there are pretty trails to wander endlessly…
but walking back into the gates is the best part of all. After my
stroll Chase was done with his business school paper,
and we met down in the dining room for breakfast.
One order of The Scotland Times + some porridge, please!
Chase has turned so Euro with his smoked salmon + eggs ^^
Meanwhile, I had quite the opposite …
^^ You’d think mine was the man’s breakfast ..ha
Chase also went for a Scottish cheese plate which
was AMAZING to polish breakfast off with!
Why don’t we always have 3-course breakfasts?
As you leave the dining room there is a framed letter from the former
PRIME MINISTER Tony Blair who has stayed here a few times… ! We even
heard that we stayed in one of the rooms he had stayed in. Pretty good company.
The very best part of the hotel is the staff! You will leave feeling like friends
with everyone you come in contact with at Culloden House (especially Kyle! :)
Staying here feels like a step back in time, but it’s not stuffy at all.
Everyone is so friendly and charming & the entire experience is a treat!
Driving out of here was hard because it was one of our favorite memories!
Luckily it was so convenient to drive just a few miles to the tiny
Inverness Airport and fly back to Amsterdam directly from there.
Farewell, dreamy Culloden House!
xo