Inverlochy Castle Hotel

In September 1873 Queen Victoria spent a week at Inverlochy, sketching the hills and recording in her journal that she had never seen a lovelier or more romantic spot. The house she stayed in, a baronial mansion of grey stone at the foot of Ben Nevis, opened as Inverlochy Castle Hotel in 1969. It stands in its own grounds a few miles from Fort William, with a small loch below the lawns and the bulk of Britain's highest mountain behind.

History

The house was built in 1863 for William Scarlett, third Baron Abinger, who owned the estate. It borrowed its name from the older Inverlochy Castle, a thirteenth-century stronghold on the banks of the River Lochy that survives as a roofless ruin nearby. Two battles were fought beside the old castle, in 1431 and in 1645, the second a victory for the Marquis of Montrose over the Campbells.

In the twentieth century the estate passed to the Hobbs family, and in 1969 Grete Hobbs opened the house to paying guests. Under her it built a following among travellers who wanted the Western Highlands with the comforts of a private house, and it has continued as a hotel ever since. It is now operated by Inverlochy Castle Management International.

Architecture and design

Inverlochy is a Victorian reading of a Scottish castle, built in the baronial manner with turrets and a castellated outline. The principal rooms keep their nineteenth-century character. The Great Hall has a painted ceiling and a large chandelier, and the drawing rooms and dining rooms are furnished with antiques, oil paintings and open fires. The scale is that of a family house rather than a palace, which suits the hotel's small number of rooms.

Rooms and suites

There are 17 bedrooms and suites, each furnished individually, with views over the gardens, the loch or the surrounding hills. With so few rooms the house stays quiet, and it can also be reserved in its entirety.

Dining

Food has long been central to Inverlochy's reputation, and the restaurant has held a Michelin star. In 2016 the chef Michel Roux Jr took charge of the kitchen, applying classical French technique to Scottish produce such as west coast seafood, Highland game and beef. Dinner is served in period dining rooms, and gentlemen are asked to wear a jacket.

Weddings and events

The castle hosts weddings, with ceremonies and receptions held in the house and grounds, and it can be taken for exclusive use. Its size suits small weddings, private house parties and intimate celebrations rather than large banquets.

Location

This luxury hotel in the Highlands lies off the A82, about three miles north-east of Fort William, the main town of Lochaber. Ben Nevis rises to 1,345 metres directly behind the estate, and Glen Nevis, Glencoe and the Great Glen are all within easy reach by car. Along the same road to the north stands the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge, and at Banavie the locks of Neptune's Staircase lift the Caledonian Canal above Loch Linnhe. Fort William station is on the West Highland Line, with trains from Glasgow and the overnight Caledonian Sleeper from London Euston, and in summer the Jacobite steam train runs from Fort William across the Glenfinnan Viaduct to Mallaig. Inverness Airport is the nearest airport, and Glasgow Airport is the other usual gateway. Fort William itself, at the head of Loch Linnhe, is a base for climbing, walking and mountain biking, and the Nevis Range gondola climbs Aonach Mòr a short drive up the road.