7/28/2019 Duisdale House Hotel, Skye in Woman's Own

1/1

Getaw

Over the sea

Recharge your batteries onScotlands dreamiest isle

Nothing says theHighlands morethan Highlandcattle. The moment

when, motoring rom Invernessto the Isle o Skye, you spotyour frst shaggy-ringed beastleaning over a roadside wall,youll immediately start tounwind. A ew miles along,views become bigger muchbigger. All around lie tutedhills, earthy valleys cut withcartwheeling wateralls andtrees covered inlichen, like greencandyoss.

Suddenly, yourecrossing the bridgelinking Scotlandswest coast with theInner Hebrides, andentering an unspoilt

world with

unpolluted skies and a sea thatlaps on to white coral shoresand black-sand beaches.

Luxury lodgingsIf you only have time for a longweekend on Skye, let a seaviewhot tub help the relaxationprocess along a little. Four-starDuisdale House, at Sleat in theislands lush south, has one in itsgarden. Originally a Victorianhunting lodge, this boutique hotelnods to tradition with four-posters

in some rooms.And evenings

are all about nedining in its two-AA Red Rosetterestaurant, whereyou can indulgein ve coursesof rst-class

food (45pp).Its a great placeto try Scotlandsamazing seafood

lobster, mussels , best-ever halibut but theyllcater for any requests.

Wake up the next dayre-energised and ready toexplore. You can prettymuch drive the 49-mile longisland in a day. A winding

road leads north aroundthe dark, jagged BlackCuillin mountains. Keepyour eyes peeled forgolden eagles and dontbe surprised if a low-ying heron decides tocome alongside you for a while!

On the waterCarry on to Skyes main town,Portree, for a harboursidemooch. The best pit-stop amidQuay Braes crayon-colouredhouses is Caf Arriba, where youcan watch crabbing boats whileyou indulge in lattes, and bananaand white chocolate mufns.

Explore the south of the isle onthe garden of Skye peninsula. AtClan Donald Skye, 20,000 acres ofwoodland and emerald lawns wraparound castle ruins. Catch it on

a quiet day, with only a gardenerand a peacock for company, andit feels as if you own the place(7.50; clandonald .com).

Skye lulls you into a trance-likestate with its amazing views. Oneyoull never forget is at EileanIarmain. This hotel coaxes you toits waterfront empire (includingart gallery and whisky shop), offersyou a Skye beer and a garden seatoverlooking the 50-shades-of-blue

waters of the Sound of Sleat. Thsuddenly you look at your watcand a whole afternoons dawdlblissfully by (eileaniarmain.co.uk

For a splurge, Duisdale Houseruns round-island trips with achampagne lunch on its ownersluxury yacht (145pp). Or delay thdrive back to Inverness with a ton the Seaprobe Atlantis glass-bottomed boat at Lochalsh. Itsunderwater windows reveal driftstarsh and a Second World Wshipwreck on the way to visit thbasking residents of Seal Island.u

to Skye

Duisdale House, theideal place to unwind

TheprettyhaofQuay

Spot iconic

Highlandcattle by theroadside

WOMANSOWN.c

AllthefacuDoublesatDuisdale Hou

from147,B&B; or227B&

dinner(01471 833 202; duis

uEasyJethas returns toInv

from56(easyjet.com).For

seearnoldclarkrental.com

uBoattripsfrom12.99p

seaprobeatlantis.com

uGotovisitscotland.com