Inveruel, Colintraive

Harriet, Chris, Emily, Sally and me in September, north of Hadrian's Wall....

Home from home
Regular readers will know there are (currently) three other spots in the UK where I feel “at home” other than Yorkshire:

• Badby/Stratford-upon-Avon/the Cotswolds
• Northumberland (especially the coast)
• and Scotland.

So, in September, it was a deep pleasure to visit another Scottish spot we’ve never been to – Colintraive, near Dunoon on the Cowal Peninsula – miles from the nearest shop and hunkered down in a house called Inveruel overlooking Loch Riddon.

Inveruel, Colintraive, lovely house with views and visiting sheep....

Test of a holiday
In our retired state (mindful of budgets) the test of any holiday is that the place we stay has to be as nice or nicer than our own home. Inveruel exceeded expectations: well-designed, with oak floors, plenty of space for spreading out to relax, read, do jigsaws, eat, drink, sleep and strip off muddy boots and coats from hearty walks.

Rooms with a View or two
It also had lovely views. And it was easy to feel Gatsby-like and imagine the lights over the loch belonged to mysterious celebrities. The nights were dark, the stars were out, the moon was bright and the next few blogs will have pictures of what we did during the week….

Plenty of atmosphere and chances to star-gaze as the sun went down....