/ 13 October 2003

A breath of fresh air

Not since Queen Victoria declared her love for Balmoral has rural Scotland been so stylish. Following in her footsteps, tweed-clad hordes stormed to the Highlands and islands to shoot, walk and stalk their way into aristocratic life.

Hip British fashion designer and child of rock royalty Stella McCartney has joined the fray— without endangering animal life, of course. Stella’s A-list wedding on the island of Bute (near dad Paul’s home on the Mull of Kintyre) followed the example set by Madonna, who married British film director Guy Ritchie in Skibo Castle in 2000.

Both provoked a flurry of media attention, and what Madonna did for the north of Scotland, Stella is doing for the islands.

It’s easy to see what draws the rich to the isles. The landscapes of heather-covered moors, soaring mountains and thrashing seas are among the most spectacular in Europe, while the converted castles and manor house hotels offer fine accommodation. But aristocratic living comes at aristocratic prices. Still, tweedy chic is only a part of what the islands have to offer and the best things on holiday are free.

Budget accommodation found on the main islands of Mull, Skye, Harris and Lewis can often out-do luxury hotels in location and ambience, and visitors are as likely to relish outdoor Scottish life having slept in a bothy bunk as in a castle four-poster. From castles to bunkhouses, here is a run-through of the best of both sides of the islands.

Bute

The main draw of Bute is its accessibility — it’s more than an hour from Glasgow, including the 30-minute ferry. The landscape, although lacking the drama of other islands, is attractively lush with unusual grey-and-orange beaches.

Bute’s biggest tourist attraction is Mount Stewart, site of Stella’s wedding. The gothic manor is a treat in rust-red brickwork filled with eccentric chambers and hallways. The tiny chapel, where the service took place, is awash with white marble, offset with crimson stained-glass windows.

In the luxury category Balmory Hall (no children under 12) gives welcome respite from more established hotels. Set in a 19th-century mansion, it opened three years ago, offering vast bedrooms with unwaveringly tasteful decor — polished wooden floors, four-poster beds and lots of antiques.

The Bistro, on Rothesay Promenade, is a long-standing favourite for local cooking. Try chilled langoustines and melt-in-the-mouth Bute lamb.

Budget-wise Bute lacks the hostels and bothys found elsewhere — the only option is Roseland Caravan Park. A better option is to rough-camp by one of the lochs (check area regulations with the tourist office).

West End Café on Gallowgate, Rothesay, serves award-winning fish and chips. For a decent pub meal, head to the 18th-century Kingarth Hotel — the site of Stella’s hen night.

Mull

Mull has all one would hope for from a Scottish isle — stark mountains, a wild coastline and winding, single-track roads lined with shaggy highland cattle. The main town, Tobermory, is a pleasing string of multicoloured houses while Iona, a lonely island off the west coast and a centre of Christianity for more than 1 400 years, makes for an atmospheric day trip with a beautiful abbey and white-sand beaches.

Luxury accommodation can be had at Glengorm Castle, where a full “Monarch Of the Glen experience” awaits. The castle is a baronial riot of turrets and buttresses set in 2 000ha of moorland.

The best restaurant on Mull is at the Highland Cottage Hotel in Breadalbane Street, Tobermory, offering excellent, unpretentious meals.

For a budget-friendly stay, Arle Farm Lodge, a working sheep farm, offers basic accommodation five minutes from the sea (look out for seals and otters) and is surrounded by rolling countryside that offers superb walking. Rooms sleep four and there is a communal kitchen. The fish-and-chip van on Tobermory harbour is one of the most popular eateries on the island. Expect to queue for an hour.

Skye

Skye seems to attract the lion’s share of famous faces, including Mel Gibson, Michael Douglas and British stars such as Billy Connolly and Joanna Lumley. Skye’s appeal is simple: startling landscapes, real wilderness and some of the best food in Scotland. Both the desolate, heather-cloaked mountains and the coast — all ragged cliffs and weird rock formations —provide excellent hiking.

Luxury is epitomised at Kinloch Lodge, which has built its reputation on celebrity cook Claire MacDonald and her clan-chief husband. The result is a melee of tartan and chintz, made all the more appropriate by the lochside setting.

MacDonald provides cooking demonstrations. If you’d rather be involved in acquiring ingredients, stalking and fishing can be arranged. A town-based alternative with a seafood restaurant is the Bosville in Portree. The Three Chimneys is widely rated as one of the best restaurants in Britain. Book a month in advance.

Budget here means basic. The remotest youth hostel on Skye is in Uig, a tiny harbour in the north. The bungalow is surrounded by gentle hills, making it popular with hiking families.

Cramped, bunk-bedded rooms lead off a school-like communal area, but the setting is unrivalled. The Ferry Tavern in Uig offers meals from £4, cooked by an Indonesian chef.

Harris & Lewis

Isolated Harris is known for its bare, soaring mountains and wide, golden beaches. Here the cold Atlantic is a translucent turquoise, more reminiscent of the Caribbean than Scotland. Lewis is more of an acquired taste. Even in bright sunshine its stark hills and endless peatbogs have a haunted feel. The main reason for coming here are the dramatic Calanais standing stones, 50 monoliths dating from 3 000BC.

Luxury accommodation can be experienced at the remote Georgian manse of Scarista House, set on one of Harris’s famed beaches. The house is gorgeously and comfortably old-fashioned with a homely feel, thanks to the obliging owners and their gaggle of children. Scarista’s candle-lit dining room is also host to the island’s finest food. The daily-changing menu offers fantastic variations, such as scallops with sweet peppers. Book several weeks ahead.

For the budget option and a taste of traditional island accommodation there’s nowhere better than the blackhouse village of Gearrannan. These sunken stone houses, capped with thatch roofs, were recently renovated. The Tearoom next to the Calanais standing stones is the best place for snacks, tea and cakes. — Â