Exploring the Highlands 21.3.-23.3.2011

The Brief

Visit Scotland invited representatives of various Scottish DMC´s and event organizers for a 3-days familirization trip to the Highlands. The aim was to support  and strengthen the tourism in Inverness and surrounding areas by encouraging tourism organizations to offer this destination to their clients. The representatives visited a variety of restaurants, venues and hotels and tried a couple of activities to be able sell the “true Highlands experience“ properly – and Hello Scotland could not miss this, of course!

DAY 1

The expedition started at the Queen Street train station in Glasgow at twelve o´clock. Following a green concept, we travelled 95 miles through the famous West Highland Way  to Fort William by train, passing the shores of Loch Lomond and enjoying 3 hours 30 minutes of scenic views of  Scottish hills and wild nature.

After arriving in Fort William in the late afternoon, I finally got to know my “fam trip colleagues“. We were taken straight to theluxurios Inverlochy Castle Hotel. The taxi driver was very chatty and told us amusing stories about Mel Gibson´s stay in Scotland – he was a DJ at Gibson´s party once!

 

Inverlochy Castle Hotel

 We were welcomed very friendly at the hotel and were taken straight to our rooms to relax after a long travel. It gave me time to admire the beautiful surroundings and stunning design of the building and 17 individiually designed hotel rooms.

Ben Nevis Room

I was accommodated in Ben Nevis room which received its name due to the scenic window view of the Britain´s highest mountain. The room was very spacious, designed in beige tones. There was a bowl of fresh green grapes and a vase with fresh flowers on an antique table waiting for me.  Even the flatscreen Tv was specially designed to fit into the luxurious traditional castle room – it looked like   a mirror with polished dark wooden frame when   turned off.

Then I came down the fairy-tale stairs to join in a short supplier chat in the reception hall while sipping a hot drink in front of a huge fire place. We tasted delicious canapes and as if that was not enough we were given a menu to order dinner from.

Excited about the upcoming fine dining experience, we were finally seated in the Michelin Star and AA 3 red Rosettes awarded restaurant  - a small dining room overlooking a truly magic loch and dark green forest. 

 

Drawing Room in Inverlochy Castle

The food itself was an extraordinary treat for all  senses. The whole evening was accompanied by classical music and an absolutly perfect service. Each table had a personal waiter who made sure that our glases of water and wine were always full – that turned out to be quite dangerous because you never knew how much you actually had to drink.

 A lovely surprise was waiting for each of us in our rooms when we came back after dinner. The room was heated just right, dim lights came from three antique lamps, the king-sized bed was ready for us to sink in and there was a belgian chocolate on the pillows and slippers in front of the bed.Classical music was playing quietly in the background to round the whole calm but magic atmosphere.

 I would really recommend this five-star castle hotel to anyone who appreciates excellent service and locally produced fabulous food, or simply to anyone who wants to feel and be treated like a king or queen in their own castle for a night.

DAY 2

Commando Memorial

The second day started with a coach transfer to Inverness. The journey was approximately two hours long – the perfect time for a short nap! We passed the Commando Memorial, a bronze sculpture of three soldiers from the Second World War where we stopped for a while, took pictures and enjoyed panoramic views of the mountains Ben Nevis and Aonach Mór.

After arriving in Inverness, we met with Visit Scotland representatives and our local guide to start the 2-day adventure in Inverness! We had a special sightseeing tour with the red city bus around Inverness and then headed to the outskirts of the city for a light lunch and a showround of the New Drumossie Hotel.

New Drumossie Hotel has been recently refurbished and is especially suitable for big conferences with lower budget whose organizers prefer to keep their delegates close to their  hotel rooms. Although the rooms are of rather lower four-star standard, the meeting facilities are of very good quality and practical design with capacities from 12 up to 500 people. On top of that, the restaurant has been awarded 2 AA Rosettes.

Castle Stuart Golf Club

The next stop was at the Castle Stuart Golf Course, 18-holes golf course overlooking the Moray Firth, which hosts the Barclays Scottish Open this summer. The golf club building has a very futuristic flair which together with the green fields and sea evokes a feeling of being in a different world. It was very refreshing to stand in the endless green, breathing the sea air in.

Laserstrike

It was time to pump some extra adrenaline to our blood stream in the afternoon. Visit Scotland took us out for a shorter version of laserstrike to the woods on Black Isle. Not knowing what to expect, we were all quite nervous about the upcoming game, especially the ladies in our group. But all tension disapppeared when we put the dark green uniforms on and received our guns. Both teams played in a defensive (boring) way in the first game but it got quite tough afterwards! Having unlimited amounts of shots, we were soon enough running around, shooting wildly at anything that moved. It was so much fun! Everyone loved it! The laserstrike was probably one the best experience from the trip for me, especially because or team won and I was one of the cruel heroes in a last battle over fort!

Pleasantly tired after the game, we went back on the coach again to go see the last venue before the evening programme – the Achnagairn house, a white luxury mansion with 24 individually designed bedrooms. The accommodation is not very suitable for corporate clients due to its family flair and design but the mansion has a stunning grand ballroom that can be used for gala dinners and stylish ceilidh parties for up to 160 guests.Our group enjoyed a traditional scottish afternoon tea in the lovely drawing room before leaving for Kingsclub Hotel & Spa where we stayed over night.

Kingsclub Hotel and Spa (4*)

After check-in in the four-star Kingsclub, part of the Kingsmills hotel in Inverness, I simply sank on the comfy king-size bed and realized how busy the day was and that there was still a busy surprise evening in the city centre of Inverness ahead of us! So we had a short pre-dinner tour of the Kingsmills and Kingsclub hotels and then we took our umbrellas (bless the Scottish rain!) and departed for a dinner rally. Visit Scotland arranged a three-course dinner in three different restaurants on the river Ness for us.

 my room in Kingsclub hotel and Spa

The restaurant “crawl“ started in the Columba Hotel with a short tour of the hotel and tasty fried haggis snack as a starter. The main course was served in the stylish Glen Mhor hotel on the other side of the river. Glen Mhor is a lovely hotel with modern design and a very comfy vintage bar where you can sit on old sofas of different shapes and colours while enjoying local beers or whiskies and listening to live music. The sea-food main course options were simply delicious! Furthermore, I was absolutely amazed by little buttons on pillows in the guest rooms!

The sweet dessert was served in the Glen Morriston hotel. We were all full from the previous delicious courses already but our stomachs were challenged once more with SIX different desserts! My favourite one was definitely mango rice pudding – a lightly sweet healthier dessert option.

With Apex Duck in the Main Auditorium

We could barely walk after the crazy food marathon but that didn´t stop our guide from taking us to Eden Court for a late surprise coffee (much needed!) and a showround. Eden Court is the biggest theatre, entertainment and conference venue in the Northern Highlands. It was eleven o´clock at night when we arrived there so we were all very tired and sleepy from digesting all the food. But it was worth it. Not too many people can say that they were standing on the stage of Eden Court´s main auditorium with almost 800 seats. Additionaly , we had a chance to see the refurbished old part of the complex – the beautiful Bishop´s Chapel. I have even managed to get a picture with one of my little colourful Apex friends in the main auditorium before taking a taxi back to the Kingsclub to finally get some well-deserved sleep.

DAY 3   

Wednesday morning was as busy as the whole Tuesday. Quick breakfast in the hotel´s restaurant and super speedy check-out at half past eight. We left Inverness still half asleep and drove to the Aldourie Castle and Estate on the shores of Loch Ness.

Aldourie Castle

Aldourie, set in 500 acres of green nature, looks like cut out from a fairy-tale with its beige parting, red roof and tens of little turrets. The red bedroom in one of the towers was certainly designed for a king. All of the bathrooms and sleeping rooms are individually designed. It must be amazing to hire the castle exclusively to just relax in the luxurious drawing room or to take a walk around the massive estate.

Having seen the castle, we split into two smaller groups to experience two extra-ordinary activities. 

Walking on water (one of the guests)

Our group walked to the shore of Loch Ness to learn how to walk on water. We were put into a big transparent waterproof balloon and sent in to the water of Loch Ness to meet our destiny. Once we were on the loch we were supposed to walk in the balloon, but it was almost impossible to stand up! Have you ever tried to walk on jelly? Well, that ś how it felt like. It was hilarious watching everyone trying to stand up only to fall down again. Only a few of us were able to actually walk within the ball (I wasn´t the lucky one), even if just for one second – I admire their balance!

We on the RIB

Out of breath and exhausted from all the laughing we then went for an adrenaline RIB (rigid inflatable boat) cruise on the Loch. The super-speedy boats were basically flying over water and cutting through wind. It was refreshing and crazy at the same time. Our cruise was only thirty minutes long but it was simply fabulous. I would love to come back to Inverness one day and experience the whole three-hours-long trip to the Urquhart Castle and maybe see the monster Nessie as I had no luck this time!

Having mad hair and bright smile on our faces, we went back on the coach that took us to Inverness again. The next scheduled show-round was in a luxury boutique hotel named Rocpool Reserve. We then had a unique business lunch in the hotel´s Chez Roux restaurant.

The Chez Roux offers light low-priced but delicious four-course meals. The uniqueness lies in the idea of serving all courses at once – it saves time and you can choose what you want to eat first. Perfect!

We were reminded straight after lunch that our trip was coming to an end. The coach took us to Hilton Coylumbridge in Aviemore, a resort town approximately fourty minutes away from Inverness, where we met the Hilton´s manager for a quick tour around the hotel and its facilities. I really liked the outdoor adventure play area – I guess I still had a lot of adrenaline from the exciting morning activites in my blood.

And then suddenly it was time to go home. We left Aviemore by train and headed for Glasgow.

The last three days were absolutely great. I am glad that  had the opportunity to explore the Northern Highlands with such a fantastic and friendly bunch of people. I would certainly recommend Inverness for incentive groups. It is so different from Glasgow and Edinburgh! The grass is greener, sea air fresher and even the people´s attitude is more relaxed but still very professional. If your client is looking for a unique luxury true Scottish flair that only a few people had a chance to experience, then Northern Highlands is the best place to take them!

Loch Ness near Aldourie Castle

Drive from Fort William to Inverness