Walks, wildlife and wine: August in Ardnamurchan, West Scotland

Hello everyone & welcome to the August edition of our Kilcamb Blog. Does it get any better than high summer, here by in the West Highlands? Whether you cast your eyes on turquoise coloured coastal waters or deep blue sea lochs, amazing beaches or rolling hills, everything is radiant.

Yes, Kilcamb and our beautiful surroundings really are the antidote to the hustle and bustle of modern life. Indeed, the only drama you’ll find here is in the spectacular scenery and wildlife. And what could be better after a day of walking and rugged beauty than fine food and the sun setting over Loch Sunart, here at Kilcamb Lodge? Well, there are one or two things we can also tempt you with this summer...

Call or contact us now on 01967 402257 to book your stay at Kilcamb.

Luxury breaks in Scotland: Late availability offers!

Are you a meticulous planner or a spur-of-the-moment merchant? In spite of there being quite high demand for rooms throughout August, we do still have some accommodation here on our sunny Kilcamb shores. Furthermore, we always like to keep one or two offers available. For example, our super Sunday night special offer continues throughout August with room rates as low as £250.00 for our deluxe superior garden rooms (with an upgrade to Loch View available subject to availability).

Meanwhile, the midweek offer is also still in place for August with discounts of £50.00 per room per night Sunday-Thursday across all rooms. Should you be planning a last minute escape, you might therefore still get great value. Not bad at all for peak season!

Wines of the month

I’m pleased to offer two new delicious wines of the month for August. Our white hails from Sicily and is 100% Grillo, a grape variety native to the island. Fresh and a little zingy on the palate with a refreshing dry and slightly nutty finish. It’s great on it’s own as an aperitif drink whilst it also pairs very well with our wide range of fish dishes. Definitely one to try.

Meanwhile our red wine of the month is the light, fruity Croze Hermitage Syrah. Our current 2014 vintage is drinking very well just now and is packed with bramble and forest fruits. A juicy red with light tannins. The lower alcohol levels of 12.5% make it ideal for summer.

Latest from the Kilcamb Kitchen

All this talk of wine puts one in the mood for some food, don’t you agree? Our kitchen team under the careful guidance of Gary Phillips have been preparing some scintillating dishes of late including this delicious half steamed lobster with Ardtornish Garden Vegetables & Hollandaise Sauce. Simply perfect for summer!

Easy to Medium Walks in the West Highlands and Ardnamurchan

The highlands are a haven for good walks and during the summer there is no better place to be than out on the trails. You can make things as easy or as challenging as you would like of course, and we get visitors of every kind, from casual ramblers through to hiking enthusiasts! A few of my personal current favourite local walking routes are as follows:

The Ariundle woodland circuit

A fun and interesting trail walk which can be made into a long 5 hour walk or a shorter 2 hour walk. The walk commences from and finishes at the hotel and allows one to head into and behind our pretty little village and head off into the wooded valley behind the village. The walk more or less follows the route of the Strontian river and should you be feeling energetic you can walk right into the heart of the valley and up into the former mining area of Strontian where the element Strontium was discovered. Then as you descend back down past some beautiful and rather ancient woodland you can rest assured that we’ll have the hotel bar and some refreshments waiting for you upon your return.

Singing sands

So called because of the high proportion of silica within the sand, this tranquil and beautiful beach will - under the right weather conditions and humidity – actually sing for you as you rub your feet or hands on the sand. Rather impressive don’t you think! But the most impressive thing is not the noise but rather the beach itself, a beautiful secluded bay looking out towards Skye and the small isles. The walk to get to the beach commences just behind Acharacle and involves a scenic and easy 30minute drive from the hotel. Heading out over good marked 4*4 style tracks one zigzags along the coast for the first 30-40minutes of the walk before heading slightly inland through some dense forestry tracks. And then, about 75minutes from the start point and just when you think that the forest will continue forth there is a small sign stating simply and unobtrusively ‘ beach’. But as anyone who has been to singing sands will tell you, this isn’t just any beach but is rather a true wonder of the west coast. A real gem and well worth the effort to get there!

Ben Hiant

For those of you who like hill filled hikes this is perfect. Ben Hiant is the highest hill on the western chunk of the Ardnamurchan peninsula and although not that high by highland standards this little mini Corbett offers excellent views around a 360 panorama and rewards those who scale it with fine undisturbed views out to Mull, Skye, the small isles and out west and east across our peninsula. A 60 minute drive from Kilcamb and a climb time of around 75 minutes and the same back down. On a clear day the summit is a great spot for a picnic and perhaps a wee hilltop dram! Slainte.

For details of all of these walks and more simply ask Paul and the Kilcamb team during your stay with us.