A lodge fit for the royals

By Gilly Pickup, Birmingham Post

A former hunting lodge in the Highlands is a welcome haven, but where's the porridge?

Question: What do King Edward VII, an elephant and Mel Gibson have in common? Answer: they all visited the Glenspean Lodge Hotel.

This baronial manor, complete with colourful history and fairy tale turret, was built by the local Laird, Mackintosh of Mackintosh, a privileged wee man, who owned nearly all the lands from Fort William right across the Cairngorms to Inverness.

Glenspean Lodge was a popular place, attracting many illustrious guests, including King Edward VII.

Nowadays, guests come here to enjoy hill climbing, pony trekking, clay pigeon shooting or quad biking while others choose to take pleasure in the more sedate pleasures of sightseeing and soak up the splendour and solitude of the Highlands.

It was a sunny late summer evening when we swished up the hotel's winding drive, heartened to see plenty of other cars though there was still ample space to park. (First impressions count and I always find it slightly concerning to arrive somewhere and find the car park empty.)

Alexandra the owner, greeted us with the warmest of welcomes and before we knew it, she had whisked us up to our room.

For a pair of weary travellers this was a comforting sight: light, airy with separate lounge area, pastel coloured comfy chairs, television and coffee table with hospitality tray.

I took an immediate liking to the window seat framed by pale pink and cream be-swagged and tailed curtains and it became a favourite place to sit with a cup of tea while contemplating the mountain views and mulling over life in general.

The hotel has 17 individually furnished and decorated ensuite rooms, all equipped with the usual bits and pieces including hairdryer and toiletries, though nothing elaborate. Incidentally, these good-ies are not automatically "topped up" next day, but if you require anything, you can ask at reception.

One of the most quirky guest rooms has to be the spacious Turret Room where guests feel like King of the Castle, or if it's a romantic experience you're after, then opt for the Braveheart Suite, so-called because Mel Gibson stayed here while filming.

But we'd had a long journey and felt peckish. First port of call was the atmospheric Mackintosh lounge bar where stag antlers and a range of about 100 malt whiskies abound. Settling in a cosy corner just made for people watching, we enjoyed a glass of wine while poring over the punchy menu.

Guests can eat in the bar or in the Nevis View restaurant - the menu is the same. We opted to eat in the bar that evening, we were in a cosily informal frame of mind and it suited us both. After ordering a bottle of wine to have with dinner, it was time to choose a starter: homemade fishcakes with an avocado and tomato salsa for me and a tian of haggis, neeps and tatties served with buttered shallots and Macallan jus for him. The starters were delicious. These were old-fashioned size portions and no mistake.

For my main course I chose Mediterranean vegetable wellington while husband homed in on sautéed breast of chicken with white wine, leek and thyme scented sauce and glazed smoked cheddar.

My veggie wellington arrived with a huge proper pastry topping and was excellent, jam-packed with chunky vegetables; a meat eater certainly wouldn't be missing out if they chose this. We left nothing on our plates.

But now our waitress was hovering with the dessert menu. My husband, as is his wont, looked woefully down at the menu and then up at the waitress before pronouncing, "Shame I'm full up, can't eat another thing."

I was full up, too, but those desserts beckoned me and I settled on the pecan and whisky tart served with marscapone cream. I could always walk it off next morning or try out the hotel's mini gym, sauna and jacuzzi.

The waitress had turned away from our table when my husband decided he could, after all, fit in a pudding. "Oh go on then," he said, as if someone had just twisted his arm, "I'll try the dark chocolate fondant with white chocolate sauce and red berry compote."

Good choices. Both were utterly delicious.

We stopped off in the residents' lounge before heading off to bed.

This is a great place for pre-dinner drinks or after dinner coffee and in winter, the fireplace with its pair of "wally dugs" on the mantelpiece adds to the welcoming ambiance. The bookcase is chocca with books and magazines and if you're a scrabble or chess fiend, you needn't miss out here either. When dusk falls, wall lights cast a gentle glow, though there are enough of them that you don't need to peer at your reading matter. Flickering candles enhance the inviting atmosphere.

I had a sneak peak in the snooker room, reserved for guests only, decorated in typical Highland style. There is also a computer with internet access that guests are welcome to use if they really can't survive without surfing the net or checking their emails for a few days. And so to bed, which proved functional rather than luxurious though we both slept like Rip van Winkle.

Breakfast was served in the award winning AA Rosette Nevis View dining room with its lovely views down the Spean Valley. Besides the usual buffet table with cereals, juices and fruit, there is a choice of cooked breakfasts, including smoked salmon, kippers or the full-monty Scottish breakfast, (eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms and black pudding.) No food for wimps this, the plates are overflowing. As a porridge fanatic, I couldn't help but wonder why there was no porridge on the menu though...

Glenspean Lodge is also a popular wedding location for both religious and civil marriage ceremonies, one of the few Highland venues approved by the local registrar.

Couples can tie the knot in the Nevis View Room or, if the weather is kind, services can take place on the terrace with its equally expansive views.

Nearby there are plenty of attractions to ooh and aah over including Glen Roy with its parallel roads, a quirk of nature formed in the Ice Age; Fort William, where you can board the romantic Jacobite Steam Train familiar to Harry Potter fans and Loch Laggan with its white sandy beaches.

Ah - and what about the elephant? In the 1920s a Maharajah, who had been invited to the Lodge for the deer stalking season, had his favourite elephant shipped to Scotland and then placed on a cargo train for Roy Bridge, because he wanted to ride the elephant when the others were out on foot. Apparently, it didn't take the Maharajah - or indeed, the poor elephant - too long to clock that this wasn't quite the same as hunting tigers in India, which was what they did then.

Fortunately, the elephant didn't see too much of the Highlands before being shipped back to his home shores once more.

* Glenspean Lodge Hotel, Roy Bridge, Invernessshire PH31 4AW Tel 01397 712223, or visit glenspeanlodge.com.