Loch Shin Luxury Pods

There are plenty of places nearby to give hiking boots and bikes a workout. The Falls of Shin (20 minutes’ drive) is a good place to start, for forest walks and spying on the salmon leaping upstream. More intrepid types may like to dive into Loch Shin for a swim, climb Ben More Assynt (40 minutes) or take mountain bikes to the trails around Big Burn (35 minutes). To slow the pace down a tad, take a wander around the flamboyant house and gardens at Dunrobin Castle (35 minutes) or grab binoculars and settle into the Dalchork wildlife hide (two miles from the site) to see if you can spot the sea eagles, pine martens, red deer and other beasties that roam around this area. And after all that… what goes well with an evening of watching the sun go down over the loch? Why, whisky of course – pick yourself up a bottle to sip after a tour at the Glenmorangie distillery (40 minutes) or Balblair (35 minutes), setting for big-screen flick The Angels’ Share.