Incredibly remote, and all the better for it, Borradill takes its name from a legendary Viking warrior. The House sleeps up to six with Scandinavian-Hebridean style, oak floors, huge windows, and a master bedroom that’s difficult to leave (wake to Loch Sunart, and the isles of Mull and Morvern). Tucked higher up the hill, the Cottage sleeps four and has a wood-burning stove, monsoon shower, and a deck with more of those dreamy loch views. Outside, 25 acres of woodland (where some of Europe’s most intact tracts of Atlantic rainforest still sprawl), streams and ponds are full of owls, pine martens, eagles, wild blueberries, chanterelles, and secret forest camps for kids – or grown-ups who want to play, too.

Approaching Mingary Castle is a deep dive into wilderness. Settled upon a promontory on the West Coast of Ardnamurchan, this is a place rarely explored though romantically picturestuque. The rooms are idyllic, the restaurant even more so. Using the produce harvested locally at the West Ardnamurchan Community Garden, the tastes are just exquisite. 

The Glass Barn is a café, shop, and working farm all rolled into one. Sit under trailing grapevines with sunlight streaming through the glass roof (or rain pattering down), and tuck into soups, toasties, and cakes made with homegrown or local produce. Be sure to peek at the cheese dairy next door, where Isle of Mull’s famous cheddar is crafted.

This private, ‘Sea Island’ retreat in the heart of Loch Moidart is owned by Vanessa Branson (and ironically, has patchy WiFi at best). Once home to crofters and later a hunting lodge, it gained literary fame when J.M. Barrie spent summers here in the 1920s, drawing inspiration for Peter Pan. Today, the island offers eight self-catering cottages and a grand country house, all set within 2,000 acres of car-free wilderness. Luggage is delivered on quad bikes, and then you’re left to your own devices to swim in Shoe Bay, walk and read by candlelight, and warm up in the waterfront sauna – an Edwardian hut where the lodge’s fishing equipment was stored.