The Kintyre peninsula, Scotland's 'long nose', is bisected by the famous Crinan Canal, a gem of engineering. This most scenic route, used equally by Saturday sailors and salty old sea dogs, crosses the land from Ardrishaig - where this little country hotel is - to Crinan on the western seaboard. Crinan is scenic and lies not very far from the famous and fearsome Corryvreckan whirlpool, to which boat trips can be arranged for the brave and curious. The area is rich in wildlife and we'd only been here for two minutes when we saw a black-throated diver in the loch.

Ardrishaig village straggles along the side of a bay on Loch Gilp and is a very convenient location in which to set up base camp if you fancy a few days exploration of the fascinations of the beautiful Kintyre and Cowal areas. Or beyond, perhaps, to the Isle of Gigha; or intriguing Kilmartin Glen with its standing stones, cup and ring markings and remarkable museum; or Inverary with its renowned jail (an excellent tourist attraction, we assure you), grand castle and nearby Loch Fyne Oyster Bar.

Allt na Craig - meaning river of the hillside in Gaelic - was once home to Kenneth Grahame, author of the much-loved book The Wind in the Willows. This 4-star guest house isn't posh but is a lot posher than Mole End; Grahame was inspired by his time in, and memories of, Argyll and the character Mole's introduction to a river could only have been written by one with a love of the countryside, as surrounds this hotel:

Mole thought his happiness was complete when, as he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river. Never in his life had he seen a river before - this sleek, sinuous, full-bodied animal, chasing and chuckling, gripping things with a gurgle and leaving them with a laugh, to fling itself on fresh playmates that shook themselves free, and were caught and held again.

The house is a sturdy, handsome Victorian villa set in a garden of tall firs and rhododendrons (beautiful in June). Allt na Craig looks straight onto Loch Gilp where it joins Loch Fyne; the lovely Crarae Gardens are not far distant. Inside, expect the informal and homely: this isn't an 'everything in its place', uptight sort of house. Rather, you'll find a log stove in the Dining Room in winter, a fire in the Lounge when it's chilly, music while you dine, lots if interesting curios. Décor isn’t by a designer. It's an easy-going spot where you can kick off your shoes and relax. Rooms are done in bright colours and the welcome and thoughtful care from owners Hamish and Charlotte is just as warm. The Lounge, with its bay window and side-view to the parterre garden, has an oatmeal-coloured carpet and leather sofas, books and family photographs. A thick, blue carpet leads upstairs to the accommodation.

The house has 5 bedrooms, each named after a Scottish clan and each with the associated tartan used within the room. A nice touch. There's also a self-catering cottage. All rooms are equipped with a TV, hospitality tray which includes FairTrade products, hairdryer, Scottish-made toiletries, clock-radio and local information. Each of the rooms has its own character. Free wi-fi internet access is available in all rooms, an excellent bonus.

Gordon is the family room; decorated in greens, it has views to the garden and loch and offers a double bed, pine bunk beds, sofa, and a bathroom with very large bath. (Additional fold-down beds can be supplied.) MacLeod is the single room, it's blue and has an en-suite loo with a double-sized shower unit. Seton is a vibrant green room with colourful prints, a twin, it has a shower room. Stewart is a nice front-facing double room with cream walls and a dark red self-coloured carpet, antique pieces and a fresh shower room.

We stayed most recently in Buchanan, the superior double room, which comes with a roomy, spa-type corner bath, with overshower if you don't have time to indulge in bubbles. The bed is soft and deeply comfortable while the thick, light duvet made for a heavenly sleep. The room has views to the garden and the loch - just open the Buchanan curtains to reveal. Dark wood furnishings, ornaments, a series of framed old Land-Rover adverts, two armchairs... nice and cosy and all definitely relaxing. The bathroom is helpfully well-lit.

Charlotte is at the helm of the house's red Aga stove. Trusty cooker and mistress produce unfussy, fresh food presented in a natural homemade style. It's fashionably unfashionable fare, the frou-frou is out, and at this Guide we very much like this sort of locally-sourced eating. We know our readers do, too.

Menus offer 3 options per course for dinner, while desserts and cheese are described and listed by your waitress. We enjoyed a substantial and deliciously warming bowl of Homemade Sweet Potato Soup, accompanied by very tasty home-baked cheese and onion bread. For a main course we managed to resist the Fish Stew, and also the Chicken Breast with Wild Mushroom Sauce, to go for the locally-reared Ormsary Beef Casserole with Vital Spark Ale and Onions. Para Handy would have loved it equally well. (In case you don't know what we're going on about, Para Handy was the skipper of the Vital Spark, in a popular series of books and films about the mis-adventures of a west coast 'puffer' boat and her crew. 'Vital Spark' is also an ale and, yes indeed, you can sample it here.)

Before or after dinner you can have drinks or tea / coffee and chocolate mints in the Lounge. On a coffee table, a bowl sits out all day with a selection of chocolate temptations.

We do recommend you try the Loch Awe-smoked haddock with a poached egg at breakfast. A real Scots speciality, the fish here is really delicious. Sailing By played in the background as we looked out to the loch. Tea or coffee is brought to the table, with toast. A small buffet table offers juices, one of which is fresh or organic, freshly prepared fruit, a bakery item (banana bread or muffins), cereals including the chic Dorset range, yoghurts, jams. Kippers by the pair are on the go, "just the one if you're not very hungry", while a tasty Scottish grill includes local beef sausages and free-range farm eggs.

The hotel has no leisure facilities of its own but the links below detail some of the local, main attractions. There's plenty to see and do.

Allt na Craig House can be booked for exclusive use for small weddings or events. Remember that there's free wi-fi so, if you're here on business, you can keep in touch easily.

Gary McLean says…
“Allt na Craig House is ideal for you if you like a homely, comfortable place and you place value on a dependably warm welcome. The food is very much in the home-cooking style and uses lots of genuinely good local produce. The use of an Aga definitely helps! The owners, here for more than 6 years now, previously ran hot air balloon trips and are lively characters who know the outdoors. The house isn't an outpost of high fashion or even green welly brigade, terribly tasteful, knowing chic. It's a cosy and cheery country house with a great view, nice in summer, and possibly even nicer in chillier months when the fires are on and the tartan touches add warmth.”

To follow.

HAVE YOUR SAY Have you stayed in a Scottish hotel or guest house recently? If so, and you would like to pay it a compliment or let us know of any problems, then there’s a link to a Reader’s Review comment page above left, under the search boxes. Your views go direct to the Editor, who will try to acknowledge your response within a few days if it requires an answer. The Editor may edit / check comments, which do not go directly online. You can be named online, or provide simple initials for publication. We greatly value the very many comments we receive from readers, published or otherwise, and be assured that your views will register with us. Thank you.

REVIEW STATUS & MERIT AWARDS This establishment has now been fully reviewed by the Guide and any HotelReviewScotland.com™ Merit Awards will show above, beneath the address details. We also list the latest ratings and gradings for this business from other guides and organisations. One or more of our experienced reviewer team has stayed at this establishment, spent time with the management, and the Guide is receiving reader and industry input from one or all of: online Reader’s Reviews; Comment Postcards; and Voting in The Scottish Hotels of the Year Awards. All entries are carefully monitored. The lead star grading has been awarded by the Scottish Tourist Board / VisitScotland. As the hotel is a Full Member of HotelReview™ Scotland the Look & Book Box™ links are LIVE.

---

Facebook

Stumble It!

Delicious