Pool House

Pool House sits on the south shore of Loch Ewe at Poolewe, on the bank of the River Ewe where it runs the short distance from Loch Maree out to the sea. The house dates to the late 18th century, built as the laird’s residence for the Mackenzie estate at Inverewe, and was extended through the 19th into the country-house build that’s there today. The grounds run down to the river that gives the listing its name; the dining-room and front rooms look down the river toward the sea-loch and the Cuillin of Skye beyond.

The accommodation is pitched at the higher end of the Highland stay range, six or seven suites rather than a larger room count, each individually furnished with antique pieces, plus formal dining room and a small library bar. The kitchen runs a single set menu per evening that draws on the working west-coast pattern: Loch Ewe shellfish and white fish, Highland-reared meat, Inverewe-grown vegetables and herbs through the season.

The setting is the strongest part of the appeal. Inverewe Garden, the NTS-managed sub-tropical garden created by Osgood Mackenzie from 1862 onwards on the Gulf Stream-warmed soil, is two minutes’ walk from the door, and the wider Poolewe area carries the standard cluster of Wester Ross walking (Beinn Eighe, Slioch, the Loch Maree shore) within an hour by car.

Bookings, the current menu and rates at the Pool House website.