Scotland: East Coast

There are so many places to stop off on the roads of Scotland, if you're not disciplined you could end up going nowhere. Part of the joy of being on holiday though is the chance to please yourselves so when we saw signs to 'The Clootie Well' we thought we could spare 10 minutes to take a look.

This magical place is on the A832 just outside the village of Munlochy. Clootie means 'rag' and the tradition is that the sick would leave a piece of material that they'd touched by the running water which would take the sickness away. Whether you believe it or not, it's an eerie place that's well worth the detour.

Attention all shipping

Our next stop was Cromarty. For those of you familiar with the shipping forecast, this small town will need no introduction. It's a pretty place with some antique shops to potter about in and a few restaurants - not all of which were open in March. We grabbed a quick sandwich in the Royal Hotel.

Cromarty is also home to Britain's smallest car ferry: the Cromarty Rose, with room for only two cars a time.
In Medieval days Cromarty was on the main route North from Inverness and was an important trading town now it's still important as a base for the North Sea Oil industry.

The Boath House

After Cromarty we decided to head to Boath House which was to be our base for the next couple of days.

Boath House is about two miles outside Nairn (of oatcake fame) and is ideally located for touring the East Coast of Scotland.

I would hesitate to use the word 'hotel' when describing Boath House as that doesn't do the place justice. With just 7 rooms and a cottage in the gardens it feels more like staying in a grand stately family home.

The staff too are outstanding with Jacqueline and Jonathan responsible for checking in guests, taking dinner orders and many other duties around the hotel. In such a small hotel barriers are quickly broken down and by the second night, it's like chatting to old friends.

Charlie Lockley, head chef of the Boath House will also be part of the impressive line up of The Nairn International Book and Arts Festival will take place between 7 and 14 June 2008.

Dinner is served

Boath House has an international reputation for outstanding food and I wasn't disappointed. Be prepared for a sensory overload. Dinner is £55 per person per night but you do get six courses of incredible 4 AA rosette rated food cooked by Head Chef Charlie Lockley.

There's a set menu but Charlie's happy to cater for any special requests providing you give him notice.

Dinner is served in their beautiful, intimate dining room which overlooks the grounds. The hotel also acts as an art gallery for local artists so there's plenty of interesting, original art to look at.

They take their food very seriously at Boath House: breads are homemade and all ingredients are locally sourced. They grow their own fruit and vegetables and even keep their own bees.

Fit for a King

After six courses, all we were really capable of is staggering upstairs to our 'room'. Although room is a bit of an understatement for our beautiful suite with four poster bed and views over the trout lake and walled gardens.

High standards were continued through to breakfast the next morning with fresh fruit smoothies, organic porridge and local smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on offer and of course their spectacular own honey.

I would recommend The Boath House to anyone looking for a relaxing break but especially:

• Honeymooners/ anniverseries
• Retired people
• People looking to get away from it all.
• A special treat

Owners Don and Wendy tell me there are plans afoot to offer cookery and art courses in the future.

More information and booking details. Dinner, bed and breakfast from £280 per night.

Fort George

We decided to take in a whistle stop tour of some Scottish history. Fort George is just over half an hour's drive from The Boath House and is a great place to start.

Fort George was built in 1748 after the Jacobite uprising and is still a working military base. It's a great place to visit and the audio tour really brings the place alive. The views from the Fort are spectacular and if you're lucky, you might be able to spot a dolphin in the distance.

Let Battle Comence

Next stop was Culloden. As all Scots know, this battle, fought in 1746, saw Bonny Prince Charlie defeated leaving Scotland under English rule. It was the last battle to be fought on British soil.

The £10 entry price also includes a guided tour of the battle field and I'd recommend that you take it: otherwise it's difficult to visualise the tragic events of the day that left over 1,200 Clansmen dead.

Finding Findhorn

After a day in the past we decided to finish off with a drive to Findhorn for a bracing beach walk - and in March, it really was bracing!

Findhorn is home to a world famous spiritual retreat but it's also a very quaint seaside town 3 miles from the Moray Firth with some spectacular views of the bay and great bird watching. It's also very close to an RAF base and the only place I've ever seen a level crossing for low flying planes.

Something fishy

After leaving The Boath House we headed for the Highlands. The drive through the Cairngorms is highly recommended as you pass through some of the most stunning scenery in the United Kingdom - we even managed to see a hawk feeding by the roadside.

As a huge fan of smoked salmon, I decided to pay a visit to a little smokehouse in the Spey Valley, owned, rather bizarrely, by the lead singer of Jethro Tull. Here you can watch the local salmon being smoked, learn about the history of smoking and even buy some for your lunch.

St Andrews

The drive down to St Andrews took about 3 hours: it's not a journey to do if you're in a hurry as the roads are busy and small. The scenery almost makes up for it though.

I hadn't been to St Andrews before and I wasn't sure what to expect. The little university and golfing town was home to Prince William when he did his degree and has a reputation for being quite posh. It's true that there's a high proportion of antique shops and delicatessens but I was pleasantly surprised that the town still retains a sense of identity.

Don't look down

The two main tourist attractions in St Andrews are the Cathedral and the Castle - both can be done in an afternoon and you can buy a joint ticket for £7.20.

There has been a religious settlement on the site of the Cathedral since 732AD. Sadly all that remains of the site is a graveyard and some outer walls but there some very impressive stone carvings and St Rule's Tower which you can climb (if you're fit!) and get wonderful views of the town including the West Sands beach where 'Chariots of Fire' was filmed.

Going underground

A five minute walk from the Cathedral is The Castle. Built in around 1200AD and destroyed during the Reformation, not much remains of the Castle. There's an impressive visitor's centre and situated right on the sea shore, it's a great place to take kids and to admire the views.

The most impressive aspect of the Castle though is the mine and counter mines that were dug under the Castle in 1546. You can still walk into the tunnels but they're not for the faint-hearted or claustrophobic: the roof is just four foot high in places.

Rufflets

We spent the night at Rufflets hotel which is just outside St Andrews. When Rufflets opened in 1952 it made history as one of the first ever small country hotels. It still retains that old world charm that draws guests from all over world.

We stayed in The Gilroy Suite - named after the original owner of the house, Mrs Gilroy who built the house in 1924.

Although small (the hotel has 19 rooms and two annexes) it's run very professionally where nothing is too much trouble for staff and from the moment you check in, everything runs like clockwork.

The Garden Suite

Our suite overlooked the extensive landscaped gardens and had an enormous four-poster bed and whirlpool bath. The room and indeed the whole hotel, would be ideal for weddings.

In fact, in order to keep up with their popularity as a wedding venue, Rufflets has just added an extension called The Garden Suite.

Stephen Owen, the hotel's general manager took me on a tour of the new suite which opened in December 2007. The venue is a perfect location for weddings, christenings and conferences as it benefits from it's own entrance and grounds meaning that hotel guests aren't disturbed by a midnight disco.

Rufflets takes environmental issues very seriously and The Garden Suite recycles rainwater for the loos and has it's own hot water system.

Whisky a-go-go

One of the many special things about Rufflets is their whiskey selection. Displayed behind the bar by geographical Scottish region, the choice is dazzling, with prices from just £3.50 a shot.

A three-course dinner from the 2 AA Rosette kitchen at Rufflets is also a reasonable £39.75 per person. The menu features locally sourced ingredients such as scallops and Aberdeen Angus beef.

Dinner is served in a smart dining room by wonderful staff who anticipate your every desire. Coffee and petit fours are served in the garden or drawing room, depending on your fancy and the weather.

I would recommend Rufflets to:

• Golfers
• Weddings/ small conferences
• Couples
• Families

Rooms (including breakfast) available from £75 per person, based on two people sharing. More information.

Rosslyn Chapel

After a breakfast of locally sourced kippers and poached eggs, we set off for Edinburgh via the Rosslyn Chapel.

Readers of 'The Da Vinci Code' will be very familiar with this beautiful 13th centaury Chapel. Set 15 minutes drive outside of Edinburgh, the Chapel is well worth the trip. It's currently undergoing a massive restoration project to try and save it from rotting away.

The whole chapel is covered in scaffolding which while spoiling photo opportunities does mean that you can climb up the outside of the building onto specially constructed runways and get a once in a lifetime view of the carved stone roof.

Photographs aren't allowed inside the Chapel for fear of damaging the precious stone carvings. It's impossible to describe the stunning details of the stonework: every inch of the tiny chapel is carved with magical creatures, Bible tales and patterns.

Edinburgh Castle

I've been to Edinburgh many times but I'd never got round to visiting the castle. A rainy Friday afternoon in March seemed as good a time as any. Tickets are £11 which seems a bit steep, especially as they charge another £3 for an audio guide (which was included in the cost of the ticket at Fort George).

There's plenty to see and explore at the Castle; it's a great place to take kids but be warned that even in March there were long queues into the more popular exhibitions such as the Scottish Crown Jewels.

Apex City

After a day of sight seeing we decided we deserved a well-earned rest in our hotel. We were staying in The Apex City, right in the heart of Edinburgh.

The Apex and it's sister hotels: International and European offer great value for money whether you're in town for work or play. The City is situated in the Grassmarket which is full of great restaurants and quirky shops, literally five minutes from Waverley Station.

The 4 star hotel has 119 rooms but didn't feel like a faceless 'chain' hotel. Check in staff were efficient and the rooms were done out in a contemporary, minimalist style.

Other guests on our Friday night stay seemed to consist of young couples and small groups of women and blokes on City Breaks.

I would recommend The Apex City to:

• Business guests


• Groups of friends


• Couples


• Single guests

An overnight stay at the hotel starts from £90 per room, per night and includes breakfast. For further information or to make a booking call 0845 365 0000 or visit www.apexhotels.co.uk

Brilliant breakfast

We didn't eat in the Apex International's restaurant, 'The Heights' which is two doors away but it boasts 2 AA Rosettes and stunning views over Edinburgh. I made a note to try it next time though when we had more time as the menu looked impressive and great value for money with set dinner for two starting from £30 .

Breakfast though was very impressive for a hotel of this size. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that instead of the bog-standard buffet, staff took and cooked each breakfast to order. Choices included eggs Benedict and an Arbroath Smokie plus the usual full Scottish for those nursing hangovers.

The Apex is great hotel for a City break and can't be faulted for location and price. You even get to take home a little rubber duck that's placed in every room: no, I'm not sure why but it makes for a nice keepsake - or maybe that's just me.

'Bye Bonny Scotland

After dropping off the hire car, (Arnold Clark have centres throughout Scotland) it was time to head home on the train.

For a relatively small country, there's so much to do and I felt that I'd only really just got started. Next time, it's the West Coast and the Islands. So it's "au revoir Scotland", rather than goodbye.