Scotland in mid-December? What were we thinking. When we told friends we were off for a relaxing break to the West Coast of Scotland two weeks before Christmas, many looked at us as if we were mad.
I'd been to Scotland off-season before though and knew what a magical experience it could be: few tourists, thick snow, log fires and wonderful food.
With the pound taking a hammering from the euro and the dollar, those bargain holiday destinations abroad aren't quite such a good deal anymore.
We'd decided to make this four-day break a gastronomic tour of the West Coast so who cared what the weather would be doing.
We journeyed up via Virgin Trains from London and another advantage to going off-peak was that it only cost £18.50 to Glasgow: per mile it must be one of the best travel bargains in the world.
The train journey was about five hours but it passed quickly and comfortably. There's plenty of beautiful scenery to look at and a well-stocked bar!
If you're venturing outside of Scotland's cities, hiring a car is still by far the best bet: especially in winter when rural train services can be a bit sporadic.
Our old friends Arnold Clarke were as reliable as ever and even picked up up from Glasgow station for free.
One of the few disadvantages of travelling around Scotland in winter is that the short days mean you only have a few hours to soak in the scenery. Our drive up to the Taycreggan Hotel would have been spectacular in daylight. The journey takes you right round the edge of Loch Lomond. We could just make out the tops of snow-capped mountains and inky black water lapping onto the shores.
The drive from Glasgow is about two hours along small icy roads that were a little bit hairy in the pitch black.
The magical mystery tour was worth it though when we rounded a bend on a small track to see Loch Awe for the very first time.
Even in darkness it's an arresting sight, with the lights of Taycreggan glittering on the banks like a Christmas star.
The Taycreggan sits proudly isolated on the banks of Loch Awe amongst 40 acres of land.
You really do feel as if you're on the edge of the world. The silence can be initially disconcerting for city-types.
There's patchy mobile phone coverage in the hotel but for those surgically attached to their's, there is reception on the jetty.
It's certainly not the place to come if you're looking for night life but if you enjoy perfect peace and some of the most beautiful views in the world, you've come to the right place.
The Taychreggan has always been a hotel since it was first built in the 17th century when cattle traders would stay while transporting their animals to market.
You get a real sense of history staying at the Taychreggan and the owners have taken pains to preserve it's identity.
It has also welcomed travellers such as
Samuel Johnson and it's easy to imagine him enjoying a whisky at the bar, within it's thick stone walls.
A welcoming log fire burns in the reception area and there are plenty to places to curl up with a good book.
The hotel has only 18 rooms so you need to book before turning up: the nearest town, Oban, is 12 miles away and you could be in for a long detour if there's no room in the inn!
We stayed in the Awe room which is a junior suite with views over the Loch. Our room had recently been refurbished and it was hard to believe that this is technically classed as a 3-star hotel.
I don't think I've ever stayed at another 3-star hotel that boasted a walk in shower, roll top bath and twin sinks.
The room itself was beautifully appointed with a flat screen TV on the wall, enormous king sized bed and complimentary sherry.
Every evening the dinner menu is brought to your room to get the culinary juices flowing - and what a menu it is.
As the hotel is so isolated, there aren't many dining options but you really don't need them when the food is so good.
Each night a five-course dinner is served in the dining room, costing £40 per person.
The restaurant boasts to 2-star AA-rating but I wouldn't be surprised if it was higher next year.
You don't expect to find this quality of cooking in such an isolated spot and highlights include: Tempura of Monkfish on chargrilled fennel, Loin of West Highland Venison with braised red cabbage and baked North Atlantic Halibut with new potato and fine bean salad.
The dining room (where breakfast is also served) overlooks the Loch and the stunning views really compliment the wonderful food.
Breakfast is served in the same dining room and continues the high standard with Loch Fyne kippers, kedgeree and a full Scottish available.
The hotel is ideally situated for outdoor pursuits and they thoughtfully provide wellies for town mice like us.
If you book in advance you can try things like hawk handling, archery and clay pigeon shooting.
If you don't fancy anything as active as that, just a simple potter around part of the 23-mile Loch goes some way to working off dinner.
The area is full of wildlife and we even spotted a deer springing past the window at breakfast.
If you fancy exploring the local area: and not to do so would really be a pity, the famous Loch Fyne Seafood restaurant is just 40 minutes drive away.
Oban, 'The Gateway to the Isles' is a nice day trip and the Taychreggan would make an ideal stopping off point for anyone holidaying on the islands.
A final word on the staff of the Taychreggan. Being so isolated can mean that hotels struggle to find good staff but not here. General Manager Fiona Sutherland was informative, friendly and full of local knowledge. Barman and waiter David was also attentive and professional.
The Taychreggan has won awards for it's romantic setting and it's easy to see why. It really is worth a visit. Rooms from £52.50 per person per night, B&B. Junior suites from £ 78.50 per person per night, B&B. For more information: The Taychreggan Hotel.
It was time to leave the tranquillity of Loch Awe and head back towards a faster pace of life in Glasgow.
Before we hit the bright lights of the 2009 European City of Culture though we detoured via The Boathouse in Kilsyth.
This hotel and restaurant has only been open for less than a year and it's caused quite a stir amongst the locals.
Finding The Boathouse can be tricky: it's not actually in Kilsyth but about a mile away, off a roundabout and en route to Glasgow.
However, after a couple of wrong turns we found it and we were glad we persevered.
The Boathouse is on a banks of the Forth and Clyde overlooking the Auchinstarry Marina with a huge terrace that would be wonderful to sit on in the summer and watch the swans swim by.
As we arrived in the middle of December though we hurried in to the restaurant/ bar.
Hotel registration is done at the bar which is initially a bit confusing but staff couldn't be more welcoming and help carry bags round the back to the rooms.
The hotel itself seems to be catering for the business market midweek as it boasts wifi and nice touches like 'breakfast to go' in the room fridges. Weekend guests will enjoy the enormous beds, river views, flat screen TVs and luxurious bathrooms.
This Boathouse is the younger sibling of The Wheel House in Falkirk and is a joint venture between Scottish and Newcastle brewery and Scottish Waterways.
The interior of The Boathouse is fresh and open with wooden floors and big sofas.
It's proud (and rightly so) of it's status as Scotland's first eco-pub. From it's very structure of renewable timber and double insulated walls through to it's waste water treatment, you feel that this is a place not just paying lip service to the environment.
This carries through to it's excellent food menu. Food is locally sourced and Fairtrade where possible.
We ate right in the middle of Christmas party season but staff were still attentive and did a brilliant job of ensuring all guests were looked after.
The menu itself was enormous, catering for every possible taste.
Food is served in 'small' or 'large' plates depending on your appetite.
The menu ranges from classic burgers and steaks through to more adventurous Asian style noodle dishes and 'upmarket' fare such as seared scallops and black pudding.
Dishes range from a fiver through to £18 for a rib eye steak and chips.
With such a wide menu, you often find that quality is sacrificed for quality but everything we ate at The Boathouse was of the highest standard.
Breakfast the next morning was also excellent and we enjoyed smoked salmon and scrambled egg for an amazing credit-crunch busting £3.95 whilst watching the swans fly by.
Although The Boathouse isn't on the traditional tourist route, it's worth making a detour for if you're travelling to or from Glasgow which is only 20 minutes away.
Starting price for a double rooms is £85.00/room/night and £75.00/room/night for single occupancy. To book or for more information on The Boathouse.
We headed into Glasgow for the final part of our trip.
I'd never been to Glasgow before but I'd heard good things about the new European City of Culture. Unfortunately I was only there for 18 hours on my culinary tour so didn't have time to explore properly but I will definitely be back.
We headed straight to Malmaison to check in before dinner.
Like most Malmaisons, the Glasgow building is structurally stunning: built on the site of a former Greek Orthodox Church.
The reception and bar areas feature beautiful high ceilings and ornate metalwork details.
The rooms themselves are quite small but perfectly formed with all the Mal extras you would expect: generous free toiletries, satellite TV and good showers.
Malmaison is brilliantly located on West George Street, literally five minutes from Glasgow's shopping district. A double room starts at £115 per night.
There was no time to shop for us though as we'd been lucky enough to get a table at Glasgow's most famous restaurant: The Ubiquitous Chip.
The Chip is a Glasgow institution. Every taxi driver I encountered in Scotland had either taken a fare or had eaten here themselves. Opened in 1971, The Chip features in 'The Lonely Planet's' latest guide to The Ten Coolest Places to visit in 2009. This venerable old timer doesn't need gimmicks and titles to win it's patrons over though.
From the moment you walk into the Chip, you know you're in for a unique experience. The decor includes an enormous Alasdair Gray mural and waterfall while fairy lights bedeck the outside.
The place was packed even at 6.30 (which was the only time we could get a table) and one suspects that this wasn't just because it was Christmas party season.
The menu works simply: 2 courses are £34.85 and 3 are £39.85. Choices include their speciality vegetarian haggis (which is strongly recommended even if you're a meat eater), Orkney smoked salmon and a "trilogy of Ardnamurchan venison".
As you would expect the menu has a strong Scottish influence and all meat and seafood suppliers are named.
The wine list is equally impressive with over 30 pages of wine priced from £16 to £390! If you're not confident around your wines - and we're not - then you can ask to speak to the friendly and unpretentious sommelier.
He chose us a very reasonably priced Orange Sauvignon Blanc Tinja which was unusual and delicious.
It's worth splashing out on the full 3 courses as it's not every day you eat at a restaurant this special.
We went for The Chip's "Famous Caledonian Oatmeal Ice Cream with Fruit Compote." The recipe is so famous that staff told us that a celebrated TV chef had used it in their cook book!
We somehow managed to finish on a round of ports and desert wine - well, it was nearly Christmas.
I can't recommend The Chip highly enough for a top end but unpretentious dining experience.
For menu details and to book: The Ubiquitous ChipAfter sleeping off the excesses of the night before, we ended our brief culinary tour of Scotland at The Giffnock Ivy.
The restaurant changed hands in April but has obviously managed to retain it's regular clientele.
Our taxi driver told us that Giffnock is an upmarket suburb of Glasgow, 15 minutes in a cab or 10 minutes on a train (the station is literally round the back of the restaurant).
We went for Sunday lunch and by the time we arrived the place was starting to fill with families and young couples.The restaurant is small but bright and spacious.
Sunday lunch is a set menu at £14.95 for two courses and £16.95 for three.
It's unusual to find cooking of this high standard in what is effectively a local neighbourhood restaurant.
We all received a freebie appetizer of smoked haddock and chives while we studied the menu.
Although quite short it was nicely varied with enough choice for anyone. Starters include roast pumpkin soup or mulled poached figs with a rocket and parmesan salad.
I had grilled sea bass with braised fennel for my main course but this being Sunday lunch a roast loin of pork was of course available.
After four days of incredible food I'd promised myself there'd be no desert today but I just couldn't resist trying the roast pear with Christmas pudding ice cream.
Unfortunately we were rushing to catch our flight so we couldn't linger over coffees and ports but I would definitely return to The Ivy and it's worth the short detour out of town.
For more information and to book The Giffnock Ivy
We just made our flight from Glasgow airport and amazingly we didn't even have to pay for extra seats considering how much we'd eaten!
