In July we revisited two old favourites, Dunkeld House Hotel and Gleneagles, both of which were excellent, as usual.

We also made our very first visit to a hotel that’s only 3 miles from our house. We’ve driven past it countless times, since it’s just off one of the main roads out of Blairgowrie. From the road, and even on their website, there’s no indication that non-residents are welcome, and we’d got the idea that it was rather an exclusive sort of place.

We had increasingly been thinking that one day we should bite the bullet and drive in to see what was what, and it took our fancy to do so on a warm, sunny Monday in mid-July when we were on our way to Pitlochry for lunch.

On the road below the hotel there’s a brown tourist road sign mentioning the name of the impressive building up the hill: Kinloch House Hotel. There are no other signs or boards indicating that it’s a hotel, which adds to the mystery of the place.

Leaving me in the car, Lorna entered the building to find a very quiet, deserted interior. She had a look around, finding several soft seating areas and interesting wall decorations, and was eventually greeted by a courteous gentleman with a South African accent who asked if he could assist her. She asked him if the hotel served lunch, and he replied regretfully that they only did lunches on Sundays. Did they provide morning or afternoon teas, she enquired? Yes, he said, they could provide tea and coffee at any time, but again rather regretfully stated that the only edible accompaniments available were fruit loaf, lemon drizzle cake and shortbread. Lorna didn’t think that was anything to be sorry about, and she skipped back to the car to tell me the good news.

We continued on our way to Pitlochry, agreeing that one day we would settle ourselves in Kinloch House Hotel for hot drinks and cake. During lunch, at Pitlochry Dam Visitor Centre, we decided to stop at savoury courses and go back to Kinloch House Hotel that same day to sample their cakes by way of pudding. We were met by the same South African gentleman, who welcomed us warmly and invited us to have a good look round the hotel’s communal areas until we found the area we’d like to sit in. We did that, and opted for the conservatory, which was bright and airy, and very warm indeed.

We put in an order for tea and coffee, lemon drizzle cake and fruit loaf, and enjoyed the magnificently peaceful surroundings. While we were waiting, Lorna popped out of the open door and took pictures of the views. The main road lay just below the hotel, but we couldn’t hear any traffic as the hillside between the two seemed to absorb any noise.

Our South African server appeared with a large tray containing all we’d asked for, nicely presented with thick, white linen napkins. It was getting very hot sitting in the conservatory and we appreciated the large glasses of iced water he brought.

It was extremely peaceful sitting there, and during the couple of hours or so we spent in the hotel, the South African chap was the only other person we saw. After we’d finished and paid for our repast, he invited us to sit in the conservatory or lounge for as long as we wanted. It was a tempting offer and we appreciated the kind hospitality, but sleep was calling me and my bed was only a few minutes’ drive away. Before we left, however, we enjoyed use of the facilities and had another little look around the hotel.

In August we were tempted back to Dunkeld House Hotel and Ballathie House Hotel for familiar pleasures, but we also had lunch at Fonab Castle Hotel and Spa in Pitlochry.

It being the height of summer, the hanging baskets outside the hotel were in full bloom and looking very colourful.

One of Fonab Castle’s greatest assets is its setting, with dining room views out over Loch Faskally.

We were presented with the full menu, but chose to order from the lighter afternoon options.

I chose the veloute of the day, the details of which neither Lorna nor I can now remember, but I’m sure it tasted good.

Lorna had the garden salad, and was particularly pleased by the inclusion of olives. Since both of our choices were light options we ordered a side of chips to share.

Small, warm and delicious wholemeal rolls were brought to the table, with a little pat of butter.

After our savouries, I chose a chocolate tart for pudding.

Lorna settled for a decaf latte, which was topped with a thick layer of foam and served in a handle-less insulated plastic cup.

September saw us back at Ballathie House Hotel again, where we enjoyed the sight of an old tree stump planted with nasturtiums and other plants. It looked rather like a volcano.

Later the same month we visited a hotel in the village of Meikleour, less than 5 miles from our house. We’d been there earlier in the year for hot drinks, and decided to call in for lunch on a beautiful sunny September day.

It was busy, as I believe it often is, being a popular spot with locals and tourists alike. Lorna and I both opted for the goat’s cheese, pear and walnut quiche, and were very glad we’d done so. It was delicious, and served with a tasty parsnip crisp and a bountiful bowl of salad.

For pudding Lorna settled for a scoop of lemon sorbet and a scoop of raspberry ripple ice cream. She was delighted with the fluffy little madeleine that accompanied it.

I plumped for Victoria plum crumble, which came with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream atop the well-filled crumble dish. It was surprisingly large and very tasty.

After partaking of coffee, I was glad my bed was in such close proximity to our luncheon spot.

The first day of October saw us visiting a hotel in the nearby village of Alyth that quite astounded us on our initial visit the year before. We had often seen signs for the Lands of Loyal Hotel while driving through Alyth, and for some reason always assumed it was a scruffy and neglected sort of place. The building isn’t visible from the main road, and I don’t know why we both had the impression we did, but for many years we’d avoided even going to investigate what might be there. After our first visit, which as I say astounded us, we felt inclined to go back and remind ourselves of its magnificence.

It was originally built as a private residence, but later took on the persona of a sort of country house hotel. It has a very unique atmosphere, and although we’ve been there a few times now, it continues to surprise us with its colouful and flamboyant decor.

There are, I think, four separate dining rooms in the hotel, and we were put in one we hadn’t been to before. It was cosy and lavishly decorated.

The ceiling in this room was particularly striking.

Exotic birds were displayed on a frieze just beneath the intricate gold-painted cornice.

There was plenty to look at, and we enjoyed the peaceful ambience of the room as we waited for our food to arrive (we had perused the menus and made our order from the lounge area, where we were served drinks prior to the meal).

Neither Lorna nor I can now remember exactly what our dishes were, but they were well presented, and highly acceptable. I selected a starter and a dessert, while Lorna had a main course and no dessert. My starter consisted of a pastry tube stuffed with something that may have included mushrooms, served with a rich, creamy sauce.

Lorna’s main course was a vegetarian offering involving courgettes. She recalls the tomato sauce being particularly delicious.

One of the things I particularly like in a restaurant is when they produce a bread roll and butter as part of proceedings. Lorna likes to see a carafe of water provided on the table. Lands of Loyal pleased both of us on these points, as well as ticking the boxes for thick linen tablecloths and napkins

My chosen pudding was a raspberry creme brulee. It was served in a large teacup, sitting on a piece of slate and accompanied by chantilly cream decorated with berries. It took me quite a while to get through it, but I persevered and polished it off.

At the end of October we revisited Ballathie House Hotel, where we had a bit of exercise in their beautiful grounds, to work up an appetite for our lunch. My rollator, as well as being a very useful walking aid, provides a seat when I need a little rest.

Settled into the very quiet drawing room, we opted for sandwiches (egg mayonnaise for Lorna; tuna mayonnaise for me) and tea to drink. I usually prefer a cold drink with lunch, but it was a chilly day and the hot tea was very welcome.

The dessert of the day was choux au craquelin with banana jam and salted caramel ice cream. Not being a big fan of bananas, I opted for a cream tea, but Lorna was quite excited to try the craquelin, and was delighted by the look of it.

The cream tea came, as usual at Ballathie, with shortbread as well as a scone. It was up to the usual excellent standards.

In November, we revisited both Gleneagles and Ballathie.

One of my favourite dishes in The Dormy restaurant at Gleneagles has been their vegetarian haggis with neeps and tatties in a whisky cream sauce. They used to have it on their menu as a starter and a main course, but these days only advertise it as a main course. However, if you ask for a small portion they serve you the starter size, which is quite big enough a meal for me.

Lorna had a dish she’s had a number of times, a curry consisting of paneer cheese and spinach. Sometimes it’s extremely spicy, other times very mild. This time it was rather over-salted, but I’m told the rice was excellent, as always.

One of the Dormy’s best desserts is usually their creme brulee. Since it’s rather large and we both only had a little space left, we ordered one to share. It wasn’t up to the usual standards, and I wonder if there had been a change of chef. We managed to polish it off all right, mind you.

On our visit to Ballathie later that month, again we started with a little exercise in the grounds…

…before settling ourselves into the drawing room, which I like to think of as my second home.

We both had carrot soup, followed by cream teas, all of which was exactly as expected and highly satisfactory.

We had several good meals out in December, but the only hotel we visited was the Atholl Palace Hotel in Pitlochry, where we met my other daughter, Flora, for lunch one day.

The hotel had been decked out for Christmas, and had a cosy, festive feel.

There are two dining options at the Atholl Palace, their main restaurant and the Stag Bar. We chose the bar, which was festively decorated and had a welcoming log fire.

Lorna forgot to take photographs of the food we had, but I’m told we had soups and sandwiches. We enjoyed our time there, and the pleasure of an extra dining companion.

It’s approaching the end of January 2025 as this is being written. The only hotel we’ve visited so far this year is Dunkeld House Hotel, but we’re planning to visit a new one to us at the end of this month, the Pine Trees in Pitlochry. We’ll be celebrating Lorna’s birthday, so I hope it will be a very pleasant and memorable occasion. If it turns out to be both, it might well appear on this blog in due course.