Enter now to win a two-night stay in a boutique Newhall Mains cottage. Plus, a scenic flight, whisky-distillery tour and use of a Land Rover for the weekend.
14 January, 2021
You always want what you can't have. And we're craving escapism. We're talking about switching off from the notifications playing jack-in-a-box on our home screens and, instead, exploring a far-flung, fantastical mountainscape with wild abandon.
Luckily for you (and a friend), we've knocked heads with Newhall Mains and curated an action-packed weekend in the Scottish Highlands so you can be in with a chance of doing just that when we're allowed out and about again.
Set on the Black Isle peninsula, the 18th-century Newhall Mains estate - your base for two nights - was on the brink of disrepair before it was sympathetically restored and beautifully reimagined. Drawing on the skills of Highland-based craftsmen, it marries traditional materials with modern comforts: bones of stone, lead and slate give way to airy suites decked out with bold-print wallpaper, underfloor heating and the kind of bespoke furnishings that wouldn't look out of place in The World of Interiors.
You'll wake in one of five individually themed cottages, where a larder is stuffed with locally sourced breakfast fodder - the perfect fuel for hikes on the moors or dolphin-watching at nearby Cromarty Firth. It's tiring stuff, all that exploring. Come evening, enjoy a three-course meal (and wine) delivered straight to your door. All the flavour, none of the formality.
In the spirit of doing anything but "stay home", you'll spread your wings on a scenic flight that departs from Newhall's private runway, natch. Write to us if you spot Nessie as you soar over her eponymous loch.
On the ground, hit the gas in a Land Rover Defender, the 4x4 that's as ruggedly beautiful as the nearby Moray Coast. It's yours for the weekend, so get out and explore. The lesser-travelled North Coast 500 - Scotland's answer to Route 66 - is on your doorstep.
Not taste enough of the Highlands for you? We've arranged a fiery whisky tour at a local distillery.
The prize is valid for a year. Full terms and conditions here.
