Discover loch dining

The finest Scottish scenery and the finest Scottish dining

In all of the UK some of the most spectacular scenery is found in Scotland, and among that scenery some of the most dramatic and beautiful is found around the lochs. Although only one claims to be home to a monster, many lochs can lay claim to an AA-Rosetted restaurant somewhere on its banks. Here's a list of those establishments, in alphabetical order by loch name.

Loch Awe

Loch Awe is the third largest freshwater loch in Scotland and also the longest in the country. It's renowned for its trout fishing and also has a number of ruined castles on islands. There's also Cruachan Power Station, which has a visitor centre.

Faodail at Taychreggan Hotel, Kilchrenan, Argyll & Bute - 2 AA Rosettes

Faodail means 'lucky find' and your dining experience may be just that when you discover this 17th-century former coaching inn nestled in its own private bay on the shores of Loch Awe. The kitchen delivers set dinner menus and there's always a friendly team waiting to welcome you.

Loch Broom

Loch Broom is a sea loch fed by the River Broom. It's about 9 miles long, and Ullapool sits about a third of the way down on its north-eastern bank.

The Dipping Lugger, Ullapool, Highland - 3 AA Rosettes

The Dipping Lugger is an 18th-century former manse transformed into a luxurious venue by local distillers. Ullapool’s famous seafood is a focus of the menu, and whether it’s lunch or dinner, tasting menus are the way to go, the choice changing with the seasons.

Loch Dunvegan

Loch Dhùn Bheagain is its actual Scottish Gaelic name, and it's a sea loch on the west coast of the island of Skye which is part of the Inner Hebrides. On the shore of the Loch sits Dunvegan Castle, the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland, which was the stronghold of the chiefs of Clan MacLeod for 800 years.

The Three Chimneys & The House Over-By, Colbost, Highland - 3 AA Rosettes

This remote whitewashed cottage restaurant with rooms is the definition of destination dining. Foodies have been making pilgrimage here for nearly forty years, and it's still well worth the effort. A warren of small rooms with low ceilings, the restaurant’s polished dark wood floors and tables are offset by exposed stone walls. Service is professional and fine-tuned, while food is firmly rooted in its island environment, particularly seafood from nearby waters.

Loch Earn

The Scottish Gaelic name for this loch is Loch Éireann, meaning 'Loch of Ireland', implying it may be a remnant of Gaelic expansion well over a thousand years ago. The Loch has a few claims to fame; the first being that even though it's not a sea loch it has its own tides, and a second is that The Beatles enjoyed a holiday here at the height of their fame in 1964. It's also well stocked with brown and rainbow trout.

Seasons View, The Four Seasons Hotel, St Fillans, Perth & Kinross - 1 AA Rosette

The Four Seasons Hotel sits in the tiny village of St Fillans, at the eastern end of Loch Earn where it meets the River Earn. Its restaurant is Seasons View, and as you’d expect from the name, there are breathtaking views over the water and the wooded hills, complementing the modern menu which is built on spectacular Scottish ingredients.

Lochview Restaurant, Achray House, St Fillans, Perth & Kinross - 2 AA Rosettes

Another restaurant that's wisely named, enjoying a stunning 180-degree view of Loch Earn and the mountains beyond. The Lochview Restaurant is a cosy and beautifully decorated space with leather upholstery, bespoke wallpaper and recovered wooden flooring. There's a contemporary and adventurous tasting menu on offer, as well as satisfyingly traditional quality dishes like burgers, pie, salmon, and beef fillet Rossini.

Loch Faskally

Unlike most Scottish lochs, Faskally is a man-made reservoir fed by the River Tummel. It's kept in place by the Pitlochry Dam, which was built in the late 1940s as part of a hydro-electric scheme. The dam incorporates a salmon ladder, which makes the loch very popular with anglers.

Fonab Castle Hotel & Spa, Pitlochry, Perth & Kinross - 3 AA Rosettes

Located on the edge of Loch Faskally, right by Pitlochry Dam, Fonab Castle is home to the fine dining Sandemans Restaurant. The castle is late Victorian, and was built for a member of the Sandeman port-shipping family. It's a pretty impressive building, and the restaurant enjoys some amazing panoramic views of the water, as well as elegant design and decoration. As you'd expect, local produce is very much in evidence.

Loch Fyne

Coming in from the Firth of Clyde, Loch Fyne is the longest sea loch in Scotland, inland by about 40 miles. The loch is connected to the Sound of Jura by the Crinan Canal, built around the end of the 18^th century.

Inver Restaurant, Strachur, Argyll & Bute - 3 AA Rosettes

This small, rather basic building on the shores of Loch Fyne is in perfect keeping with its surroundings, but isn’t necessarily the kind of place you’d expect to find food of this calibre. Enjoying an idyllic, almost wild setting with stunning views, it has open fires and simple, comfortable furnishings, highlighting the down-to-earth nature of the place. A record player provides the tunes and staff are friendly and knowledgeable - no airs or graces. Seafood comes direct from the loch.

Loch Fyne Hotel & Spa, Inverary, Argyll & Bute - 1 AA Rosette

The Cladach Mòr Bistro, from the Gaelic for ‘great shore’, takes its inspiration from both land and sea. Open fires, rich tones and stone walls set the scene. Food is proudly seasonal and local wherever possible, and you can enjoy beautiful loch views as you indulge in the carefully crafted dishes.

Loch Linnhe

Loch Linnhe is about 30 miles long, and opens onto the Firth of Lorne at its southwestern end. Fort William is at the northeast end of the loch, at the mouth of the River Lochy. Legend has it that this is the home of the water horse (‘each-uisge’) which would ride away with any children that tried to ride it, in order to drown and eat them.

The Pierhouse Seafood Restaurant, Port Appin, Argyll & Bute - 2 AA Rosettes

The Pierhouse enjoys a wonderful location at the edge of Loch Linnhe, opposite the ferry pier to Lismore, and used to be the home of the local piermaster. There are whitewashed walls inside and out with some fantastic artwork. Warmth is provided by wood-burning stoves and the main restaurant looks out onto the water.

Restaurant at Isle of Eriska, Eriska, Argyll & Bute - 3 AA Rosettes

Built in high Victorian Baronial style in 1884, this lovely building has a truly gorgeous setting, with acres of grounds, woods and shoreline enjoying glorious views across Loch Linnhe. A proper country retreat, it's got spa and leisure facilities and all kinds of outdoor pursuits. The restaurant is traditional, with oak panelling and comfortable seating. Menus change with the seasons with ingredients from the local larder well to the fore.

Loch Oich

Part of the Caledonian Canal, Loch OIch is a freshwater loch between Loch Ness and Loch Lochy. Fans of the more grisly elements of Scottish clan history may be interested in the lochside monument at the Well of the Seven Heads.

Glengarry Castle Hotel, Invergarry, Highland - 1 AA Rosette

This slice of Victorian Scottish baronial was built in the 1860s and is set in 50 acres on the shores of the loch. Spotless white linen and quality glassware glow beneath the chandelier in the opulent dining room, where lightly modernised, traditional fare is the order of the day.

Loch Sunart

A sea loch on the west coast that is a Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (NCMPA) due to the presence of certain very rare clams and other marine invertebrates. For a number of years, during the mid-19th century, the loch was also home to a floating church.

Kilcamb Lodge Hotel, Strontian, Highland - 3 AA Rosettes

Right on the shore of Loch Sunart, remote Kilcamb Lodge Hotel sits in 22 acres of private grounds and woodland. This historic house was one of the first stone buildings in the area and was used as military barracks around the time of the Jacobite uprising. These days it's a comfortable proprietor-run hotel with views guaranteed to wow first-time visitors or returning regulars. The light and airy restaurant looks out across the grounds towards the loch and the one window table is highly prized.

Upper Loch Torridon

Loch Torridon comes in two parts, Upper Loch Torridon and Loch Torridon proper, with Loch Sheildaig in between. The town of Torridon is on the shore of the far eastern end of Upper Loch Torridon.

The Torridon 1887 Restaurant, Torridon, Highland - 3 AA Rosettes

Innovative Scottish cooking is the hallmark at The Torridon 1887 Restaurant, part of the Victorian Earl of Lovelace’s turreted former shooting lodge. The drive to it requires a little determination, but its remoteness, wildness and scenery are worth it. The surrounding land, lochs and the sea play a major role in the kitchen, with vegetables and herbs coming from the two-acre kitchen garden, meats and game from the estate, and shellfish and fish from Loch Torridon and beyond.