An 18th-century former coaching inn, which gave its name to the village that evolved around it, is run today as a restaurant-with-rooms by chef/proprietor Geoffrey Smeddle and his wife, Katherine. The accommodation is in suites. One is on a single level; seven have steps down to bedroom and bathroom, and up to ‘a large lounge area with a settee, table, chairs… all in a nice modern setting with carefully chosen wallpaper’. Here, guests take ‘an undoubtedly good continental breakfast’. There is no breakfast room, no full Scottish – but, then, it’s not about breakfast. People come to experience Mr Smeddle’s modern take on classical cooking, to dine at a leisurely pace, on such dishes as tagine of wood pigeon, couscous, sweetheart cabbage, spiced dried fruits and almonds; seared stone bass, cauliflower cheese, poached lettuce, pink grapefruit and Champagne butter sauce. ‘The welcome is warm’, with sherry in the room on arrival. The garden is well tended. In the 1980s, under previous owners, the Peat Inn became the first restaurant in Scotland to gain Michelin stardom. It has gone from strength to strength: a gourmet base for visits to the Renaissance splendour of Falkland Palace. (AB, and others)