Built for a veteran of Culloden and remodelled in Victorian times, Jane MacFarlane’s stone mansion stands in a breathtaking situation on the shores of Loch Shiel, with views of Ben Nevis and the Glenfinnan Monument. Team Gibson – Manja and Duncan – are long-standing manager and chef. On chilly days, log fires blaze in rooms hung with paintings on a Jacobite theme. Bedrooms have no TV, and no key unless requested, which ‘might not suit everyone’, but adds to the house-party ambience. All rooms are supplied with cut flowers and a fruit bowl. Many have views of the loch and of the 1814 Glenfinnan Monument, perhaps a four-poster bed, a whirlpool bath. There are reduced rates for children, who will thrill to visit the Glenfinnan Viaduct of Harry Potter fame, while the hotel’s classically trained wizard works his magic with Inverawe smoked salmon, Glenfinnan Estate venison, Lochaber lamb, 28-day-aged, chargrilled steaks. You can eat in the restaurant or the bar, where residents rub shoulders with locals, perhaps ‘fresh, thick and flaky’ fish and chips; vegetarian haggis, turnip and potato clapshot. A great place, at once ‘down to earth’ and ‘very special’.