In springtime, daffodils blanket the lawns around this secluded baronial mansion; in all seasons, the extensive grounds – the historic walled garden, mile-long nature trail, sculptures and outdoor games – invite exploration.

Traditional standards are upheld at this turreted 1920s mansion, one of Scotland’s first country house hotels, which has been owned by the same family for 70 years.

Relaxed and relaxing, Jan and Adam Moore’s dog-friendly country hotel is in ‘a lovely setting looking out over the hills – very green and surrounded by trees’.

Two handsomely refurbished Victorian villas – Dunstane House, and Hampton House, opposite – make up one smart hotel, in a peaceful area just beyond the city centre.

By the shores of Loch Long, romantic turrets and towers add to the Scottish country house experience of Beth and Murdo Macleod’s dog-friendly hotel.

It's a scenic crossing from Oban to this island of white-sand beaches, where the one hotel stands on a hillside overlooking the harbour with views to neighbouring Jura.

The only hotel in Jura’s only village is part of the appeal of this modest yet hospitable, family-run affair; the rest is the peace, remoteness, views, wildlife and fresh, island-sourced food.

You can take a cream tea on the grass in front of this homely hotel on a small, rugged island, and spot dolphins in the Sound of Iona.

'Spectacular views' across Loch Linnhe to the Morvern mountains are available from some of the rooms, from the fine-dining restaurant (Relais & Châteaux), and from the waterside gardens just across the road from this former ferry inn.

A ‘wonderful country house hotel in a peaceful location by the sea’ this former Victorian hunting lodge comes with panelled walls, log fires, period furniture, the obligatory stag’s head, a dazzling array of malt whiskies, and views across the water to Northern Ireland.

A bravura Victorian rebuild of a Georgian country house in wooded grounds above Portree Bay and the Sound of Raasay, Viewfield has been home to generations of Macdonalds, and is filled with family possessions and mementos.

It's a family affair in this restaurant-with-rooms with glorious views across the sheltered natural harbour of Scapa Flow to the southern Orkney islands.

‘The situation is absolutely beautiful; perfect for wild swimmers,’ write readers this year, in praise of this remote hideaway hotel on the shores of Loch Sunart.

The only sounds are the soughing of the sea and the cry of gulls at this remote Georgian manse in an 'extraordinary setting' between a three-mile sandy beach and heather-clad mountains.

‘A great place to stay if you’re after excellent food and high standards of comfort’, the family home of Lord Macdonald and his wife, cookery writer Lady Claire Macdonald, is ‘in a beautiful position’ on the shores of Loch Na Dal.

‘Neatness and sweetness all around, These at Prestonfield are found’, wrote Benjamin Franklin, after a stay at this 17th-century mansion in parkland under Arthur’s Seat. ‘This hotel was wonderful,’ a trusted reader waxes no less lyrical.

Set amid gardens and woodlands, this Georgian country house has been a labour of love for Susannah and Stuart Macpherson since they first opened to guests in 2003.

The breathtakingly scenic North Coast 500 road passes the driveway to this 18th-century manse, now a small, friendly hotel, gazing over Badcall Bay.

Guests can follow the Speyside whisky trail from the Marshall family's bay-fronted Victorian house, then return to sit by the fire with a dram from a list of fine malts and rare single-barrel casks.

By a bubbling burn in the Cairngorms national park, Joe and Sarah Jouhal have recently taken over this former Victorian tweed mill which attracts high praise for David Skiggs’ nightly three-course and six course tasting menus.

A rambling Victorian baronial pile on the shore of Loch Oich, at the heart of the Great Glen, with the history-freighted ruins of Invergarry Castle in its grounds, has been run as a hotel by the MacCallum family for more than 60 years.

In a ‘very beautiful spot’ on the remote, rocky shores of Loch Glendhu, an old coaching inn has been transformed into a modern hotel that takes full advantage of the beauty and bounty of its setting.

There are glorious views to Lismore and Mull across Loch Linnhe from the dining room and sun terraces of this hotel in a 'magic, peaceful place', once a drop-off point for steamships.

In a scattered hamlet on the western shore of Loch Dunvegan, in the far north of Skye, a whitewashed stone crofter’s cottage is the setting for this fine-dining restaurant-with-rooms.

At the end of the road, this cosy 19th-century hotel built for railway engineers is a relaxed, laid-back base in a vast moorland wilderness that offers serious walking for the well-prepared enthusiast. Drive or cycle to the Black Wood of Rannoch, to spot red deer, pine martens, venerable native trees; stride out on the old Road to the Isles, returning for a hearty dinner. Sally forth well prepared – there’s no mobile signal in case of difficulty.

Guests feel ‘very cared for’ at Jane and Angus Fordyce’s Georgian country house, which stands in mature grounds close to the empty beaches of the Solway coast.

Peacefully set beside Loch Shiel, opposite the Glenfinnan Monument and with distant views of Ben Nevis, this handsome country house with tartan fabrics and four-poster bedrooms is a great Highland hideaway.

An Edwardian manor house built in the Tweed valley as a wedding gift for the future wife of a cashmere mill owner is today a small, elegant hotel with a serious emphasis on food.

At the heart of the conservation village of ‘Mew-thil’, with views of the Earn valley and the Grampians, this flower-decked former inn is run by Fabrice and Alison Bouteloup as a welcoming restaurant-with-rooms.

The River Forss curves around the wooded grounds of this late Georgian country house, run today as a ‘wonderful hotel’ with salmon fishing at the bottom of the garden.

Traditional hospitality, home comforts and creative modern cooking are a winning combination at this mellow-stone manse with the River Nith surging past the garden.

Whichever way you approach, it is a scenic drive to Robert Bryson and Glen Russell’s restaurant-with-rooms, at a crossroads in a south Highlands village.

Warm Scottish hospitality is the hallmark of this Edwardian country house B&B, from the home-made cakes and whisky-fuelled porridge to the beautifully tended garden and comfortable bedrooms.

‘Run by generations of the Oliphant family since 1963’, Coll’s welcoming social hub and only hotel sits at the head of Loch Eatharna, close to the ferry terminal.

More than 40 miles of signed routes around Pitlochry lead through woodland, along the loch side, by river and burn, to the Linn of Tummel waterfall, to Scotland’s smallest distillery. Struan and Louise Lothian, hosts at this hotel, are happy to advise.

'A wonderful setting beside the loch' with views across the water to Schiehallion, the local Munro, makes Jade and Alice Calliva's former coaching inn a superbly relaxing place to stay.

With 'wonderful views' of Loch Gairloch, this Victorian hunting lodge on a wooded estate where falconry, fishing and deer stalking can all be laid on for guests now accepts dogs in its bedrooms and bar.

With its own beach cricket team, Rachel and Graham Bucknall’s white-and-blue friendly gastropub on a no through road to the sailing club overlooks a sandy bay on the Firth of Forth.

In an elevated position, on a private no through road, with views over the pointy roofscape of Perth to the mountains, Claire Dingwall Slater and Alick Slater’s Arts and Crafts-style Victorian guest house enters the Guide this year with lavish praise from our inspectors.