The River Forss loops around this late Georgian Highland retreat in wooded grounds, today a dog-friendly hotel that is ideal for anglers, with shooting, stalking and hiking also on offer.

The River Nith ripples past the garden of Jane and Ian McAndrew’s old manse and gastronomic destination, in a rolling landscape with views to the Lowther hills.

Once a Victorian hunting lodge, this ‘unpretentious’ hotel makes the most of both its history and its West Highland geography on the banks of Loch Gairloch.

In a ‘lovely position’ by Beauly Firth, this handsome 17th-century mansion stands in large grounds that lead into woodland laced with walking paths – look out for the brown hares and roe deer who like to visit.

In sweeping lawns within acres of woodland, this secluded baronial mansion is a ‘little jewel’.

One of Scotland’s first country house hotels, this turreted 1920s mansion in tranquil, ‘elegant’ gardens is owned by Mark and Christopher Forrester, grandsons of two of the original founders.

Jan and Adam Moore’s relaxed, pet-friendly country hotel is in an 18th-century sporting lodge surrounded by mature gardens and woodland.

Heathery tones and tweedy fabrics bring a breath of fresh Orkney air to this family-owned hotel, in a peaceful area just beyond the city centre.

Romantic turrets and towers add to the Scottish country house experience at Murdo and Beth Macleod’s listed baronial building by the shores of Loch Long.

The island’s only hotel is set on a hillside above the harbour, and has sweeping views across the bay to Jura.

There are glorious views across Small Isles Bay from the McCallum family’s hotel, restaurant and pub, in the only village, on the only road, on this remote, beautiful island.

Set amid the splendid isolation of a sparsely populated Hebridean island, this small 19th-century hotel is a few minutes’ walk from the ferry, and has magnificent views across the Sound of Iona to Mull.

A ‘lovely mix of quiet seaside, stunning hillside and island life’ can be found here, by Loch Linnhe, and within easy reach of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

‘A stiff walk from Portpatrick along the cliffs’ brings you to Sian and David Ibbotson’s Victorian hunting lodge overlooking the Irish Sea.

Set in 20 acres of woodland garden just outside Portree, ‘relaxing’ Viewfield House has the look and feel of a much-loved family home.

Stunning sea views accompany the food at this ‘welcoming’ restaurant-with-rooms, where the dining room overlooks the sheltered waters of Scapa Flow and the southern Orkney Islands.

You need to take a ferry crossing before traversing a mountain pass and a deep glen to arrive at this ‘superb country house in a remote and extraordinary setting’ with a private beach on a loch shore with mountain views.

There are few more remote hotels in the Guide than this Georgian former manse, in a ‘spectacular’ setting between a white-sand beach and heather-clad mountains.

With views to take the breath away, this former hunting lodge owned by Lord and Lady Macdonald stands on the shores of Loch Na Dal at the foot of densely wooded Kinloch hill.

Wrapped in parkland, this gleaming white country house that is only ten minutes from the city centre takes luxury to hedonistic levels, with lavish decorations and indulgent service.

A private road leads to this singular Georgian mansion in lovely gardens and grounds, with ancient trees, a pitch-and-putt area, and a fairy trail through the rhododendrons for children.

‘A haven of comfort and good food,’ writes one regular reviewer of this small hotel on Oban Bay.

Far-flung Torridon hosts an extreme Scottish triathlon, but there are gentler pursuits for guests at this resort hotel, a ‘baronial pile’ on a wooded estate at the head of Loch Torridon.

Eddrachilles Hotel is currently closed.

On the edge of the Cairngorms national park, William and Sonia Marshall’s bay-fronted Victorian house looks on to a tract of the ancient woodlands that surround Grantown-on-Spey.

Amid the wooded mountain scenery of the Cairngorms national park, a Victorian tweed mill once driven by the rocky, rushing Gynack Burn lives on as a restaurant-with-rooms.

On the shore of Loch Oich, this rambling baronial Victorian house has its own castle ruins in its extensive wooded grounds – Invergarry Castle is said to have hosted Bonnie Prince Charlie after the Battle of Culloden.

Ferries no longer skim across Loch Glendhu to Kylestrome, but you can still watch the day’s catch being landed on the slipway, from Tanja Lister and Sonia Virechauveix’s 17th-century coaching inn turned award-winning hotel.

Situated ‘well off the beaten track’, this former home of a piermaster is a ‘relaxed and friendly’ lochside bolt-hole, known for its seafood restaurant.

In the remote north of Skye, a whitewashed stone crofter’s cottage overlooking Loch Dunvegan, with views to the peaks of Harris and North Uist, is home to an ambitious 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.

Jane and Angus Fordyce demonstrate ‘a rare combination of relaxed professionalism and high standards’, says a visitor to their Georgian country house.

You can almost hear the skirling of pipes as you gaze across Loch Shiel from Jane MacFarlane’s waterside mansion to the Glenfinnan Monument and distant Ben Nevis.

John and Sylvia Matthews’s keen ‘eye for detail’ has lifted this convivial restaurant-with-rooms to the ‘top range of small establishments’ since they took it over in 2015.

A red-stone 19th-century inn in a conservation village took on a new lease of life in 2007 when Fabrice and Alison Bouteloup hung out the flower baskets and opened their restaurant-with-rooms.

‘Every visit exceeds expectations,’ writes a fan of Robert Bryson and Glen Russell’s restaurant-with-rooms in a village dubbed ‘the crossroads to the Highlands’.

Hens roam the landscaped gardens of this B&B, a stroll from a town set amid ancient woodlands on the edge of the Cairngorms national park.

Readers are charmed by the warm welcome they receive from hostess Maria Watson and the ‘outstanding food’ created by Garry, her son, at this restaurant-with-rooms in a Victorian terrace house in a village close to the North Sea coast.

Seafaring readers anchored at Arinagour to seek a shower and dinner at the social hub of ‘a beautiful island with spectacular beaches, dark-sky park and wonderful wildlife’.