Where the road ends and the Irish Sea begins, this former Victorian hunting lodge with a private cove is secluded, unapologetically traditional and rich in comforts and good food.

Under the big skies of Caithness, wrapped in woodland and a curve of the River Forss, this Georgian mansion offers the grandeur of Scottish country-house living but with modern-day warmth and comforts.

'Visiting Cavens is like stepping back in time to a traditional country-house hotel,' writes a reader of Angus Fordyce's Georgian mansion, set in open countryside close to the dunes and salt marshes of the Solway coast.

The long drive is worth it to this edge-of-the-world location, where a Georgian manse, with pretty, traditional rooms and superb food, overlooks a long sandy beach.

In a beautiful location on the shore of Loch Sunart, where otters swim in the waters and red squirrels scamper around the land, this 18th-century lodge offers country-house comforts and plenty of Scottish flair, ranging from tartan fabrics to homemade shortbread.

From the oak-panelled hall and portrait gallery to the commodious bars and lounges, this Victorian country house abounds in solid traditional charms, with hunting, shooting and fishing on offer, and local and home-grown produce on the menu.

It's been more than 20 years since Susannah and Stuart Macpherson opened the doors of this beautiful Georgian building to guests, and they still take great pride in providing a friendly, warm welcome along with good food and wine.

A dream destination for golfing gourmets, just a 12-minute drive from St Andrews, Geoffrey and Katherine Smeddle's restaurant with rooms holds a Michelin star for Geoffrey's creative menus of ingredients sourced locally from land and sea.

It's not quite the restaurant at the end of the universe, but there is a great sense of space at this cosy, dog-friendly hotel, in a wilderness landscape of lochs and lochans on the edge of Rannoch Moor, with simple bedrooms (no TV, no radio, no WiFi), and short but creative menus reflecting a passion for local produce.

Decorated in cool Scandi-Scots style, this former crofter's house on the shores of Loch Dunvegan is a celebrated restaurant showcasing local produce, with spacious bedrooms painted in soothing shades in a house across the courtyard, and views to the mountains of Harris and North Uist.

There are glorious sea views across Asknish Bay to the Sound of Jura and the Inner Hebrides from the restaurant and from bedrooms with deck or balcony at this remote, dog-friendly hotel, built for Victorian tea Baron J Arthur Campbell, who planted the National Trust Arduaine Garden next door.

In the vast, remote, elemental landscape of Assynt, this 19th-century coaching inn overlooking Loch Glendhu is today a dog-friendly modern hotel with simple, smart bedrooms, and magical vistas from the restaurant, where short menus showcase meat from local crofters and freshly landed seafood.

A former shooting and fishing lodge for Closeburn Castle, with 1930s Art Deco touches, this is now a well-established country-house hotel, with a small garden spa, traditionally styled bedrooms, and a restaurant serving a short menu of rustic dishes strong on local produce.