The epitome of country-house luxury, Tim and Stefa Hart's hotel stands on a peninsula, overlooking beautiful gardens and the shining expanse of Rutland Water.

Traditional as Burns Night and bannocks, the McMenemie family's Victorian country-house hotel in gardens leading to the shores of Loch Faskally is popular with its largely elderly clientele, who love its 'comfort, caring staff and delicious food'.

'Ideal if you want a place to unwind or as a base to explore from', this small, intimate hotel is surrounded by wild beauty on the quieter shore of Loch Ness. Owners Anna Low and Philip Crowe are 'wonderful hosts'.

Fiona Doyle is your welcoming host at this B&B on the shores of Loch Indaal with stunning views across the bay and a home-from-home ambience.

There's a romantic air to the setting of this Scottish baronial mansion overlooking Loch Oich with the ruins of Invergarry Castle in the grounds.

Above Windermere, this Edwardian country house lies in gardens that melt into the glorious landscape. The hotel is part of the Storrs Collection (see Storrs Hall).

With an enviable position on Windermere, this Georgian hall has a relaxed country house feel, with formal and casual dining options, and bedrooms ranging from family friendly to seriously swanky.

A New Forest bolt-hole, this country house hotel has an easy glamour, romantic and family-friendly rooms, heart-warming Italian food and top-notch spa.

Occupying a Georgian house and new annexe wings with private shorefront on Ullswater, this is an entirely child-friendly, dog-friendly 'lifestyle' hotel for those who love the great outdoors.

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 home-made shortbread.

Offbeat and off the beaten track, this restaurant with rooms on the shores of Loch Fyne offers an inventive nightly tasting menu and accommodation in shepherds' huts and bothies.

A 'sprawling, traditional building in a beautiful setting' at the tip of Windermere, this family and dog-friendly hotel has easy access to lake-based activities as well as a spa.

Guests staying at this beautifully refurbished and dog-friendly roadside pub can enjoy hearty, locally sourced fare or dine at Another Place where they have use of all facilities.

With just one guest bedroom – or Royal Chamber – at the top of a Norman castle keep, this is surely the most romantic B&B in the Guide, and a memorable wedding-night retreat.

In the vast, remote, elemental landscape of Assynt, a 19th-century coaching inn overlooking Loch Glendhu has moved with the times to become a relaxed modern hotel.

'A winding drive through woodland takes you back in time' to Henry and Lucy Hodgson's Victorian country house on a 180-acre estate on the shores of Lough Corrib.

'Treehouses, boathouses and shepherds' huts are scattered around 70 acres of glorious grounds on the Consall Hall Estate at this deconstructed, dog-friendly hotel.

Spectacular views across Loch Tummel to the iconic peak of Schiehallion can be seen from this 'characterful and quirky old coaching inn' ten miles from Pitlochry in Perthshire's big-tree country.

Gorgeous interiors and a friendly, informal ambience are a winning combination at Susan Stuart's beautiful B&B, where every bedroom has a sea view, and breakfast is quite special.

A private drive loops through native woodland and pastures to this classical mansion overlooking a ruined Knights Templar castle and teeming fishing lake in W B Yeats country.

In a wooded estate on Loch Torridon, this baronial-style hunting lodge appeals to sybarites and sporty types, with luxurious bedrooms, tasting menus sourced from the kitchen garden and farm, and a brasserie.

A Victorian mock-Tudor fishing lodge in wooded grounds on the River Irfon is today a spa hotel and foodie destination with a country house ambience and views to the Cambrian mountains.

'Scottish baronial at its best', this Victorian fantasia with half-timbering, turrets, candle-snuffer roofs and stepped gables, sits in 'a lovely large garden' on the shores of Loch Long.

With possibly the best location in Portree, this former Victorian shooting lodge has spectacular views over the bay and Sound of Raasay to the Cuillin mountains.

In 32 wooded, landscaped acres on the shores of Lough Caragh, this gabled Edwardian manor house combines comfort and elegance, with an antique-filled lounge and candlelit restaurant.

A through-the-looking-glass sort of place, this hotel playfully inverts the traditional country house theme, with bold interiors created for new owners the Experimental Group.

Launched in summer 2021 after a multimillion-pound-makeover, this youthful hotel has a Balearics vibe, with outdoor spa, lakeside heated-sand beach, beach bar and sunken lounge.

Walkers and wildlife-watchers returning to this small hotel on the shores of Loch Earn, in the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, can dine from short, ambitious menus of classically inspired modern cooking.