On the first day of Christmas, Pinewood Steading gave to me… Cawdor Castle! Dating from the late 14th century, Cawdor Castle was built as a private fortress by the Thanes of Cawdor (cue William Shakespeare and Macbeth!) There is so much to see on a visit. Step into the castle filled with beautiful furniture, fine […]

As so many of you can’t come to visit us in the Scottish Highlands, we thought we would bring it to you! We will celebrate The Twelve Days of Christmas by showcasing Twelve Things we Love to do from Pinewood Steading on our Facebook and Instagram pages! They could be places we love to walk, […]

We are so pleased to have finally finished the bathroom refurb which we started before lockdown. Everything has been overhauled from the wall tiles to the floor tiles, the sanitary ware and the decoration. We now have a larger, more powerful shower. And a free standing luxurious bath. The sink, with its stunning views across […]

So many of our guests talk about the “huge skies” we have here, or the “dark skies”. Visit Scotland have now posted their choice for the 6 most beautiful spots to stargaze around Inverness (and the Cairngorms). We have 4 right by us here at Pinewood Steading. We’re lucky to have Culloden right on our […]

We have had a very quiet time over the months since March since we’ve been closed due to Covid-19, enjoying our Slice of Highland Heaven. But we’ve also been busy preparing the Steading for re-opening and working hard especially in the garden. Over the last 6 weeks or so, our self-catering industry, with multi organisational […]

Spring is the perfect time for foraging wild garlic (we call it Ramsons in Scotland) and we are very lucky to have an amazing local place to find this versatile plant. Reelig Glen is a short 30 minutes walk from Pinewood Steading, or a quick 5 minutes drive. At any time of year, it’s a […]

We counted 6 Christmas markets in our area on the weekend! From regular weekend fares like the Black Isle Farmer’s market turning Christmassy in North Kessock. To the local primary school in Kirkhill. Across to the Singleton Distillery in Muir of Ord holding their annual Christmas Fare (whisky tasting too!) To the wonderful Beauly Christmas […]

We are very proud to be very dog-friendly at Pinewood Steading. We welcome multiple dogs at no charge. This past week we had 1 family come with 2 Dobermann’s, 1 Vizsla and 1 Staffy! They enjoyed the private and enclosed garden that comes with the Steading. Mum and dad knew the dogs could go outside […]

We had a fabulous day out on Loch Achilty recently, courtesy of Chris and Liquid Footprints. A few hours in a canoe on the loch followed by Afternoon Tea right by the loch side, wonderful! Chris and his team offer a range of outdoor experiences such as canoeing, sea kayaking, and gorge scrambling. The experiences […]

I was lucky enough to have a trip on Dolphin Spirit in May, courtesy of Visit Inverness Loch Ness. I drove 20 mins to Inverness, along to the Inverness Marina and boarded the boat for a trip around the Moray Firth. The Dolphin Spirit Wildlife Cruise is family friendly, wheelchair accessible and dog friendly too. […]

Well, we’re not surprised the Highlands has been voted the top 2019 UK travel destination in a major poll of travellers by Wanderlust Travel Magazine.  From hiking the West Highland Way, or the Great Glen Way. From driving the superb North Coast 500. Visiting castles, lochs, distilleries, or historical sites.  Taking in amazing walks with […]

Earlier this year, we commenced our journey with Green Tourism and were thrilled to receive the Silver Award. Since then, we have embarked on many changes and improvements on our way towards Gold. To be awarded Gold, you don’t need to implement massive changes like solar panels (although we are looking into them!) Instead, you […]