Offering cockpit-to-cottage experiences on Scotland’s ruggedly handsome Black Isle, Newhall Mains is a converted farmstead run by a young pilot taking a sky’s-the-limit approach to hosting. Scenic flights take off from the hotel’s private airfield, shuttling guests to seaside golf courses, historic castles, and deserted beaches for Hamptons-style picnics and lobster barbecues.
Attracting airborne visitors as well as an escape-to-the-country crowd, you’re just as likely to see light aircraft by the hangar as vintage Land Rovers parked up alongside the red sandstone steading. The once derelict agricultural buildings have been given a contemporary yet cosy makeover, with log-burning fireplaces, deep soaking tubs, and underfloor heating to return to after windswept days along the Cromarty coast. The luxury self-catering cottages are individually decorated with whimsical wallpapers and a tasteful touch of tartan, and either overlook the airfield or the slopes of Ben Wyvis. Three-bedroom Red Gates is the largest stay, which is spread across Newhall’s 18th-century coach house.
Kitted out with fully-equipped kitchens and dining tables you’ll want to gather family and friends around, the cottages will be open for the hotel’s first winter season later this year, stocked with farm-fresh hampers, pre-mixed cocktails, and enough firewood to see you through an off-grid week. Summer residents can also dine from the comfort of their cottage, or don some wellies and nip across the courtyard (which doubles as a croquet lawn) to the hotel’s barn-style restaurant and whisky bar. Everything you’ll eat has been farmed, fished and foraged from the Black Isle and (not too far) beyond. The wood-fired Sunday roasts are worth staying the whole weekend for, to sample the farm’s finest cuts slow-cooked over an Argentinian asado grill in the courtyard.
The bar draws inspiration from the small counter aesthetic found in Tokyo’s Ginza district, and is an intimate setting for sipping your way through the well-stocked whisky selection from premium Highland labels to Japanese single malts. Negronis are ridiculously good here, and are served with specially crafted ice cubes stamped with the estate’s seal—a subtle nod to the Y-shaped horns of the Jacob sheep which graze the surrounding fields. Careful thought has also been poured into ‘Angle of Attack’, the miniature tipple placed on your bedside at turndown that’s made from the hotel’s own 12-year-old whisky blend (pilots will particularly appreciate the aviation theme).
To enhance the rural relaxation, the hotel is adding a sauna and cold plunge pool to the field below Red Gates this spring, with an outdoor deck wrapping around an old walnut tree. A herd of friendly Highland cows are also new additions to the estate, which you can meet on a farm tour of the orchards, pastures, and beehives. Land, sea, and sky excursions with local guides can be arranged, with e-bicycles to borrow, hiking trails to follow by scanning the in-cottage QR code, and a wildlife-watching RIB to charter for up-close encounters with the Moray Firth’s resident colony of bottlenose dolphins. Ultimately though, the real highs to be had are while winging across the skies on a private flight above the Isle of Skye, Cairngorms, or West Coast—especially when timed for sunset.
Top Takeaways
Location: Black Isle, Scotland
Address: Balblair, by Dingwall, Ross-shire, IV7 8LQ
Rating: Five-star, Michelin Key 2024
The vibe: If the cast of Top Gun were to fly over to the Scottish Highlands for some R&R, they’d likely land at Newhall Mains. The cottages are relaxed and yours to call home, with nothing but the gentle lowing of Highland cows to disturb your slumber.
Food + drink: The Highlands’ bountiful larder supplies the seasonal evening menu, which makes Scottish ingredients the stars of the show. Almost everything is prepared from scratch, in-house, from the freshly baked sourdough to the honeycomb made by the estate’s own bees. Even the afternoon tea is given a Highland twist.
Amenities: Sauna, outdoor cold plunge pool, e-bicycles to borrow, croquet lawn, room service, free WiFi, farm-fresh breakfast buffet (with fruit juice from the hotel’s orchards), restaurant, bar.
Our favourite part of the hotel: Do the bespoke tweed interiors of the hotel’s vintage Beechcraft Bonanza count? The six-seater plane garners serious style points, and puts some of Scotland’s beauty spots within easy reach.
What’s nearby? Castles (Balnagown, Cawdor, Dunrobin), lochs (An Eilein, Loch Ness), battlefields (Culloden), beaches (Rosemarkie, Brora, Dornoch), and golf courses galore.
Any personal neighbourhood recs? Head to Chanonry Point in time for the rising tide for a chance to spot dolphins frolicking across the Moray Firth. If you’re visiting between late September and March, thousands of pink-footed geese flock to nearby Udale Bay to rest awhile before flying further north.
Rooms: Nine suites, five of which are cottages.
Pricing: Rates start at $360 per night.
Closest airport: Technically, the hotel’s own airstrip (just a short stroll across the barley field). Alternatively, Inverness is 40 minutes’ drive away.
