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Ard daraich Bed & Breakfast for Garden Lovers with Hill Garden & Shrub Nursery

Ard daraich was the holiday home of famous gardener and cook of the 1950's, Constance Spry, before becoming the home of Lady Edith and David Maclaren for the last 40 years. It is now the home of their son Norrie who had had a life in film and television. His wife, Anna, is a painter, and together they are restoring the house and garden with one of the best plant collections on the West Coast.

There is a shrub nursery selling plants that can be seen growing on the hill and many originally from seed sent from botanical gardens around the world. The garden is available for guests to walk round or sit in looking towards Ben Nevis. If you reach the top of the hill there are rewarding views of Loch Linnhe.

Ard daraich is a typical old fashioned highland home with the welcome to match. Although the bedrooms are not ensuite the best double room has use of its own bathroom. Family portraits and furniture decorate the rooms.

Many rooms are lined with painted wood and the baths are free standing, offering a deep peaty soak. Everyone comments on the friendly, unspoilt atmosphere here and we now want to extend our welcome to more than just friends and family.

Breakfast is served in the dining room where you will be offered as much home made produce as possible. Where we buy the food we try and provide as much as we can from local producers and try to make it organic. We are happy to serve vegetarian breakfasts and we have a flock of rare breed hens to produce our eggs.

Ard Daraich is ideally situated for exploring this part of the West Highlands. Situated at the beginning of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula, once you cross the Corran ferry you enter a quieter world where nature is the source of your inspiration. You can drive to the most westerly point of the British Isles, or catch the ferry to the Isle of Mull and Iona.

You can go to Arisaig and Mallaig on the Road to the Isles and visit the Small Isles by boat. If you want to leave the car behind and bag a Corbett there are several in the glen behind the house. There is a beech to sit on and endless quite places to go to read or draw.

We have all sorts of birds nesting in the garden and our currant favourite is a woodpecker and chick that regularly feeds at the bird table. So far experience has shown us that when people book for a night or two they extend their stay for up to a week.

Double Room from £60