Our Stay at Muckrach Country House Hotel, Aviemore

In October, we joined our friends to celebrate their wedding day. The entire day was perfect, from the gorgeous ceremony right through to the final dance. You can't beat a good Scottish wedding!

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Of course having them in a beautiful setting helps, and this one was held at Muckrach Country House Hotel - an old shooting lodge from 1860, near Aviemore! We were fortunate enough to stay there the whole weekend.

The Room

The rooms are styled to perfection. Modern and comfortable with rustic Scottish touches. We stayed in the Glenfiddich superior double. I loved the antler lights, tweed arm chairs & thistle cushions, not to mention the plush velvet striped feature wall! Chandeliers feature heavily throughout the hotel, adding a finishing touch to each room, among the eclectic decor.

The Food

We ate in the hotel restaurant the evening before the wedding. The menu is full of Scottish delights from inverawe smoked salmon to Argyll estate venison and black isle dairy ice cream. Naturally Gordon plumped straight for the haggis bon bons while I started with the scallops. Hand dived isle of Skye scallops with grants of Speyside black pudding & delicate little quail eggs made for a beautiful dish. Our mains were the Muckrach steak & chorizo burger which was a monster piled high with Bacon and cheese. Absolutely delicious but messy and filling. I couldn't even squeeze in the gin & tonic trifle for pudding!

It was a sign of good things to come for the wedding meal. We were treated to some fabulous canapes with fizz, enjoyed a smoked salmon dish, followed by the most beautiful melt in the mouth beef I've ever eaten and a gorgeous lemon tart that was almost creme brulee like.

Breakfast was no let down either. Anywhere that serves whisky with their porridge in the morning is okay with me! I didn't expect to like it but mixed with the honey and berries it was a treat. The full Scottish was a hearty portion and really did the trick the morning after!

The Bar

Featuring over 70 whiskies and 30 gins, the gorgeous bar at Muckrach is a particular highlight. It's safe to say I made a dent in the Shetland Reel supplies over the weekend, while Gordon and co sampled their fair share of the whiskey selection! I love a bar that gets garnishes and enjoyed a slice of orange in my G&T's, while the bride's Rock Rose featured a pretty floral garnish. For some reason I never tried the cocktail menu but it sounds fab!

Archie

How many hotels can say they have their own Highland cow?! I've seen many highland cattle in my lifetime but none as big and handsome as Archie! We could see Archie in his field from our room and each morning we wandered down to say hello. He wasn't particularly interested in our visits but seemed happy to pose for my pictures anyway. Check the size of those horns!

Muckrach Country House is probably one of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed in. We were totally spoiled for the whole weekend! If you're after a luxury highland retreat, this is the one! Nearby you'll find the town of Aviemore, the Cairngorms and many picturesque castles. We went kayaking at Loch Insh, castle hunting at Loch an Eilein and even visited a Highland Safari!