Why a Highland lodge makes the perfect base

There is a particular kind of holiday that begins the moment you turn off the main road and onto a single-track lane, passing places on your left, the last village shrinking in the mirror. Twenty minutes later you arrive at a low stone lodge with a wood store, a boot room and a view that runs uninterrupted to the far end of the glen. This is the appeal of a lodge holiday in the Scottish Highlands: not a hotel with a concierge, but a self-contained base where the day starts with the kettle and ends with the crackle of a log fire.

The real advantage is proximity. When your lodge sits within a few miles of a hill path, a loch shore and a stretch of Caledonian pinewood, you stop spending your holiday in the car. You can be on a summit by early afternoon and back at the stove by six, boots steaming on the hearth.

Choosing a lodge and a location that suits you

Highland lodges vary enormously, so it pays to think about what you actually want from the week before you book.

• Distance to the hills. Check the drive time to your intended walking area. An hour each way adds up over a week; fifteen minutes does not.
• Amenities nearby. Know where the nearest shop, petrol station and pub are, and how far you must travel for a decent food shop. Some glens have nothing for thirty miles.
• Heating and drying. Look for a wood-burning stove, a drying room or at least a radiator you can crank up. Wet kit is the enemy of a good Highland holiday.
• Access road. Ask whether the track is suitable for a standard car, and whether it is gritted or drivable in winter.
• Water and power. Remote lodges may run on a private supply, a septic tank and a generator. Read the details carefully and follow the owner's instructions.

It is also worth checking the aspect. A lodge tucked into the lee of a hill will be far more comfortable in a westerly gale than one perched on an exposed moor, even if the latter has the better photograph.

Munro days from the doorstep

Scotland has 282 Munros, the hills over 3,000 feet, and a good proportion of them are within striking distance of a Highland lodge. The trick is to treat each one as a full day out rather than a quick stroll.

Start early. In winter, daylight in the northern Highlands can be genuinely short, and a late start on a big hill is how people end up walking out by headtorch. Carry a paper map and compass even if you use a phone app, and know how to use them — battery life and signal both fail at altitude and in the glens.

• Terrain. Expect bog, boulder fields, loose scree and the occasional knee-deep river crossing. Gaiters and poles earn their place.
• Turnaround time. Set a time, not a distance, at which you will turn back regardless of how close the summit looks.
• Weather. Conditions can change from warm sun to horizontal rain within an hour. Waterproofs, spare layers, hat and gloves go in the pack every time.
• Ticks. Check yourself thoroughly after any walk through long grass or bracken, and remove any bites promptly with fine tweezers.

For a gentler day, the glens themselves offer superb low-level walking: old drovers' paths, forest tracks and riverside routes that need no summit at all.

Wildlife spotting in the glens

The Highlands reward patience more than effort. Dawn and the last hour before dusk are when the place comes alive, and simply sitting still with a flask and a pair of binoculars often beats a long march.

• Red deer graze on open hillsides and are easily seen from the roadside in autumn, when the stags are roaring.
• Pine martens are regular visitors to lodges near native woodland, particularly if there is a peanut feeder about. Watch from a window rather than approaching.
• Red squirrels favour Caledonian pine forests, where crested tits and crossbills also lurk.
• Golden eagles patrol high ridges; white-tailed eagles are more often seen over sea lochs and islands on the west coast.
• Otters fish along quiet shorelines, and mountain hares turn white in winter on the higher ground.

Keep your distance, never feed wildlife, and remember that the Scottish Outdoor Access Code asks you to avoid disturbing animals, especially during nesting and breeding seasons.

Loch days and quieter afternoons

Not every day needs a summit. A loch gives you an easy half-day: a shoreline walk, a picnic on a flat rock, a paddle in a canoe hired from a nearby activity centre, or a spot of fishing with a permit bought locally.

Wild swimming is hugely popular, and a Highland loch on a still morning is hard to beat. Enter slowly, stay shallow, wear a tow float, and keep the session short — cold water shock is real even in summer. Note that wind tends to build through the afternoon, so plan any paddling or open-water swim for the morning.

Evenings beside the fire

The last hour of a lodge day has its own ritual. Wet boots go on newspaper by the stove, damp jackets hang in the drying room, and someone gets the fire going properly — kindling first, then split logs, then a slow-burning piece of hardwood or peat to see the evening through.

Use the time to plan tomorrow: check the forecast, mark the route on the map, and decide where you will park. Then eat something slow-cooked and filling, open a bottle of something decent, and let the absence of a signal do its work. Before you leave, strip the beds, take your rubbish with you, and leave the lodge as you found it — the next guests, and the hills, will thank you for it.