Standing on the pebble beach in front of Knockinaam Lodge, we watch a lone seal bobbing in the ocean. He seems as curious about us as we are about him. Occasionally, he lays on his back, his whiskers in the air, his snout glistening in the sun. As we wander along Port of Spittal Beach, within a rugged, secluded cove, he keeps a watchful eye on us from a safe distance, occasionally disappearing beneath the surface, only to come out and again and look back with his big, shining, black eyes. “We get to see quite a few seals here,” says the hotel’s manager Callum McCann, when we eventually wander back into the warmth of the main house. “We also get the occasional dolphin and even a basking shark. It’s a lovely spot.”
Knockinaam Lodge certainly is a lovely spot. The hotel is located near Portpatrick in Dumfries and Galloway, the southwest region of Scotland. It sits inside its own private cove, hemmed in on both side by high cliffs, with views over the Irish Sea. The main house was built originally in 1869 as a Victorian shooting lodge for the Hunter-Blair family of Blairquhan, it’s private, peaceful, position well-chosen on the Galloway coast.
The lodge has a few notable historical connections. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill stayed here during the Second World War, and the hotel’s also referenced in John Buchan’s classic novel The Thirty-Nine Steps, which draws on this stretch of coast for its setting.
It’s certainly not a place you’re likely to come across by accident. The southern area of Scotland is often passed over by travellers, who are usually set on heading straight up to Glasgow, Edinburgh and beyond to the country’s famously beautiful Highlands and islands. Turning of the motorway and driving deep into Dumfries & Galloway, the countryside feels peaceful and out-of-the-way. You need a good reason to travel out here and Knockinaam Lodge is a very good reason.
We pass through rolling green hills and farmland with cows, sheep and horses, towering wind turbines spinning with the wind. The roads narrow to country tracks, then eventually we turn down onto a long gravel drive to the smart grey stone and partly whitewashed house.
I’ve checked in at plenty of hotels over the years, with all kinds of settings and welcome cocktails or infusions, but it’s hard to beat sitting in the shelter of the veranda, close to the beach, looking over the glistening ocean, with a soundtrack of seabirds and crashing waves, drinking a steaming hot pot of English breakfast tea and eating discs of buttery, orangey shortbread. “On an even clearer day, you can see right across to Ireland, including the Mountains of Mourne,” McCann informs us. As we take in the view, a pair of roving robot lawnmowers work to keep the lawns neatly trimmed.
A brightly coloured sculpture of a Corgi, the kind of dog favoured by the Queen, sits by the main door – a modern, arty touch. But almost everywhere else, the house has a step-back-in-time, classic feel, with thistle floral wallpaper along the corridors, sturdy wooden furniture, and a cosy lounge area a real fireplace and tall windows overlooking the lawns and beach, it’s bar well-stocked, of course, with whiskies from across the country.
The welcoming hotel has 10 individually designed bedrooms and suites, all with a traditional Victorian charm, though bathrooms are being updated with modern fittings and bold, bright wallpaper featuring very non-Scottish lemurs. The hotel’s also in the process of creating a range of private lodges across the grounds, including for families.
We stay in Whin, a spacious suite on the second floor of the main house, which has a regal feel, with gold, patterned wallpaper, long, flowing curtains, a large comfy double bed, tartan chairs, and lots of chunky dark wood furnitutre, including a massive wardrobe, bedside tables and a dressing table. The best feature, by far, though, is the window, which looks out across the lawns, where rabbits scamper about, down to the beach and onto the ocean – it’s quite a view to take in each evening and to wake up to each morning. The ensuite bathroom has a large walk-in shower, an oversized bathtub and underfloor heating, with black and white photos on the walls and locally made Apothecally products.
We spend a pleasant afternoon down on the beach, exploring rockpools, without seeing another soul, apart from the solitary seal. Dinner is usually served in a grand main restaurant. But as we’re travelling with a child under the age of five, a table is set up in the Drawing Room, next to a window looking out onto the gardens and down to the sea, the sky shifting through pinks and purples as the sun sets over the surrounding cliffs.
Knockinaam Lodge held a Michelin star for nearly 20 years, previously holding a record as longest-standing Michelin-starred restaurant in Scotland, and the new manager has plans to get it back. Their seven-course fine dining menu uses a lot of locally sourced produce, including from their own organic kitchen garden outside. Some of the highlights o nthe first night include a lovely, fresh Heritage tomato and goat cheese starter, and a main of Loch Duart salmon, and a cheese board that includes a potent, fragrant Scottish cheese called Minger. (There is meat on the standard tasting menu, including duck and venison, but I don’t eat meat). With a bottle of Argentinian Malbec to accompany it all, it’s a lovely, relaxing evening.
In the morning, back in the Drawing Room, a breakfast of granola, toast and pastries, juices, teas and coffees is served, with full Scottish breakfasts and grilled Galloway kippers on the cooked menu.
We spend a morning down on the beach with the oystercatchers and gulls, soaking up the peace and solitude, before picking up our picnic lunch from the front desk in a small backpack. Following a path out from the back of the hotel, we climb up to the top of the cliffs, heading north in the direction of Portpatrick. It’s a glorious, warm, late-summer’s day, with clear blue skies. Blackberries grow on the bushes along the path. We reach the high ground of the green hills, with a fantastic view over the hotel and the cove, then follow around the curve of the coast, passing through fields with cows quietly grazing and lazing. It’s a fine spot for a picnic, with long grass and dandelions blowing in the breeze, waves crashing against the cliffs below, and views up along the coast. We take out our lunch, including smoked salmon sandwiches, cheese wraps and chocolate brownies, and soak up the scene. Looking far out to sea, a cargo ship is slowly passing. After a little overnight rain has cleared the air, we can indeed see right across, through the white sea mist, to the jagged grey outline of the Mourne mountains in Ireland.
Dinner on our second night is even more memorable and delicious, including a starter of gin-cured salmon with beetroot, a small cup of warming, thick, creamy chanterelle mushroom velouté, a courgette risotto, a main of monkfish with red pepper, Monk’s Beard and dill, and a dessert of caramel tart with Blackthorn sea salt. We polish off a tasty bottle of Chilean Carménère, recommended by the waiter, as our son happily finishes a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream. The meal ends with a selection of mini treats, including heather honey fudge, strawberry jelly and a white chocolate macaron, all with a magical evening light shining across the ocean outside.
Next morning, we enjoy a leisurely breakfast, including a toasted brioche with smoked salmon, then wander down to the beach one last time, passing rabbits and the duo of robo-mowers. The air is salty and crisp, as we stroll along, looking out over rugged rocks and the revitalising ocean. As waves break against the shore, we make a promise to ourselves, as I expect most guests here do, that it won’t be too long before we come back.
Knockinaam Lodge Hotel & Restaurant, Portpatrick, Stranraer, Scotland, DG9 9AD: https://www.knockinaamlodge.com/
Standard double room with dinner, bed and breakfast costs from £390 per night, double occupancy.
