Travel: Scenic seaplane flight, Highlands

By HELEN PUGH
Published on Sunday 5 February 2012 13:00

SPLASH out on a romantic weekend in the Highlands that delivers on adventure, luxury and good service

Peering through the thick window of the seaplane and watching the water disappear beneath me I started doubt this was my finest idea, after all.

I’d organised a James Bond-style weekend of adventure and luxury for my partner Greg’s birthday, and so here we were, excited and nervous, in the tiny aircraft operated by Loch Lomond Seaplanes as it rose high above the water. Buffeted by the wind but cushioned by our eight fellow travellers, we headed towards the stunning scenery of Loch Lomond, Loch Fyne and Loch Goil out towards Arran, Mull and the Mull of Kintyre. We could see beautiful clear views as the plane flies lower than commercial planes, and our friendly pilot Fabio chatted us through the many sights as we cruised around the skies.

After an hour’s breathtaking flight the plane swooped dramatically and landed at Cameron House Hotel, which nestles like a gem on the banks of Loch Lomond. We disembarked green around the gills, but beaming and ready for our complimentary glass of champagne.

Regular scenic flights take off from either the Clyde or Loch Lomond, and are a unique experience, although not for the faint-hearted. Popular as gifts, in winter they work around the weather to an extent, but there are flexible tickets available and it’s worth booking for the gorgeous wintry days when you can see clearly out to the islands.

From the jetty we headed straight to the hotel’s luxurious Carrick Spa to recover, enjoying steamrooms and saunas and generally chilling out until dinner at the hotel, a few miles down the road.

Cameron House Hotel, located just 30 minutes from Glasgow, is a majestic five-star property where good service is a priority. From the moment we walked into reception I was struck by the attention to detail and when we got to our room we discovered a very welcome plate of handmade chocolates. After the excitement of the seaplane it was great to revel in calmness and the delicate strains of classical music piped into the room helped set the mood.

There’s plenty of activity on offer, including Segway Safaris, sailing, quad biking, clay pigeon shooting and falconry. There are also four fantastic restaurants, including the Cameron House Grill, specialising in Highland steaks and grill-style dining, as well as Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond, recently awarded a Michelin star.

We ate at the Grill and enjoyed sirloin steak so delicious that despite its size, I could have happily put away another, and artfully presented chocolate desserts.

Next morning we rose, curiously, with enough room for a big breakfast. Greg insisted on trying to “hit the buffet with all the energy he had” but failed to clear it.

Mildly concerned about the possibility of sinking the boat, we walked to the marina, where we boarded the Celtic Warrior, a 46ft luxury cruiser for a loch tour. This was by far our favourite part of the weekend. It’s a wonderful way to see the area in a whole new light and incredibly good value for money. We had the speedboat to ourselves for 90 minutes, with drinks (shaken not stirred), and enjoyed informative commentary from skipper Jason.

Although we didn’t catch sight of the beasties this time, Jason told us about the rare white deer that are known to swim between the 60 islands and pointed out Inchconnachan, the island where Lady Colquhoun introduced wallabies in the 1920s.

The skipper cranked up the cruiser a gear and we headed back to shore at speed, hair whipping in the wind under blue skies featuring a full rainbow. This weekend had all the thrills and spills of a Hollywood blockbuster, but on the bonny banks of Loch Lomond. James Bond, eat your heart out.

THE FACTS

• Scenic seaplane flights from £129, check www.lochlomondseaplanes.com

• For Cameron House Hotel guests, a 30-minute flight starts from £99 per person. Cameron House Hotel rooms start from £179 per night. Until the end of February rooms are from £109 per night for three nights, £119 per night for two nights and £129 for a one-night stay – available Sunday to Thursday.

• The Celtic Warrior boat tour is £49 per adult, £25 per child and booked through the hotel. The cruise lasts for 90 minutes and a glass of champagne is served as you cruise on the loch.

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