Living in Highland Scotland regular specialities include lamb with red current jelly or mint sauce, venison, salmon wrapped in puff pastry with hollandaise, pheasant with bread sauce, and roast pork stuffed with apricots, prunes and garlic. Of course, what is a good meal without a wonderful ending? Our favourites include raspberry Pavlova, sticky toffee pudding and fruit tarts. All of this is cooked on the large red Aga in the kitchen. It's known as the heart of the house as it's always warm.

Eskadale is in an area steeped in history and romance. The natural beauty of Scotland is simply enchanting. There are beautiful glens to explore; Glen Affric, Glen Cannich, Glen Strathfarrar, and a wondrous place called Guisachan where Lord Tweedmouth developed the Golden Retriever breed. It is now a ruin but worth seeing. It is said that Churchill learned to drive an auto there!

There is a lovely little old Catholic church and cemetery about a mile and a quarter from the house. Further afield, there are numerous beautiful walks of varying degrees of effort in the area, including walks across Scotland from near Skye to Affric. Castles abound with Brodie Castle and Cawdor Castle nearby. As is Culloden Battlefield where the proud Highlanders fought and lost their last battle with England.

The surrounding area is noted for its superb fishing, shooting, and stalking and for the golf enthusiast, there are several excellent courses. Royal Dornoch and Tain lie less than an hour to the north and Nairn, is about the same distance in another direction. 2016 saw the "Scottish Open" held at Castle Stuart which is just outside Inverness and only half an hour by car from Eskadale House.

© Alex Quattlebaum