Newhall Mains: One of Scotland’s Finest Farmstays

The plan was to fly all the way down to Kenya from the Black Isle in Bessy his little six-seater Beechcraft Bonanza, Euan Ramsay is telling me. These American planes, in production since the late 1940s, have been nicknamed the Cadillac of the skies.  He made it as far as Abu Simbel in southern Egypt on the border with Sudan but was warned not to go any further as they were likely to be shot down. “We looked for an alternative route, but couldn’t get fuel in Saudi,” he continues, so they had to turn back.  

We’re sitting in the courtyard of Newhall Mains sipping negronis in the sun overlooking the croquet pitch as he explains his passion for small planes and why, one of the first things he did when converting the farm’s 18th-century ‘Mains’ building into a luxury boutique hotel was put in a grass airstrip.

He offers to take me up in Bessy another time – normally she’s in the hangar but is currently away for a little mechanical TLC. So does the runway get a lot of use I wonder? “Three or four planes a week,” he nods, “hobbyists who fly up and stay for a night or two.”  

If you don’t have your own plane, the hotel can arrange scenic flights with Highland Aviation taking off from the grass runway and flying up the Great Glen over Loch Ness and the ruins of Urquhart Castle to Ben Nevis on the west coast before bearing right to the Isle of Skye. Other excursions include boat trips from nearby Cromarty to spot bottlenose dolphins in the firth and guided tours of the local whisky distilleries. 

Or you can just stay closer to home soaking up the tranquillity of this dreamy rural retreat, just a small detour off the popular NC500 roadtrip route. Sandwiched between the Cromarty and Beauly firths the Black Isle is a sleepy low-lying peninsula often overlooked as tourists career north.  

The hotel also has a fleet of smart e-bikes, lined up under the courtyard’s arched entrance, which you can borrow. But with two dogs in tow, watching me from the kitchen door of my ‘cottage’ as I enjoy pre-dinner drinks - and safely inside after a mini confrontation with the robot lawnmower tending the beautifully manicured lawns - I’m sticking to a yomp on the gorgeous curve of sand at nearby Rosemarkie.  

The Mains was once the beating hub of the farm. It was here that the workers on the 900-acre estate lived until, after the Second World War, advances in technology reduced the need for human labour. Euan’s family has farmed this land for four generations, but when he was growing up here these buildings were already derelict.  

After working in hospitality, as maitre d’ at The Wolsley down in London, it was natural for him to be the one to head up the renovation and the farm’s first foray into tourism. The Mains is now a glorious honey-hued and lavender-lined quadrangle, comprising five cottages and four double bedroom suites, the interiors bold and colourful, wreathed in sumptuous fabrics – and dog-friendly. A dog basket and treats – wolfed down in seconds – was just inside the door.  It is a ‘hotel’ from April to the end of October and then for the winter season is available for self-catered holidays. New this year is a bespoke outdoor sauna and cold plunge pool in the middle of one of the fields by the old walnut tree. 

Food is one of the hotel’s main highlights. The hotel was awarded a Michelin Key in the inaugural awards in 2024. In the courtyard every Sunday afternoon guests can tuck into a wood-fired Sunday roast, with classic cuts from the farm slow-cooked over the Argentinian asado grill. Going on an excursion? Order a picnic hamper packed with local produce.

In the main restaurant for dinner, the farm’s former grain store, my hand-dived Orkney scallops in a shellfish bisque are exquisitely tender, the space natural light-infused and elegant, the walls decorated with artworks on loan from the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, the view through the vast picture windows equally captivating: the estate’s fields rolling into the distance. 

To find out more about Newhall Mains and to book your stay click here.

Lucy Gillmore is a freelance journalist who left a newspaper travel desk for the Highlands’ hills. Dipping into Scotland’s ever-evolving food, drink and accommodation scene she will be bringing us the latest news stories, dates for the diary and shining a light on local food heroes in a regular column.  You can follow her on @lucygillmore