Fonab Castle and Pitlochry Dam, Scotland

In late July wonder | wander | women enjoyed a visit from family - my nephew had turned 14 earlier in the year and we were celebrating. As a present, my aunt took him and my cousin to the UK. 

Fonab Castle, with dining pod

I was excited to meet them in London and ride up with them to Scotland, where we walked our happy feet off through Edinburgh's most famous castles. 

As an extra treat, we went with some dear friends up into the beautiful and ancient Cairngorms area of the Scottish Highlands. We stayed at the Fonab Castle Hotel, a gorgeous Victorian castle with phenomenal views.

The hotel is famous for its spa and fine dining and is the only five-star hotel in the area. The spa was fully booked, but we made the most out of its restaurants and upstairs lounge. After the crowds and bustle of Edinburgh, it was amazing to look out over the loch with an iced latte or a pot of tea and enjoy the panorama.

The castle was built in 1892 in the Baronial style and overlooks the River Tummel and Loch Faskally; it reopened as a hotel in 2013 and has been a coveted luxury destination since. It is surrounded by pine forests and by mountain peaks that may be up to 800 million years old.

A little path goes down from the dining deck and leads right to the water, and a serene view of the woods framing the loch. Visitors come from around the UK to camp, fish and picnic around Loch Faskally, which is teeming with salmon, trout and other native fish.

As we proceeded down the trail we heard a roaring sound and emerged at the Pitlochry Dam and Power Station. 

This historic dam was built in the middle of World War II as part of the Tummel Hydro-electric Power Scheme, and was the first hydroelectric dam to power most of the Highlands. Even now it provides electricity for 15,000 homes.

The dam is famous for being built on the principles of green energy and the accommodation of local wildlife. There is a bustling ecosystem with many thriving species along the dam, loch and river.

Pitlochry is particularly famous for its ingeniously engineered fish ladder, developed so that the yearly run of Atlantic salmon would not be disrupted by the power station. 

Adult salmon returning to breed are kept safely away from the dam turbines and have an easy swim up the 34-chambered salmon ladder to the Loch and upriver, while the turbines are designed to safely allow young salmon to swim through and downriver to the sea. 

Up the road is the town of Pitlochry, a Victorian tourist town visited by travellers interested in the camping, hiking, golf and other outdoor pursuits that are popular in the area. 

For those with less energetic hobbies (like me), the town also offers historic buildings, charming gardens and lovely views around every corner.

There are "living sculptures" dotted around the neighbourhood, shops selling local crafts and delicacies, and a very pretty mill creek running through the town.

And on the way back, the peace of the woods and water helps to settle us down again and we're ready for a hearty meal and a restful sleep.

I'd love to return someday!