ESCAPE THE FORTINGALL

Dazzling scenery and unpretentious food revitalise the soul at this revamped hotel in Glen Lyon

- Mairi Mulhern

Glen Lyon is alive with the whisper of falling snow.

Flurries nip my cheeks before resting on the ancient woodland around me, turning the last of the autumn leaves white. I'm taking a meditative stroll along the banks of the River Lyon near Fortingall, a village about 15 minutes from Aberfeldy. Apart from a few brave robins and a flock of shivering sheep, I'm the only one here to witness the glen transform for winter. This spiritually charged pocket of Scotland has always drawn those seeking tranquillity. St Adomnán of Iona dropped into Fortingall Abbey for a while, and some claim that Pontius Pilate was born here. The 5,000-year-old Fortingall Yew, believed to be the oldest living thing in Britain, still attracts tourists. But it's the 19th-century Arts & Crafts hotel, designed by pioneering architect James MacLaren, that I'm here to see.