An hour north-west of Inverness, away from all the bustle of city life, you’ll find this stunning fairytale tower: a place practically guaranteed to transport you to a bygone era.
Fairburn Tower stands pink and proud above the small village of Muir of Ord. It’s just been done up thanks to a £2.2 million rescue project by the Landmark Trust and is now available for holiday rentals.
And there’s heck of a lot of history to soak up while you’re here. The tower was built way back in 1585 on land gifted to Murdo Mackenzie, a close friend of Scottish King James V. It began to fall into disrepair when it was seized during the Jacobite rebellion and by the time the Landmark Trust acquired it centuries later, it was a crumbling ruin.
But after three years of restoration works, the tower has been brought back to life and has reopened as a two-bed holiday rental sleeping up to four guests.
The property has five floors with a self-catered kitchen, a sitting room, a double room, a twin room and a well-stocked library.
Fairburn has also been lavishly decorated with the help of artist Paul Mowbray, who recreated the sitting room in the style of the Scottish Renaissance.
And the best thing? There’s no wi-fi, TV or radio, and pretty dodgy mobile signal, so you’ll get the full authentic sixteenth-century experience.
Four nights at Fairburn Tower starts from £424 (equivalent to £26.50 per person, per night, which is pretty decent). You can find out more and book a stay here.
Stay in the loop: sign up to Out There, our free newsletter about all the best stuff to do across the UK.