7 Fabulous Cafes in the Scottish Highlands

Around a year ago, I wrote a post about 10 of my favourite outdoor cafes in Yorkshire, the Peak District, the Lake District and Wales. When it was published, a few people asked if there was a similar list covering Scotland.

At the time, I had no first hand experience of Scottish cafes, but a trip to the Highlands and Skye earlier this year changed all that.

Spending 6 amazing weeks in Scotland this summer showed me that there is an abundance of brilliant cafes which are independently run, offering friendly environments, with locally sourced ingredients, home cooked food and staffed with people who have a high awareness of dietary needs.

Working on recommendations from friends, or just calling in somewhere which looked great while passing, here’s a list showing some of my favourites.

Double check for any seasonal opening times before heading that way!

Snowgoose Restaurant & Pinemarten Cafe - Nevis Range

Situated at 650m on the slopes of Aonach Mor, the Snowgoose is definitely a cafe with a view. Accessed by the Nevis Range gondola (approximately 7 miles from Fort William) it is worth waiting for a clear day to really make the most of the panorama from the outdoor deck.

I absolutely loved sitting there with my cuppa and notebook, soaking up the views. There are also a couple of easy walks from the Snowgoose which give different panoramas (looking down over Fort William and also out across the Highlands and Islands). For experienced mountain bikers, the World Cup Downhill run starts from here, along with a red graded cross country run (although common opinion seems to consider this black).

Back at the base of the mountain, there's another cafe (the Pinemarten) which looks out over the finish line of the Downhill World Cup run. There are also some fantastic blue and red graded mountain bike trails from here (definitely check out 10 under the Ben if you like cross country riding) so you can work up an appetite before visiting the cafe.

I visited the Nevis Range centre a couple of times on this trip, but would happily spend more time here exploring the walking and mountain biking trails and enjoying the ambience of the mountain views.

http://www.nevisrange.co.uk/

Corrour Station House

Corrour Station is located on the edge of Rannoch Moor and, at 1,339 feet, is the highest train station in the UK. Access here is by train (Fort William - 50 mins, Glasgow - 3 hrs) or on foot/mountain bike, so it feels like a real adventure to come and visit.

Expecting a basic cafe, I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into a restaurant with a fabulous interior and open fire for those cold months. The menu was packed full of tasty sounding dishes and the location perfect for a pre and post hill refreshment.

There's plenty of walking from Corrour station but I loved the fun of booking my bike on the train and then cycling around Loch Ossian (approx 9 miles circular ride). The track here is wide and suitable for families, but the scenery is anything but tame. I really felt like I was in the heart of the mountains, yet it was so easy to get there.

For anybody wanting to explore the area over a few days, there's a SYHA on the shores of Loch Ossian and the Corrour Station House also has luxury B&B in the old signal box.

Incidentally, if you watched Paul Merton's Secret Stations on Channel 4 in early 2016, you might recognise Corrour.

http://www.corrour-station-house-restaurant.co.uk/

All the Goodness

Located on the A87 between Dornie and Ardelve (approximately 8 miles from the Skye Bridge), this is a great stopping off point when travelling to Skye, Torridon and north along the west coast - or when driving on the North Coast 500.

Serving great coffee, tea and home baked cakes, the cafe also has magnificent views of the much photographed Eilean Donan Castle.

We called in for a brew and a break each time we passed and loved the friendliness of the place, made extra special by the fabulous views over the loch. Double check the opening hours (May to September).

http://www.allthegoodness.co.uk/

Gairloch Mountain Coffee Co

If you love books, good coffee and amazing cakes - the Mountain Coffee Co at Gairloch is definitely worth a visit. It was recommended to me by a couple of people and lived up to expectations.

The bookshop is somewhere I could happily visit time after time for a good browse, and the cafe is superb with amazing home baked cakes.

We cycled there from the Sands Campsite situated outside the village on the coast road. There's loads to do in the area - walking, cycling, climbing or just kicking back on the beautiful beach.

Torridon and Loch Maree are a short drive away, but it's worth exploring the area around Gairloch itself for fantastic coastal scenery and glimpses of the Torridon and Skye mountains on clear days.

Torridon Stores Cafe

Situated on the west coast of Scotland (Wester Ross), Torridon Stores Cafe was another place we had recommended to us due to the beautiful aspect and the great gluten free selection.

This particular visit was just a stop over during a drive between Gairloch and Skye, but we still managed to find time for the short stroll to the old open air church of Am Ploc overlooking the loch - definitely worth a look and it’s a nice way to stretch your legs after a few hours in the car!

Driving through Torridon and stopping at the cafe has definitely whetted our appetite to spend longer here to explore the walking, climbing and mountain biking in the area.

The scenery in and around the area is breathtaking, so thanks to Clare for the recommendation :)

http://www.torridonstoresandcafe.co.uk/

Cafe Lephin

Cafe Lephin is located in Glendale on the very north west corner of Skye. We were camping in Dunvegan and had picked up a leaflet advertising the cafe, so after a day out on the bikes we hopped in the van and drove over the hill.

I wish we'd discovered this beautiful and peaceful corner of the island a few days earlier but sadly we’d run out of time on this visit.

However, with a stunning coastline, it looks to be a great place for walking, cycling or just kicking back on the beach.

Cafe Lephin itself had a lovely selection of cakes in a lovely environment, with a woodburner and comfy seats for those cold days on Skye.

It's definitely somewhere to return for another visit.

https://www.facebook.com/CafeLephin

Comrie Croft Tea Garden

If you like your tea and cakes wrapped up in an eco-tourism package, check out Comrie Croft.

Located around 25 miles west of Perth, you'll find hostel accommodation, camping, walking trails, mountain biking trails, a well-stocked bike shop (and bike hire), a tea garden and a ‘100 mile shop’ where all products are from a 100 mile radius. There's also a market garden on the site, which serves the cafe.

The food at Comrie Croft is beautiful with interesting salads, cakes and sandwiches. When you add in the great mountain biking, superb views of the hills from the cafe deck and the eco friendly nature of the place, it's no wonder I loved it here.

http://www.comriecroft.com/

No 1 Peebles Road

I love this cafe so much that I thought I'd add it onto the bottom of the list. It’s located in Innerleithen (Borders area, not the Highlands) but if you’re heading to Glentress or Innerleithen for mountain biking, then No. 1 Peebles Road is a must visit.

http://www.no1peeblesroad.coffee/

The list covers just a few of the amazing cafes I visited in Scotland this summer, but there are so many more to choose from. If your favourite isn’t included, then maybe I’ve not come across it yet or visited that area. Pop it into the comments below so that it can be added to my tick list of new places to try.