Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Scottish Highlands

Before you go

What happens when you get there

The Scottish Outdoor Access Code

Scotland has a statutory right of responsible access, which is a far better deal for a dog walker than England's footpath system, and most of these hotels link to the Code from their own dog pages. Keep the dog under proper control at all times, on a short lead or close at heel near farm animals, and never go into a field with lambs, calves or other young animals. From April to July keep the dog on a short lead or close at heel on moorland, forest, grassland, loch shores and seashores, because ground-nesting birds nest on open ground. Avoid crop fields unless there is a path. By law a dog in a public place wears a collar with the owner's name and address, and all dogs must be microchipped.

Lambing and sheep worrying

Hill lambing in the Highlands runs roughly March into May, later than the lowlands because of the weather, and it overlaps the start of the ground-nesting bird season, so from about March to the end of July treat every bit of open hill, moor and rough grazing as lead ground. Scotland takes sheep worrying seriously. The offence sits in the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 as amended by the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021, which increased penalties and added powers of entry, search and seizure, including seizing a dog suspected of attacking or harming livestock. A farmer in Scotland may lawfully shoot a dog worrying livestock in defined circumstances. If cattle come at you aggressively, let the dog go and take the shortest safe route out.

Beaches

Unlike England, Scotland does not run widespread seasonal dog bans on beaches, and we found no seasonal restriction on any of the beaches named here, including Dornoch, Brora, Coldbackie and Crosskirk. Assume year-round access under the Access Code and read the local signage rather than assuming a ban exists. Dornoch Beach runs for miles of firm sand two minutes past the first tee, and Coldbackie north of Tongue is a long pale crescent about two miles from the village.

The Jacobite steam train

West Coast Railways, which operates the Fort William to Mallaig service, publishes no dog or pet policy on its FAQ page or in its booking conditions. There is no yes and no no on record. Phone them before you book if the dog is coming, and do not rely on a third-party listing. It is one of the most booked things in the region and the silence catches people out every summer.

The Caledonian Sleeper

A real option, London to Inverness or Fort William overnight. Up to two domestic pets per room at GBP 30 per journey, which covers the deep clean. Pets are not allowed in the Seated Coach or the Club Car and not on the beds, they stay on the floor. You cannot walk the dog to other coaches and once you have boarded you cannot get off until your destination, so do the last walk before you board. Dogs get a bag of Bella+Duke treats. If a rail replacement bus is put on during disruption, the operator cannot guarantee the dog can travel on it.

CalMac ferries

Every pet needs a ticket even if it never leaves the car, because the operator needs to know it is on board. There are three types: pet in the passenger lounge, which is a designated pet lounge with limited capacity, pet in vehicle or sitting outside for the whole crossing, which has no numbers limit but means you cannot go back to the car deck mid-crossing, and assistance dog, which has no limit and allows all public areas except children's play areas. Pets stay on a lead, out of all food, beverage and carpeted areas, and you stay with them unless they are in the car. Skye is reached by bridge and needs no ferry, so this matters for Mull, Harris, Lewis and the Small Isles.

Midges and ticks

The Highland midge is out roughly late May to September, worst in June, July and August, swarming at dawn and dusk in still, damp, overcast conditions near water, bog and bracken. The north west coast and Torridon are the worst of it, Deeside and eastern Perthshire much less so. Dogs get bitten around the ears, muzzle and belly and a thin-coated dog suffers more, so walk in the middle of the day or in a breeze and pick beach and ridge walks over boggy woodland in July. Never put a human repellent on a dog without asking a vet, because DEET is not safe for them. This is also one of the UK's tick hotspots, so bring a tick tool, check the dog every evening around ears, neck, armpits and toes, and sort a vet-approved preventative before you travel.

Vets

Conanvet at Conon Bridge near Dingwall, about twenty minutes north of Inverness, runs a 24 hour emergency service staffed by its own vets rather than an outsourced overnight provider. The emergency number is 01349 861 203. It also has branches at Dingwall, Fortrose, Gairloch and Ullapool, which between them cover Inverness, the Black Isle, Wester Ross and the north west coast, including Torridon, Kylesku and Poolewe, where the nearest alternative is a long drive.

Best walks

The West Highland Way runs right past the Kingshouse across Rannoch Moor, with the Devil's Staircase climbing from Altnafeadh two miles down the glen. From The Torridon, the Coire Mhic Nobuil path towards Beinn Alligin and the shore of Upper Loch Torridon across the drive. From Glenfinnan House, the Loch Shiel shore in front of the house and the ten-minute climb to the viaduct viewpoint. The Great Glen Way and the Caledonian Canal lock staircase are two minutes from The Lovat at Fort Augustus. In Inverness, the Ness Islands, a chain of wooded islands joined by Victorian footbridges, with the river path carrying on past Whin Park. On the north coast, Castle Varrich above Tongue and Coldbackie beach two miles on, the old ferry slipway and the Assynt tracks around Loch Glendhu at Kylesku, and miles of firm sand at Dornoch and Brora. On Skye, the Leitir Fura forest trail through the old Kinloch woods, and the low-water walk across the sand from Hotel Eilean Iarmain to Ornsay island and its lighthouse. In the Cairngorms, the Speyside Way through Boat of Garten and the Abernethy pinewoods by Loch Garten. On Deeside, Morrone Birkwood out of Braemar, the Linn of Dee, the Deeside Way from Banchory and Scolty Hill above it.

When to go

May and September are the two best months and for the same reason: the weather is workable and the midges are not yet at their worst or are on the way out. June, July and August are peak midge, and on the north west coast and around Torridon that really does change how a day with a dog works, so plan beach and ridge rather than boggy woodland and walk in the middle of the day. March to the end of July is lead ground on the open hill because of lambing and ground-nesting birds, which is most of the walking here, so if you want off-lead hill time come in late August, September or October. Autumn is the pick for colour, stag roar and empty roads, and the beaches at Dornoch, Brora and Coldbackie are open to dogs all year with no seasonal ban to work around. Winter is quiet and cheap, though Kingshouse does not take dogs over Christmas and New Year and the single-track roads in Wester Ross and Sutherland are a different proposition in the dark.