SCANDINAVIA’S hygge is famed, a warming sense of cosiness. But Scotland has its own version: we’ve got coorie. Exact definitions remain hazy and have changed over the years, but think a sense of cosiness, a feeling of being hugged by your surroundings. I’ve just been away for a weekend looking to embrace winter coorie by the bonnie banks.
I admit, I usually think of Loch Lomond as a summer destination – I come to hike the national park’s munros, traipse the West Highland Way and to get out on the island-studded waters with Runrig echoing around my soul. Loch Lomond is constantly rewarding and inspiring, but not in winter, right?
I was proved wrong immediately arriving at Cameron House (www.cameronhouse.co.uk) right on Loch Lomond. A giant Christmas tree heralded our arrival, as did a sea plane splashing down, with other guests arriving in far more style than us. Far from hibernating, Cameron House is looking braw after its massive rebirth last year. And seriously coorie.
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We stayed at the new extension, which sprawls out from the leisure complex. I was surprised at the size of the bedrooms, large uncluttered spaces with the views from the balconies left to speak for themselves. Very Scandi-Scot chic – hygge meets coorie.
The superb Scottish produce at Tamburrini & Wishart knocked anything I’ve had in Scandinavia out the water. Highlights included tennis ball sized hand-dived Orkney scallops and Peterhead-landed halibut (cured and half of it seared) on the five course tasting menu. Wishart had a Michelin star restaurant here years ago and I reckon this is well on the way to winning one too.
The revamped leisure centre now has a large hot tub area that handily overlooks the pool, so we could get coorie, but still watch our older kids splashing around. They loved the sweeping flume too.
We were all fans of the afternoon tea, served with aplomb in the cosy Lobby Bar overlooking the loch. As well as all the usual favourites it kicked off with a citrus-tinged veloute and offered a choice of a dozen champagnes, a glass enjoyed as the rain lashed the windows.
I had presumed it was too late in the year to get out on the water, but on our last morning we sped out on the resort’s Celtic Warrior. Sipping a glass of bubbly as you whizz across the Highland Boundary Fault is a thrill. As is getting close to the islands, with the switched-on crew filling you on their stories. Did you know one has a population of wallabies and there is a naturist beach too?
Cameron House stacks up as an ideal coorie break with a swathe of accommodation options, so have a good dig around on their website to get the best deal. A wee tip at breakfast – it’s now buffet-style, but if you ask the chefs at the hot food station they’ll whip up eggs benedict or eggs royale, guaranteed to get your coorie vibe flowing as you enjoy it with loch views.
There are other places to stay, of course, around the bonnie bonnie banks. Duck Bay (www.duckbay.co.uk) sits right next to Cameron House. I’ve only ever enjoyed lunch there, but it’s got similarly impressive views of the loch.
I rate the Loch Lomond Arms (www.lochlomondarmshotel.com) in Luss too, a trim old stone inn with bags of character and great food. Balloch is a handy base if you’ve not got a car and are coming by train.
I mentioned that I thought cruises were a summer thing. Well I was reassured to see some of the cruise boats out, with people enjoying a saunter around Loch Lomond with Cruise Loch Lomond and Sweeney’s. If you’ve never taken one, thinking it’s “just for tourists”, I cannot recommend one enough.
When the snows descend on Ben Lomond and the other munros it gives the scene a beguiling sense of coorie, but the higher ground can get tricky, so it’s best to stick to the boats or for most of us to walk lower. Conic Hill comes into its own in winter. It’s easily accessible and although it’s only 361m in height, the views are stupendous if conditions allow you to get up.
In these cash conscious times, a weekend away in Loch Lomond might be an indulgence too far. Well, how about just packing a picnic and driving up to one of the lochside parking spots? Bring camping chairs and enjoy a taste of Loch Lomond’s coorie magic listening to the water lapping the shores – we love doing this as a family.
For all the fancy hotels and restaurants the great joy of Loch Lomond is the sheer natural drama and its forested isles. Whether you’re savouring a picnic for free, or want to splash out on a weekend wrapped in the charms of Cameron House, Loch Lomond offers a sense of getting coorie that easily for me tops Scandinavian hygge.
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