The Torridon voted best for activities

The Torridon has been voted Activity Hotel of the Year for the third year in a row at the prestigious Scottish Hotel of the Year Awards 2009, and the hotel’s twice Michelin Star head chef scooped the Local Food Hero Chef Award on the same evening.

Both awards are testament to the hotel’s commitment to excellence in all aspects of customer care and its efforts to provide an exceptional standard of service, hospitality, activities and food.

The Torridon, located 75 minutes’ drive north from Inverness in one of Scotland’s premier areas for outdoor activities, offers guests the chance to tackle a host of activities from sea kayaking, gorge walking and abseiling to hill climbing, orienteering and clay pigeon shooting.

Torridon Activities Manager, Chris Wilson, is an ex-British Army Commando who has a degree in Countryside Management and is a qualified climbing instructor, mountain leader and kayak coach. Courses this year include An Introduction to Navigation, Learn to Kayak and an Introduction to Basic Summer Mountain Skills.

Head Chef Kevin John Broome, who has worked alongside Marco Pierre White at Harveys, gained his two Michelin stars at Shai and Broomes in Jersey. At The Torridon, he has created a range of exciting menus for the 2AA rosette restaurant which showcases the local produce from in and around Torridon. In addition to locally sourced seafood, game and meat, The Torridon’s dedicated kitchen garden supplies the restaurant with fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs most of the year – as well as flowers for the hotel.

Further recent accolades for Kevin and his kitchen brigade include Best British Cheeseboard 2007 (UK Cheese awards); Best Dish ‘Roast Beef’ 2007 (Restaurant Magazine awards); and Highlands Dining Out Experience 2007 (Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards).

The Torridon, a grand turreted shooting lodge set in 58 acres of parkland, boasts 19 individually designed bedrooms, roaring log fires, comfortable lounges and a cosy whisky bar featuring over 350 malts, is a haven for rest and relaxation, while its rural location in Highland Scotland makes it ideally placed for a wide range of exciting outdoor pursuits and activities.

For more information, visit Thetorridon.com.