Jeremy Ellwood returns to his honeymoon hotel on the Isle of Skye
Skeabost House Stay And Play Review
Par 67, 4,776 yards
Greenfee: £25 per round
This delightful little nine-holer boasts impressive views inland to the mountains and out to sea.
Laid out by Dr Frank Deighton in 1964, the course is well kept and tremendous fun to play, boasting the kind of soft, forgiving turf many golfers find so accommodating.
It starts with a visually stirring par 4 down towards the water and the island of Raasay beyond, before turning right for its toughest test – the 447-yard 2nd, where the shore and out of bounds run all the way along the left. Mercifully, this hole morphs into a par 5 second time round.
Later on, slicers beware, for the shoreline switches to your right as you play the 6th.
A lovely place to play golf… and the weekly ticket is a mere £60!
Also play… Skeabost (skeabosthotel.com) has its own little nine-holer with the last two holes beautifully located by Loch Snizort. Accuracy is the key here, for the fairways are narrow and the greens often fiendishly small.
Skeabost House Hotel
This wasn’t my first visit to Skeabost, for I’d been here on honeymoon 18 years ago!
I’d also returned briefly ten years later, when it was in a bit of a sorry state, so I was delighted to find this former hunting lodge by the River Snizort lovingly restored and back to its very best, having become part of the Sonas Collection hotel group four years ago.
It was the classic Victorian styling and wood panelling that had first attracted me to Skeabost, and that is still there in abundance, but this cosy 18-bedroom hotel now offers the more contemporary Garden Rooms as an alternative.
That mix of old and new spills over into the dining, too, with the traditional wood-panelled main dining and breakfast room complemented by the light and airy West Pier restaurant with glorious views out over Loch Snizort.
Where else… Skeabost is perfectly located for a tour of the spectacular Trotternish Peninsula and the famous Old Man of Storr.
Best Deal
Bed and breakfast at Skeabost House costs from £99 per room until March 31, then from £228. Discounts available at Isle of Skye GC for Skeabost House guests. Golf at Skeabost is free if booked direct with the hotel.
Where
Isle of Skye Golf Club lies on the east coast of Skye at Sconser on the A87. Skeabost House Hotel is 30 minutes away on the A850.
Checklist
Isle of Skye Golf Club
Buggy hire: N/A
Power trolley hire: N/A
Trolley hire: £2
Club hire: £8
Driving range: No. There is a net
Putting green: Yes
Short-game area: Yes
Pro shop: Yes, small shop
Changing rooms: Yes
Skeabost House Hotel
Wi-Fi: Yes, free throughout
Price of a pint: From £4.20
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