Crinan Hotel

The Crinan Hotel in Argyll and Bute on the west coast of Scotland is in a perfect location by the entrance to the Crinan Canal and overlooking the sea and Loch Crinan.

We arrived at the Crinan Hotel in Argyll and Bute at the same time as our supper. ‘That looks like our prawn boat coming in,’ the young man told us as he showed us the stunning view from the balcony of our room, across the Sound of Jura. ‘They’ll be on the menu tonight.’

In fact he was wrong. They were langoustines, but a note on the menu showed that they were landed at the same time we were arriving. That’s fresh Scottish seafood for you, and the perfect start to our romantic break in Scotland.

Romantic Break in Scotland

The last part of the drive to the Crinan Hotel is the perfect prelude to a real romantic break in an idyllic and pretty spot. We drove over the Rest and Be Thankful beauty spot, though we had no time to rest on this occasion, only to be thankful that we were going through such a gorgeously scenic part of Scotland.

We’d already driven most of the length of Loch Lomond, and now were headed towards Loch Fyne, after which the road gets narrower and narrower before it twists up and over the wooded headland that separates Crinan from Crinan Harbour.

The Crinan Hotel: Perfect Location

Crinan (population 80) has a harbour too, but it also has the entrance to the Crinan Canal, which was built to connect Loch Fyne with the Atlantic Ocean. The Crinan Hotel is in the perfect spot to take advantage of these amazing views all around and our room, number 31, had a big balcony with one of the best views of all.

As well as the fishing boats there were sailing boats coming into or out of the canal, the wide expanse of the Sound of Jura and, to the west, the tip of the island of Jura itself. It’s the kind of view where you stop in your tracks and say ‘Wow!’ And it was ours for the weekend.

Top Scottish Seafood Restaurant

Also ours for the weekend was the Crinan’s Westward Restaurant. It serves top Scottish seafood and, as we’d seen from our balcony, the freshest of produce. The dining room is spacious and light, with lots of window tables taking full advantage of the view, at one end looking out towards the sunset. We both tried what is a familiar starter on Scottish menus – black pudding and scallops.

Donna had to try the langoustines, which were huge and, of course, tender and fresh. They were served with potatoes that had a light, zingy coating that might have been chilli pepper and a simple salad of organic salad leaves that were incredibly tasty. Mike’s lemon sole was also perfect.

Glasgow Weekend Break

A romantic weekend break at the Crinan Hotel is easy from Glasgow, with a lovely and scenic drive of 2-3 hours from central Glasgow, depending on the traffic. The drive takes you north past Loch Lomond, turning west at Tarbet, over Rest and Be Thankful, then around Loch Fyne to Crinan.