Living remote yet staying connected with Dan and Rohaise Rose-Bristow, owners of The Torridon

We met at university in Leeds and then moved to London. I became a Bond trader in the City and Rohaise started a career as a corporate event organiser. We married in 1998 and had many conversations about where to live, what future we wanted and then kids meant a re-evaluation. Rohaise’s parents wanted to retire and were looking for manager. In February 1998 we were at an event in Torridon and sat down late at night and looked at where we were. Rohaise said she did not want to work in hotels having watched her parents do it for years, and I confirmed I did not want to live in Torridon coming from London. By March 1999 we had moved to Torridon to learn how to run The Torridon. We were both driven by the opportunity to run our own business and by the opportunity to create incredible memories for people in a such a special place.

At The Torridon we believe that focusing on exceptional levels of service which is friendly and faultless allows us to offer great hospitality. We inspire the team to create memorable experiences for our guests, with service from passionate and creative people that allows the guest to feel looked after in a very personable and independent way. As a destination resort, we provide the perfect opportunity to go off grid from daily life and to rest and reinvigorate their lives. An adventurous day in the hills or on the loch, followed by a chilled afternoon relaxing with your boots kicked off and your feet up on the sofa, finished with a superb dining experience of local produce, means the guest will have full immersed themselves in Torridon.

The changing seasons are magnificent. Working here for us it does not make a difference, and even when we close in January every year, Rohaise and I are at their most busy with refurbishment and planning for the year ahead. The daylight in the summer can last for 20 hours and the skies might not even get very dark. In the winter, the contrast means that while it can be dark from 3pm to 10am, the skies are so dark that stargazing is easily done and can be amazing.

We get a good mix. Some guests will fly into Inverness and be collected by our local guide Donald Macdonald, while some will be travelling on by road from elsewhere in Scotland, perhaps having been driving the North Coast 500! The drive from Inverness is particularly enjoyable, passing some of Scotland’s most stunning landscapes including the famous Glen Docherty where you can enjoy views across Loch Maree and the West coast on fine days.

Escape really is different for every guest, so my suggestion would be to relax and enjoy the resort! For me, the 3 must do things during a stay would be Fly Fishing, Whisky Tasting and Stargazing. Rohaise would say that she’d prefer to enjoy Afternoon Tea, visit the Kitchen Garden and Kayak on Loch Torridon.