Here at the Altnaharra Hotel we’re enjoying the 2011 shooting season and are looking forward to organising some exciting hunting experiences for our guests. As the hotel’s sporting manager, I have always taken a keen interest in shooting and particularly enjoy accompanying guests and sharing in their enthusiasm – after all what’s better than a wonderful day’s sport in a beautiful setting.

Woodcock Shooting
This is a thrilling and challenging sporting experience. With the woodcock’s swooping, erratic flight it is a prized quarry. The season runs from 1st September to 31st January, but starts in earnest after the first full moon in November – this is when the woodcock migrate to the Highlands from the cold Scandinavian winter. We can organise either walked up or driven woodcock shooting on local estates. Most of the shooting is in native woodland and a reasonable level of fitness is required due to the nature of the terrain.

Stalking
Huntsmen have been drawn to Scotland to stalk red deer for centuries. The stalking is undertaken on the open hill and in woodland. The season for hunting stags has already begun and continues until 20th October, while the season for hinds begins on 21st October until 15th February.
We have arrangements with a number of the vast local estates in the surrounding area. A usual day’s stalking starts at 9am and continues to around 3pm, though some estates sometimes start earlier. Guests are accompanied by experienced gamekeepers.

Mixed Shooting
We know that many of you enjoy a mixed shooting experience and we can arrange a varied and exciting sporting break for you. You could combine, for example, two days of woodcock shooting with two days of stalking. We can also arrange some stunning rough shooting on request for snipe, rabbit, woodcock, duck and pheasant.

Novices are very welcome as the estate gamekeepers are very capable of giving excellent tuition.

Just give us an idea of what you would like to do and we will do our very best to arrange it for you. We can cater for parties of all sizes and are happy to discuss your individual requirements. Exclusive use of the hotel for parties of up to 24 guests can also sometimes be arranged.

Alternatively, if the idea of a self catering break appeals to you, with the option of popping into the hotel for the occasional meal or use of the games room, then our self catering cottage could be what you are looking for. Mallart Cottage is literally next door to the hotel, overlooking the tarn. Call us to find out the rates – plus we can still help organise all your sporting needs.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

With kind regards

Aaron Winton
Sporting Manager
The Altnaharra Hotel
Tel: 01549 411222 or use our contacts page if you’d prefer to email your enquiry

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Within the last 18 months The Altnaharra’s new owners have made some significant investments to improve both the accommodation and the sporting opportunities.
Within the hotel itself, we have:

• Installed a new bar in the hotel lounge.
• Doubled the size of The Ghillie’s Bar, which now serves excellent bar meals too.
• Taken on a great new chef to deliver a superb locally-sourced menu in our main restaurant.
• Refurbished our cottages to provide fantastic self-catered accommodation.
• Introduced a great new games room with table tennis, pool table, table football etc.
• Purchased a range of mountain bicycles for guests’ use.

Altnaharra is situated in the North of the Highlands; it epitomises the very best of Scottish country life and the hamlet boasts truly remarkable views of both Loch Naver and Ben Klibreck. It first opened its doors in 1820 – just a few months after the birth of Queen Victoria – and ever since that time the area has become a popular destination for both fishing/shooting enthusiasts and mountaineers, as well as those just looking to get away from stress and torment of city life.

Of course, as wonderful as the natural beauty of Altnaharra may be, there can be no overestating the comfort offered by an open fire and fresh dinner at the end of a long day outdoors, and that’s where the Altnaharra Hotel really comes into its own. Combining the traditional style and decor of the original building with all the mod cons that you might expect in a brand new hotel, the 14 luxury en-suite bedrooms are guaranteed to provide the perfect base while you enjoy the Highlands at their most authentic.

For more information about the Altnaharra Hotel or to discuss your perfect break in the wilderness, email us today at office@altnaharra.co.uk or call 01549 411222.