Places to Stay With a Pool in Scottish Highlands

What's available with a pool in the Scottish Highlands

There are 8 places to stay with a swimming pool published on BritStays across the Scottish Highlands. That's a small selection, so it helps to know what kind of trip you're planning before you start comparing. Five are hotels, two are caravanning sites and one is a camping site. If you'd prefer a pitch or a holiday caravan with a pool on site, you have only three to choose from.

The stays are spread across a handful of towns. Elgin, Aviemore and Inverness each have two, and Fort William and Ballachulish have one each. The listings don't say whether each stay is coastal or rural, so check the location on the individual listing if a sea view or a remote glen matters to you.

Matching the stay to your trip

The facilities listed for each stay give you a good sense of who they suit.

• Families: Riverside Caravan Park Elgin lists a pool, gym and playground, so there's something for children on wet days and dry ones. Oakwood Caravan & Camping Park in Aviemore pairs its pool with a cafe and takeaway food, which helps when nobody wants to cook after a long day out.
• Couples: If you want a quieter, more relaxing break, look at the stays with spa facilities. Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness lists a pool, gym and spa. The Isles of Glencoe Hotel & Leisure Centre in Ballachulish combines a pool and spa with a restaurant. Holly Tree Hotel in Fort William adds a hot tub and bar, and Eight Acres Hotel and Spa in Elgin is another option if a pool is your main requirement.
• Keeping up a fitness routine: Four of the eight stays list a gym. Among them are Leonardo Hotel Inverness and Kinloss Park in Aviemore, which also lists parking.
• Dog owners: Five of the eight are listed as pet friendly, so your chances are reasonable. Policies vary, though, so check each listing before you book rather than assuming.

Practical facilities worth checking

Beyond the pool itself, a few other facilities affect how easy your stay will be:

• WiFi: listed at 5 of the 8 stays.
• Parking: listed at 4.
• A restaurant on site: listed at 4.
• Disabled access: listed at 3.
• A nearby bus stop: listed at 3, which matters if you're travelling without a car.

If you need accessible facilities or good public transport links, the choice narrows quickly. Contact the stay directly to confirm what's provided, including whether the pool area itself is accessible.

What to do once you're there

A pool is a good fallback, but most people come to the Highlands for what lies beyond the hotel. The region's best-known landmarks include:

• Loch Ness
• Ben Nevis
• Glencoe
• Glenfinnan Viaduct
• The Cairngorms National Park
• Eilean Donan Castle, Culloden Battlefield and Castle Stuart, if you enjoy history

Check how far each one is from your stay before you plan your days. They're spread across a large area.

For rainy afternoons, there are plenty of museums.

• Inverness: the attractions listed here include The Highlanders' Museum, The Scottish Kiltmaker Visitor Centre, The Old Court house, Dingwall Museum and Hugh Miller's Museum and Cottage.
• Fort William: the Clan Cameron Museum is listed.
• Elsewhere in the region: the Highland Folk Museum and Am Fasgadh are both worth considering.

A morning on the hills or at a castle, followed by an hour in the pool, is a sensible rhythm for a Highland break.

When to book

With only eight stays to choose from, the best options can go quickly. This is especially true if you need more than one specific feature, such as a pet-friendly room with disabled access, or a caravan pitch with a playground nearby. The more boxes you need to tick, the earlier you should book.

Before you confirm, check the following directly with the stay:

• Pool opening hours
• Whether children's swimming times are restricted
• Whether the pool closes for maintenance during your dates

None of these details are guaranteed by a facilities list, and finding the pool closed is a real disappointment if it was the reason you chose the stay.

If your dates are flexible, compare a few nights at different stays before you commit. If you're bringing a dog, make that the first thing you confirm.