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How To Take A Traitors-Style Trip To Scotland
Prove you can be a faithful in style or rent your own castle to hold your own banishment ceremony.
The season of surprises and twists of Peacock’s The Traitors kept fans tuning in, but gorgeous landscapes, a mysterious castle, and host Alan Cumming’s eye-popping tartans had many of us dreaming of an escape to Scotland.
All the drama has taken place at Ardross Castle, which is located on the banks of the River Alness just north of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The 19th-century castle features elaborate gardens and more than 100 acres of parkland. The general public can't visit the castle, but it is possible to rent the whole thing out for a wedding, corporate retreat or other private event.
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If you're looking for a special trip, Away from the Ordinary can help customers plan bespoke trips to Scotland based around their interests and gain access to special accommodations.
"Scotland's world-renowned countryside has always been known for its stunning scenery and bucolic majesty, but the country now also has the culture, fashion, and textile industries to match," said Michael McCuish, the company's vice president for North America. "You should probably also stay in your own 5-star Scottish castle. Away from the Ordinary can organise an exclusive use stay at some of the most beautiful estates and castles. Your own private chef will prepare some amazing meals before your private, in-house whisky tasting finishes the evening in style."
McCuish can help book at castle-style hotels (where other guests are also staying) to exclusive-use ones where it's only your own group.
Get decked out
Watching Cumming with his stunning looks each week makes us want to take our own fashion up a notch. One of Away from the Ordinary's most popular tours is in the Outer Hebrides, an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. They arrange tours of Harris Tweed, so visitor's can get a behind-the-scenes look at how the famous fabric is made.
They also have relationships with Araminta Campbell, Scottish textile designer, Siobhan Mackenzie and Sandra Murray, contemporary Scottish fashion designers, and Hamilton & Inches, luxury jewelers in Edinburgh.
Sleep in style
Traitors contestants don't get a lot of sleep with that whole fear of mur-dur [said in Cumming's dramatic pronunciation.] But many hotels manage to capture the windswept and rugged landscapes of Scotland with cozy fireplaces, warm wool blankets and lush wallpaper. The recently renovated Marine Troon is a hotel that overlooks the Isle of Arran, and is along the windswept links of Royal Troon's Old Course, which will host its 10th Open Championships later this year. Those who want to further relax can enjoy spa services that use products made with Scottish seaweed.
In the Highlands, The Fife Arms is a former hunting lodge that because the art hotel to stay at in Scotland, redone by Swiss gallerists and even boasting a Picasso. The rooms have themes tied to Queen Victoria, who used to like to visit the area, and is chocked full of art, curiosities and taxidermy for an experience that is a eccentric, cozy, and a little bit creepy — just like the Traitors.
Pick your poison
Unlike Parvarti Swallow's "poison cup" she struggled to get anyone to drink from, there's stiff competition to get access to spirits giant Diageo's luxury scotch offerings. For their best-of-the-best customers, their Rare and Exceptional team arranges special distillery tours, like of Brora, a distillery that was shut down and then painstakingly reopened after 38 years to create a cult-favorite malt and tastings of the exclusive Casks of Distinction, housed at Royal Lochnagar distillery, which is close to the late Queen Elizabeth's favorite escape, Balmoral Castle. To round out the experience, the team can arrange bespoke experiences, like fly fishing, a falconry class, or even luxury picnics with Straloch Highland Escapes in an off-the-beaten path bothy, a basic shelter on a larger estate that is available for people to take shelter when weather gets rough.
And for a bottle shop experience like no other, arrange a whisky class at The Jar in Troon with the owner, David Iain Grant. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things distilled in Scotland (there's great gin, too!) and will get you excited about exploring all the country has to offer.
