Awards

A stunning Bed & Breakfast based in the Caithness region of the North Highlands of Scotland and member of the North Highland Tourism, is one of only eight accommodations to receive a prestigious accolade under VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance scheme.

Elspeth and James Bremner are among the first B&B and guesthouse owners in Scotland to be awarded a Gold Star by the national tourism board in recognition of exceptional service and hospitality they deliver at their Clachan Bed and Breakfast, Wick.

The Gold Star award recognises serviced accommodation businesses which consistently achieve the highest levels of excellence within their VisitScotland star grading. Businesses achieving the award will excel in the areas of customer care and hospitality and show evidence of a real commitment to staff development and training and while most B&Bs and guesthouses in the region can boast a few of VisitScotland’s grading stars, only a handful have achieved the Gold Star.

Elspeth, who started her 4 star bed & breakfast business in1986, was thrilled to win the accolade:

“The award acknowledges those who are at the top of their game in whatever grade they are in and this recognition makes us feel like all our hard work is well worth the effort.

“We’re keen to attract more visitors to the area as it is so beautiful here and there are plenty of tourist attractions to keep them busy such as the Castle of Mey, the Old Pultney Distillery and the award winning Wick Heritage Centre.”

Last September, The Clachan closed for refurbishments; to upgrade, build extensions and modernise the bedrooms.

Elspeth continues:
“We felt that it was time to give it a facelift after all those years and give it the feel of a boutique hotel. We offer quality surroundings and high calibre local food to our guests. I think it is for this reason we own the award.”

Her husband James works for Caithness General Hospital in Maintenance but finds himself pottering around The Clachan as the resident handyman.

“I am the DIY guy, Elspeth deals with the running of the business while I work behind the scenes making sure everything is running properly. If there are any technical problems, from the plumbing to the electricity, that’s my patch. I suppose I am a jack of all trades!”

Murray Lamont, Chairman of North Highlands Tourism was extremely pleased to hear of the award win.

“This is a great achievement for The Clachan. It’s a symbol of how accommodation and tourism across the region are improving all the time, making it a destination second to none.

“The region boasts many visitor attractions great things to do in the area from wildlife and heritage to walking and outdoor adventure. If you would like to learn more about the area please visit us on the web at www.northhighlandsscotland.com.”

The Castletown Heritage Society, a member of North Highland Tourism (www.northhighlandsscotland.com) was honoured with a prestigious award for its contribution to community tourism, and in particular its development of the Castlehill Heritage Centre, Caithness at the Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards Ceremony.

The Highlands and Island Tourism Commissions’ award scheme, which is one of the most coveted accolades in the industry, recognises businesses at the top of their game and is designed to reflect the high quality and diversity synonymous with North Highland Tourism.

Castletown Heritage Society received the Community Tourism Initiative Award, which celebrates community collaboration and recognises initiatives and projects where community groups and businesses have worked together to improve the way their areacares for visitors.

Castletown Heritage Society hold themed exhibitions throughout the year featuring the history, heritage, biodiversity and social history of Castletown. The Society also runs training and workshops featuring local vernacular skills such as rope making, wood chip carving, rug making, woodturning, spinning and weaving, drystone dyking, croft crafts, limestone pointing and sea shore based crafts such as drift wood sculpture.

The glittering event attracted over 350 representatives from the region’s top tourism, hospitality, leisure and travel businesses and was also attended this year by First Minister Alex Salmond

Muriel Murray, Chairperson of Castletown Heritage Society said:
“We are all delighted to have won the Community Tourism Initiative Award. Over the last three years we have become more active, and winning this award reflects ourhard work. It is an affirmation of the blood, sweat and tears that we put into Castlehill Heritage Centre, which provides both educational and fun days out for anyone visiting the region.

“There is a lot of history in this area and the centre provides a real insight into the stories the land has to tell”.

Murray Lamont, Chairman of North Highland Tourism was pleased to hear of the award win. “This is a great achievement for The Castletown Heritage Society. It’s a symbol of how tourism centres across the region are improving all the time, making it a destination second to none.

“The region boasts many visitor attractions and great things to see and do in the area from wildlife and heritage to walking and outdoor adventure. If you would like to learn more about the area please visit us on the web at www.northhighlandsscotland.com.”

The Good for the Soul 2009 award was presnted to Kylesku Hotel at the annual Scotish Hotels of the Year Awards in Edinburgh.

Congratulations to The Captain's Galley in Scrabster which is among 10 restaurants listed in the Which? Good Food Guide 2009 Editor's Choice Awards, and is the only one in Scotland.

It is the latest in a long line of successes for chef and owner Jim Cowie (58) and his 56-year-old wife Mary, who co-ordinates front-of-house service.
The Captain's Galley has won many awards, including the Dining Out Experience at the Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards in 2006 and a Scottish Thistle Taste of Scotland Award in the restaurant category last year. Jim was named Seafood Chef of the Year and the restaurant was runner-up in the Seafood Awards 2007.

The Which? Good Food Guide awards salute chefs and restaurants that are "making a difference", as editor Elizabeth Carter writes: "It's a treat to find a small, friendly space offering such a wealth of locally sourced seafood – its harbour location gives views of the local boats bringing in the day's catch."
Captains Galley Seafood Restaurant
The Harbour, Scrabster
Caithness, KW14 7UJ
Tel: 01847 894999