The Grand Tourist - Curator - Why Everyone is Heading to the Highlands

BWG’s The Grand Golfing Tour of Scotland was featured in The Grand Tourist in Dec 2023.

The Grand Tourist is the brainchild of Dan Rubinstein, journalist, author and consultant based in New York.  He uses his unique design lens to explore the worlds of design, art, travel and culture, sharing his insights through podcasts and feature articles.

Why Everyone is Heading for the Highlands - By Maura Egan
It seems when people fall in love with the Scottish countryside, they fall hard. Take Iwan and Manuela Wirth, the Swiss powerhouse gallerists who opened The Fife Arms, a letter-perfect homage to all things Caledonian—and a perfect hotel IMHO—just a stone’s throw from Balmoral. Then there’s the Danish billionaire Anders Povlsen and his wife, Anne, who own more than 222,000 acres here—the country’s largest shareholders. Their Wildland conservation project is made up of a portfolio of hotels and rentable lodges including Aldourie, a 300-year-old castle near Loch Ness, which was recently revamped, to much fanfare, by Jamb, the cult antiques shop on Pimlico Row in London. The Boath House, a Georgian mansion located a half an hour east from Inverness in the Highlands, is the newest addition to the fashionable countryside scene. Established in 2022 by the artist Jonny Gent and chef Florence Knight (the pair behind the much-lauded Sessions Art Club in London), the hotel has a club-like feel for creatives.

Then there’s James and Gemma McCallum, who have spent the last two decades meticulously restoring Wormistoune, a 16th-century tower estate in East Neuk, one of the country’s more undiscovered regions. (Although it’s only about 15 minutes from St. Andrews). The McCallums live in the main house but they rent their coach house for up to 10 guests through the luxury bespoke travel group, Bravo Whisky Golf, run by Neil Scott Johnson. Although the name suggests it’s all about whisky and golf, Johnson can cater to any interest in Scottish culture, whether it’s food, craft, or tweed. Both Johnson and McCallum believe in creating a real sense of place. So that might mean bringing in Stewart Christie & Co., Edinburgh’s oldest tailor (owned by McCallum) for a suit fitting at the house; touring the historic walled garden that features a kitchen (herbs), wilderness (meadows), and pleasantry garden (topiaries, architectural follies) that was restored by Gemma; or lingering over long dinners with  whisky at the 16th century laird dining table, which James bought from the estate of William Randolph Hearst. “It’s about capturing the magic and the history of this place which is vast,” says James.