Scottish B&B Review: Firhall Highland Bed and Breakfast

Firhall Highland Bed and Breakfast sits on a quiet street a short walk away from the main road through Grantown-on-Spey.

Around the B&B, you will find an array of potted plants and well-kept gardens.

UPDATED: 2/5/2023

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Note: This is a fully independent review and not in exchange for any goods/services. We paid full/regular price for our stay and did not let the owners know we were travel bloggers until the morning we left when we asked their permission to take a photo of them and share it on our blog. The below is entirely our experience.

Firhall Highland Bed & Breakfast

Located in the charming Cairngorms National Park, tucked away in the Scottish Highlands is an absolutely fantastic bed and breakfast. We’ve stayed in countless B&Bs over the years and while many are memorable for different reasons, a much smaller number make it to our list of the top places we have stayed. Firhall Highland Bed and Breakfast is one of those special places. We kind of wish we could move in. Permanently. Is that an option?

Having never been to Scotland but wanting to stay in a small town in the Cairngorms during our 10 day Scottish road trip, it was really more random chance than anything that led us to book a stay here in the quaint town of Grantown-on-Spey. If only all tosses of the die were as lucky!

I can’t express how amazing these guys are! Dustin stole them for a picture mid breakfast. Thanks for the spur of the moment photo-op guys!

the hosts

The hosts are owners Stuart and James (and honorable mention to their two schnauzers), who had a vision and have lovingly restored this Victorian Highland home into a masterpiece, down to custom designed wallpaper to get the motif just right. They are just a few years into being fully operational as a B&B but have this down as if they’ve been doing this all their lives. They are both incredibly friendly, welcoming, and focused on creating an amazing guest experience that feels effortless to the guest. They gave us honest opinions on suggestions for the area and tips for restaurants, and recommended a post-dinner hike along the river, which was exactly the right spot and location for a short jaunt.

A wonderful walk through town and along the river provides the opportunity to see an array of wildflowers as well as the iconic thistles of Scotland.

Sunset over River Spey - a wonderful stroll.

Our room (Findhorn) at Firhall was comfortable, cozy, and perfect for our tastes.

The rooms

Firhall boasts five uniquely decorated rooms with endless thoughtful touches. Our group of two couples stayed in the Spey and Findhorn rooms, which both faced out of the front of the house on the second floor. All five rooms have king-sized beds, which is the only way to sleep in our opinion. Four rooms are upstairs with one on ground floor.

Our room had a mini fridge with fresh milk and water, a coffee machine with pods, and delicious shortbread cookies. The bathroom was cozy with a towel warmer (common but not standard in Scotland) and toiletries that included all of the basics but also extras like a relaxing pillow spray to ease guests into sleep. The bed was utterly comfy.

We visited when it was warm enough to have the windows open in mid-summer. Window screens aren’t common in Scotland (at least we didn’t see any on the trip that we noticed), but we had no problems with any bugs coming in overnight. (While we abhor mosquitoes at our house in the US, Scotland’s pest is the midge.)

The breakfast

Each morning we had a choice between amazing meals. Poached eggs with Scottish salmon and avocado on toast. Taste and Presentation = 10/10!!

As is common at many B&Bs, guests have the ability to make some breakfast decisions the night before. While the menu rotates, we had two options for the porridge starter and then several entree options that changed over the course of our two mornings, though the full Scottish breakfast was on the list both days. There is also a buffet that includes yogurt, cereal, fruit, and juice.

For the porridge (which I think sounds so much more interesting and sophisticated than our US “oatmeal,” though it’s the same thing), we could select either a classic version or one that had yogurt, honey, and almonds. I tried one of each over the two days of our stay, and you really can’t go wrong either way!

We inquired about the porridge, which was so much more interesting and edible than your standard US oatmeal. We learned that they use three different types of oats to have the right mixture of creamy without being pasty. Making it requires advanced planning as pinhead oats are best when soaked overnight.

Immediately upon arriving home in the US, both Dustin and I and our in-laws separately sought to recreate this recipe at home, locating types of oats we never knew existed and testing and sharing different approaches to the recipe. This has now made its way into our morning routine!

For the entrees, our group had everything from the full Scottish breakfast (a feast of meats including the traditional Scottish haggis, eggs, toast, and beans) to strawberry and white chocolate pancakes to sourdough bread topped with mashed avocado, salmon, and poached eggs. This latter recipe is also one we have replicated at home. Based on our experience and from following the B&B’s Facebook page, we can tell that their menus are seasonally inspired and focused on local food. Their eggs are from their own chickens, and there is a local butcher from which they get their meat.

packed lunch

On our full day in the area, we decided to order the packed lunch to take with us on a hike along River Feshie. Because the Cairngorms is quite rural outside of the towns, it was a convenient choice for us. Like with breakfast, there were a few options we could select from the night before.

Maybe my expectations in life have been set way too low, but my mental image of a packed lunch is a basic sandwich, apple, and chips crammed in a bag unceremoniously and not particularly edible but better than nothing. We did not expect to be wowed by our packed lunches and gathered them in the morning, tucked in to insulated bags to keep the food cool. But we were wowed.

The insulated bags were packed full of deliciousness and class. There was a thermos with hot water for our coffee and tea, milk stowed in adorable glass bottles to add to the beverages. There were ceramic mugs for these drinks. Our lunch orders - the sandwiches were on French baguettes or bagels based on our preferences - were accompanied by blueberry muffins, chips, fresh fruit, and a dessert wafer (Tunnock’s milk chocolate and caramel, which we fell in love with and bought a few more times along the trip). And the napkins were crisp, white cloth. What is the downside of this lunch? Our expectations for packed lunches are now much, much higher! If anyone staying here expects to be out for hikes or touring the region throughout the day, I highly recommend the packed lunch option (which is at additional cost - currently £8.50 per lunch, a very good value in our opinion).

To check out more photos of Firhall, you can visit them on Facebook here or on their website. They have occasional giveaways or great deals and discounts on their Facebook page, so that’s worth following if you’re planning a trip to the area. As for us, we’re dreaming of a future return trip to the area to hike, eat amazing breakfasts, and maybe throw in a distillery or two.

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