Discover the real Scotland on Ness Walk’s whisky food safari

On a windswept hillside in the Cairngorms National Park sculpted by the elements, Zeki Basan digs his weathered hands deep into the earth. The young survival expert shakes a clod of soil from an energetic root making for the light: wild garlic in tuber form girding its loins for a growth spurt. He washes it in a gentle stream and offers it to us to chew. Not exactly your average hotel excursion.

The foraging session is part of a Whisky Food Safari, one of several unusual “experiences” on offer at Ness Walk hotel in Inverness, a restored 19th-century manor house with leafy views over the River Ness. Along with stylish, spacious rooms and a characterful restaurant the hotel has an intriguing menu of excursions, including