A holiday accommodation in Harris has been crowned the 2024 winner of Scotland’s Greatest Escape show.
The three-storey drystone building with a turf roof, inspired by iron age structures
- was awarded the coveted title by a panel of tourist industry experts.
Situated on the Borve Lodge estate, the island getaway was created by owners, husband and wife Adam and Cathra Kelliher who bought the estate in 2007.
The impressive building took three years to create and won the ‘unique and unusual’
category which kick-started the eight-week series on BBC Scotland.
The couple also own Taransay, the UK’s largest uninhabited island.
The Kelliher’s are delighted The Broch won. “It feels completely surreal!” admits
Cathra. “What started with an application that we didn’t think would even be picked
off the slush pile, ended up with us winning - we can’t believe it. The process kept
us on our toes…to have won, well, words can’t really describe it.”
Adam adds: “It’s a mixture of exhilaration and disbelief. All the other entrants were of a very high calibre, and it would seem that any of them could have grabbed the top spot, so some deep humility too.”
For Adam, The Broch is alluring to visitors: “It’s the first broch to be built in
Scotland for 2,000 years - it is a unique building in one of Scotland’s most exquisite
landscapes. We are proud of the service levels we can deliver and we have an incredible
team of dedicated staff who really care about getting it right, with a fanatical
attention to detail. And, in terms of the landscapes, Harris speaks for itself –
it’s one of the last great wilderness areas of Europe, a true coastal paradise.”
Cathra adds: “The Broch stands up over Borve Valley and everyone passing looks up to see this magnificent and extraordinary structure, literally, towering up. But at the same time it just blends into the landscape.
“My father - originally from Lancashire - came walking here [the Isle of Harris]
when he was 17 and lost his heart to the island. He brought us up here at every opportunity
and, in 1985 when I was 16 years old, he bought Borve Lodge Estate. Adam and I have
been coming here together ever since we met and our four children have all grown
up feeling very at home here.”
Scotland’s Greatest Escape Head Judge, Marina Huggett, believes The Broch is a very
worthy winner of the prestigious title: “From the monumental exterior structure,
with its stunning architecture, influenced from iron age brochs to the inspired detailing
of the high-quality interiors, the overall aesthetic is faultless.”
Adam agrees: “Obviously, all the finalists had very different offerings and we
were a pretty diverse tribe. But, to me, we felt like kindred spirits. Binding us
all together was a shared vision - we are all in Scotland’s hospitality sector and
are all trying to do something a bit different (and really remarkable) in this beautiful
country. We have all kept in touch since and I am pretty sure that we will all be
seeing each other again soon, to sample each other’s escapes.”
Harris holiday ‘broch’ wins top travel award
18 April 2024