Brander Lodge

Southern Highlands & Islands


Midway between Loch Etive and Loch Awe and set among imposing Highland scenery, Brander Lodge makes a good base for exploring the area. An enthusiastic owner has transformed the place into a comfortable modern hotel, with continuing improvements being rolled out. Upstairs standard rooms are compact but comfortable, with good beds and big screens. Downstairs king-size-bedded rooms open to the garden.

The bar has a fine selection of malts, while food covers a few pub classics along with a short menu of tasty meat and fish dishes.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Southern Highlands & Islands attractions

1. Bonawe Iron Furnace

2.27 MILES

Bonawe Iron Furnace is one of the region’s most unusual historical sights. Near Taynuilt (not Bonawe), and dating from 1753, it was built by an iron…

2. Cruachan Power Station

3.07 MILES

In the Pass of Brander, by the A85, you can visit this power station. Electric buses take you more than half a mile inside Ben Cruachan, allowing you to…

3. Kilchurn Castle

6.15 MILES

At the northern end of Loch Awe are the scenic ruins of the strategically situated and much-photographed Kilchurn Castle. Built in 1440, it enjoys one of…

4. Falls of Lora

8.33 MILES

At Connel Bridge, 5 miles north of Oban, the loch joins the sea via a narrow channel partly blocked by an underwater rock ledge. When the tide flows in…

5. Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary

9.35 MILES

Located 10 miles north of Oban on the shores of Loch Creran, Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary provides a haven for orphaned seal pups. As well as seal pools,…

6. Dunstaffnage Castle

10 MILES

Dunstaffnage, 2 miles west of Connel, looks like a child’s drawing of what a castle should be – square and massive, with towers at the corners, and…

7. McCaig’s Tower

10.84 MILES

Crowning the hill above town is this Colosseum-like Victorian folly, commissioned in 1890 by local worthy John Stuart McCaig, with the philanthropic…

8. Oban Distillery

10.96 MILES

This handsome distillery has been in operation since 1794. The standard guided tour leaves regularly (worth booking) and includes a dram, a take-home…