The Kenmore Hotel, Kenmore 1973

Standing proudly at the eastern edge of Loch Tay, where the River Tay begins its journey eastward, the Kenmore Hotel holds the honour of being Scotland’s oldest inn, with roots stretching back to 1572. Rich in history and nestled in one of the Highlands’ most scenic locations, this hotel has welcomed guests for over four centuries.

The hotel was originally commissioned by Sir Colin Campbell, Laird of Glenorchy, and was constructed on the site of an earlier hostelry. The village of Kenmore itself was later formalised in the 18th century as a model village by the Earls of Breadalbane, and the inn quickly became a focal point of this peaceful Highland settlement. Its whitewashed walls, low ceilings, and exposed timber beams evoke the rustic charm of earlier centuries.

One of the hotel’s most treasured features is its connection to Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet. During a visit in 1787, Burns penned a short verse directly onto the plaster above the fireplace in what is now the Poet’s Bar—a unique and carefully preserved piece of literary history that continues to attract visitors from around the world.

The Kenmore Hotel also boasts fine views of the surrounding Perthshire countryside, with the Taymouth Castle estate nearby and the wooded hills rising steeply on either side of the loch. In recent years, the hotel featured 39 guest rooms, a cosy lounge with a log fire, and two well-loved bars: the historic Poet’s Bar and the riverside Boar’s Head Bar, the latter offering a terrace overlooking the water.