Five-star fishing: the best UK retreats
And it turns out you don't even have to venture off the island. British rivers and lakes are full of eligible fish to catch. 'There's variety to suit every angler in the UK — from wild trout in upland streams or hill lochs, to big pike in still waters, or bass along our stunning coastlines,' says Peter Devery from Angling Trust. What's more? Luxury venues around England, Scotland and Wales not only have beautiful accommodation to rest your weary head after a day of wooing trout, but also boast miles of riverbanks available exclusively for hotel guests. You can roll out of bed and on to the beat with these eight fancy fishing venues.
Scotland is a fisherman's paradise. Salmon and trout famously abound in Scottish rivers. And if you want to experience this beautiful country properly you must stay in a castle. Gordon Castle, in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, was built in the 1770s by the Duke of Gordon and has the River Spey flowing through the middle of the grounds. Fortunately the castle has received a modern-day internal renovation since then. Now old-school, 18th-century charm blends seamlessly with 21st-century living (wi-fi and all). With ten lavish bedrooms and all the classic Cluedo board hotspots (including a billiard room), this luxury accommodation is available for exclusive hire and comes fully staffed and catered for by the resident chef, who serves locally sourced cuisine. The castle's four beats (of six rods each) are spread over five miles of double-bank fishing and there is a ghillie at each beat to lend a helping hand. Oh, and there's no fear of getting hungry on this fishing trip — the chef will have packed you a lovely picnic lunch. Details Per night for up to 18 guests it is £6,400 plus VAT, gordoncastle.co.uk
You might not think that standing knee deep in a far-from-toasty river while sporting waders screams luxury. Well, let me tell you, my lord, that's where you are mistaken. For Candacraig House on the River Don — on which the royal family themselves can be found fishing when at Balmoral — offers the swankiest of services. There is a private chef, concierge, butler and front-of-house staff. This exclusive-use venue sleeps up to 20 guests, has a grand dining room, elegant drawing room and a whisky library. The Don runs through the grounds, meaning there is not only a private lochan and 18 acres of woodland as well as manicured gardens, but also a private stretch of river to cast your flies and catch the famous Scottish salmon.Details Prices and availability at celticcastles.com
If you fancy fly fishing with a pro while staying in a grade II* listed castle and dining at a Michelin Guide Chef's Table, then Swinton Estate is the place for you. With over 20,000 acres of land, the estate has not one but two rivers flowing through it. Four miles of single-bank fishing is available on the River Ure, with six miles of double-bank fishing on the River Burn. There are salmon, brown trout and grayling all up for grabs. Marina Gibson, a professional angler and certified Fly Fishing International instructor, is the resident coach at the Northern Fishing School at Swinton Estate and offers lessons at all levels. Swinton Estate has the Park Hotel as well as private cottages and even glamping options. There is also a multitude of swanky restaurants and cafés to try as well as a wellness hub with indoor and outdoor spas. Details Hotel rooms from £248 per night; prices for the private cottages vary, swintonestate.com
Ideally located for anglers and amblers alike, this 16th-century former coaching inn overlooks the vast open countryside, with the River Hodder shimmering below. Award-winning food is locally sourced and accompanied by wines curated by the on-site vintner. The rooms are sumptuous and many have views of the river located just a stone's throw away — so close that it would be rude not to make the most of the private fishing. Boasting four rods across seven miles of river containing 14 pools and many an interesting run, this resident-only angling experience will not disappoint. Brown trout, sea trout, salmon and grayling will be awaiting your arrival (along with the ghillie, if you wish). Details Prices and availability at innatwhitewell.com
While the beauty of Wales is undeniable — rolling hills, sparkling lakes and nature galore — luxury hotels with private fishing are few and far between. Enter the Lake Country House hotel. It was constructed in the 1840s as a luxury shooting and fishing lodge, and three and a half miles of River Irfon is available for hotel guests' private enjoyment. If that doesn't sound enough, there is also a four-acre trout lake, stocked with brown and rainbow trout (and the odd lost wild grayling). The front of house are on hand for nifty tips to enhance your catching chances — including a comprehensive list of the best flies to use in each season. To top off the stay, the hotel has opulent suites and the fine-dining restaurant utilises the best local produce to replenish you post-fishing. Details Prices and availability at lakecountryhouse.co.uk
Situated on the border between Devon and Cornwall, the Endsleigh hotel has a magical setting. In fact it was the Duke of Bedford who selected this exact spot (choosing from the one third of Devon that he owned at the time) to build a home. There are 21 bedrooms, the original panelled dining room and two large drawing rooms that blend a home-away-from-home vibe with a grand aesthetic. The great outdoors is even more impressive. There are 108 acres of formal gardens, with follies and woodlands — and the River Tamar sketching a line through the centre. If you forget appropriate footwear, fret not, there is a boot room full of wellies for guests to wear while the head gardener gives you the grand garden tour. The hotel is a proud member of Endsleigh Fishing Club, which has six beats spread across eight miles of riverbank, so guests can fly fish for sea trout, brown trout, grayling and even salmon (with a ghillie for guidance if you need). Details Rooms at Endsleigh from £280 B&B, thepolizzicollection.com
If you were to picture a quintessential Scottish setting, I reckon your imagination would conjure something eerily close to Roxburghe Estates. The approximately 52,000 acres, made up of immaculately manicured gardens, forests, lawns and the River Tweed, are nature's buffet for the eyes. Floors Castle, the oldest inhabited house in Scotland, is the beating heart of the estate. Sadly the castle itself is a family home, so while you can visit to your heart's content, a stay is off the cards. Fortunately the estate has a multitude of holiday homes within the grounds. The Head Gardener's House is a beautiful doll-house-for-grown-ups version of the castle — with a walled garden, elegant drawing room and two bedrooms. You may not be surprised to hear that it was traditionally the home of the head gardener. And it was in 2017 that the current interior design alterations were complete — courtesy of the 10th Duchess of Roxburghe. Two beats (of four rods each) that the estate calls the Upper Floors and Lower Floors have one and a half miles of river each. The Upper Floor possesses 17 pools, giving bank, boat and wading opportunities as well as a traditional stone fishing hut with a log fire. The Lower Floors have double-bank fishing along with nine pools and a large fishing hut with a wood-burning stove. Details This self-catering accommodation is let for a minimum of three nights during the off season and seven nights during the peak season. Rates vary from about £950 per week to £2,145 per week in high season, floorscastle.com
Scotland has no shortage of luxury accommodation to match the fantastic fishing. Gleneagles is one of the best-known swanky sports establishments in the UK. Anglers can cast a line in Gleneagle's loch to land a brown trout or reel in Scottish salmon on the River Tay that runs through the grounds. And you don't have to do it alone, with expert instruction from professional guides, beginners can learn the ropes or avid anglers can finesse their fine fishing skills. Then you can flop down on to bed in your lavish bedroom. Each room has been individually designed and inspired by the nature that surrounds it. But before you conk out for the night, you may want to check out one of the many luxury restaurants — from Michelin-starred to casual dining. Details Low-season rates start from £395 B&B, with mid-season rates from £600, B&B, based on two sharing and including breakfast, gleneagles.com
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I meet up with them on Unstad beach, at the north-western corner of Vestvågøy, one of the best places on the islands to catch the midnight sun, thanks to its unobstructed views across the bay. Even at 23:00, surfers cheer each another on from the waves. Families enjoy snacks on the rocks while children shriek in the shallows as they splash in the frigid, single-digit Arctic waters. Mountains hover on either side of us, framed by a sky a few shades paler than the sea. "When I used to travel abroad and said I was from Lofoten, people looked blank," says Haugen, as we stroll the beach. "Now they've seen pictures online and can't believe this is my everyday view." "That's part of the problem," adds Berg. "This is our home – not just a backdrop for a Facebook selfie. When people litter or block roads, it's so frustrating". Many residents I speak with share this frustration. They're not just bothered by the number of visitors, but by their behaviour. I see many examples of this during my week on Lofoten. RVs creep along narrow fjordside roads to snap a photo, oblivious to the traffic building behind them. At 20:00, the car park hike up the vertiginous Reinebringen mountain resembles a suburban shopping centre on Black Friday, jarring with the peaceful surroundings. Groups of eager tourists spill out, eager to tackle the 1,978 steps that separate them from the vertiginous panorama at the summit. Some locals have had enough. In a recent radio interview, Flakstad mayor Einar Benjaminson warned of shifting sentiment: "Ten years ago, maybe 2% of our residents didn't want tourism. Now it's more like 25%." A tale of two villages As in many tourist hotspots, Lofoten residents are also frustrated that an increasing number of homes are being bought by wealthy outsiders. Some are purchased as seasonal getaways or turned into short-term accommodation, hollowing out villages in winter; in other areas whole settlements have been turned into sleek resorts. Nusfjord, on Lofoten's southern coast, illustrates this shift. The historic fishing village is postcard-perfect, with red and ochre warehouses perched on a narrow isthmus facing the sea, appearing frozen in time on its 19th-Century foundations. The permanent population? 22. The number of annual tourists? 90,000. After the village's fishing industry migrated to more populated areas, Nusfjord's centre became a Unesco World Heritage site, combining tourist accommodation and "a living museum where you can touch, feel and breathe the history of coastal Norway," according to local historian Ingrid Larsen. It remains an utterly charming stop: the museum, set in a former cod liver factory, offers insights into the village's fishing legacy; the restored general store serves excellent cinnamon buns; and the boardwalk, backed by a rippled grey ridgeline, is undeniably scenic. Erling Hansen, a tour guide, understands the locals' concern but is pragmatic: "Without tourism, there probably would be no village in Nusfjord anymore." Later that day in Henningsvær – 80km and several peninsulas away from Nusfjord – the contrast is stark. Even at 22:00, the village hums with life as locals revel in the extended daylight. Teenagers swarm towards the floodlit football pitch, improbably perched on a rocky outcrop. Two neighbours paint their front doors – one white, one blue – gesturing mid-conversation with dripping brushes. At the harbour, tools clank as fishermen check their nets. "The fish bite better at midnight," one says with a grin. Tourism supports 19% of local jobs on the islands. Around-the-clock fishing trips offer visitors a taste of tradition – and locals a new income stream. The message is clear: guests are welcome, but as Hansen says, "We're not some Arctic Disneyworld". A new strategy Earlier this year, the Norwegian government gave councils in high-tourism areas the right to introduce a visitor tax. Lofoten plans to roll it out in 2026. The revenue will help fund overstretched infrastructure, from extra parking to trail signage urging hikers to stick to the path – in case the dizzying drop-offs weren't clear enough. Mayor Benjaminson welcomes the budgetary relief. "We no longer need to choose between renovating a school or cleaning up after tourists," he says dryly. It's part of a broader, gently persuasive strategy. Local tourism campaigns feature locals – including schoolchildren – asking visitors to drive responsibly, take their rubbish home and avoid disturbing local wildlife when hiking. Officials also hope to promote Lofoten year-round, easing the summer surge and preventing areas becoming ghost towns when the light fades. Back at Unstad, the light softens to amber as I walk along the shore with Haugen and Berg. A lone surfer rides a gilded wave while multiple families are trying – and failing – to convince their children that constant daylight doesn't cancel bedtime. "It's hard," says Berg. "We want people to love Lofoten – just not so much that it stops being Lofoten." She has captured the dilemma. Tourism funds heritage projects that might otherwise vanish, but the endless days – and the crowds they bring – stretch local patience and infrastructure. And still, Lofoten captivates. Peaks catch fire as the sun stretches over the sea, quietly inviting us to linger. Amid this serene beauty are homes, schools and businesses. Locals are learning how to share the magic without losing it. They hope visitors will do more than admire the view – that they'll tread lightly, listen closely and help protect what attracted them in the first place. -- For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
