About Us
Set in the historic harbour village of Lybster on Scotland’s North Coast 500, The Portland Hotel offers a warm and comfortable base for discovering Caithness and the far north. The hotel has 24 individually styled en-suite rooms, locally sourced dining, a welcoming bar, a spacious Guest Lounge and one of the region’s largest collections of Scotch whisky and Scottish gin. Wick, John o’ Groats and the ferry routes to Orkney are all within easy reach, while the dramatic coastline, castles and ancient landmarks of Caithness begin just beyond our doors. We also host weddings, celebrations and special events, with discounted rates available for large groups and corporate bookings.
The Portland Hotel Through History
The Portland has stood at Quatre Bras since the height of Lybster’s nineteenth-century fishing era. Its main building dates to 1851, when the village was growing around one of Scotland’s busiest herring harbours, and an Ordnance Survey map from 1872 already records it as the Portland Arms Hotel. For generations, it served travellers arriving by road, local families gathering for meals and celebrations, and visitors drawn north by the coast and countryside. More than 170 years later, the building remains one of Lybster’s most familiar landmarks and a lasting part of village life.
The hotel also holds quieter stories from Caithness’s past. During the Second World War, James Mowat of the Portland Arms returned home in 1941 after being reported missing in action for more than a year, having finally reached what he called “the Old Portland Arms” following a remarkable journey through occupied France and Spain. Decades later, the hotel became part of another chapter in local history when The Crown filmed in Lybster in 2019, using the Portland Arms as the cast’s make-up and costume-change base. These moments form part of the hotel’s small but meaningful footprint in the Highlands, where generations of guests and local residents have passed through its doors.
— Ruth D.“The welcome, rooms, staff, food all excellent—cannot fault it. Everything was wonderful. We had a starter and main meal in the evening which was good value for money. Bedroom and bathroom were spotlessly clean and well equipped. Good choice at breakfast. Will definitely stay here again. 5/5”
