It will touch your soul, calm your mind and renew your faith in the beauty of the earth: a small part of paradise only two hours’ drive from the central belt. Unspoilt Loch Awe, a secret world of big skies, magical mountains and deep valleys, is the perfect historical setting to help nourish the brain and renew the spirit.

The adjustment is gradual. Beyond the soft land of Callander, up past Lochearnhead, through Crianlarich and left at Tyndrum leads to an intriguing approach down Glen Lochy alongside the toy railway that clings to the mountainside, then on to the northern tip of the loch and the first sight of the deep water in the shadow of mighty Ben Cruachan.

Our destination is the other side of the narrow water, but the long way round is obligatory: further along the A85 towards Oban, through the sulking Pass of Brander, past the remarkable but inconspicuous hydroelectric power station, and turn left at Taynuilt. Expectation is everything. Now the adjustment is sudden.

Six long, narrow, twisty miles down Glen Nant, it dawns on me that we are all alone. No other cars, no noise. No people. Only stillness and shattering solitude, inspirational to me, threatening to others. The dwellings of Kilchrenan stand alone in the middle of nowhere, a signpost to an even lonelier track to the isolated luxury of Ardanaiseig hotel. We are here for a two-night stay in the splendour of the listed 16-bedroom lodgings. Built in 1834 in Scottish baronial style and set in 200 acres of woodland on the edge of Loch Awe, it’s not hard to understand why the world-weary will pay handsomely for the privilege of a hidden corner of Argyll.

This is no modern chain hotel in a tourist trap. Daylight brings a breathtaking view across the loch to Inishail and Innis Chonain with the 16th-century Kilchurn Castle, once a Campbell stronghold, now accessible by boat, tucked around the corner.

Under the watchful eye of Ben Cruachan, Bennie Gray’s hotel complements its magnificent natural surroundings, offering seclusion and splendour with exquisite cuisine and themed bedrooms. Take your choice of four-poster beds or distinctive designs, opulent or plain, period or contemporary, and all with views to die for.

For me, the homely Victorian country house was eclipsed by its setting. Expansive grounds — open to the public — run down to the shore, and its gardens, once regarded as one of the wonders of Argyll, are slowly being restored.

A tree guide — in case you cannot distinguish Monterey cypress from swamp cypress; western red cedar from Japanese red cedar — is educational as you track back from the jetty through jungle trails and crystal-clear streams, past banks of rhododendrons and azaleas, the air filling briefly with the intoxicating smell of a distant bonfire, to the once-magnificent walled garden. And therein lies the secret of this restful part of a restless nation: unspoilt natural beauty for those who dare to stray from the well-trodden path.

We spent an unforgettable afternoon further down the western shore of Loch Awe, wandering forest trails around Dalavich and stumbling upon waterfalls, only to be drawn back to the water’s edge where we gazed upon an epic landscape: the mountainside glowed copper then burnt red as sunset struck the bracken.

We scarcely encountered another human in this restriction- free wilderness. A herd of cows had delayed our progress, reluctantly moving off the road only after they had given us the once-over, and a white horse in a field had demanded attention. Otherwise, nothing. No contact with living things, no need for explanations.

“Where do you go to?” I asked the boatman who had come out of his back door and was now striding through a back yard of bare ground, ducks, geese, two dogs and a cat.

“Where do you want to go?” he replied. “Just tell me and I’ll take you there. If it’s over the way, well, there’s more mountains under the water’s surface, but I know roughly where they are and I could take a bigger boat across. It’s just you’d need somebody to meet you because there’s no road when you get there.”

In fading light we declined his offer, but I’d gladly go back. While others may choose only to stop over before heading for Oban, Iona or Coll, or perhaps to seek out castles, whisky or wildlife, it is the call of the mountains, an urge to sail the 24- mile loch or just potter around by the shore that appeals to me. On the way back, we passed a sign for Newyork (sic). No greater contrast could be imagined, but there is no doubt which part of the world is the richer.

Details: Ardanaiseig hotel, Kilchrenan by Taynuilt, Argyll (01866 833333, www.ardanaiseig.com). Double rooms start at £85 per night

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