Like many of you, I’ve been feeling stuck during this pandemic. Our trip to Peru at the end of April 2020 was cancelled. It looks like our Canadian Maritimes trip this spring won’t happen either. Long weekends away to Austin or New Orleans or a longer trip to Hawaii beckon, but many restaurants and sites are not open.
Eager for a road trip, my husband and I booked the Hiker’s Getaway package at Glenlaurel Inn, “America’s only luxurious Scottish Country Estate and Inn,” in Ohio’s Hocking Hills region. The package included accommodations for two nights, a six-course dinner on Friday night, a special seven-course meal on Saturday, two three-course breakfasts, a picnic lunch for two, and two hiking sticks. Hocking Hills is in the rocky Appalachian foothills, a short drive from Columbus, and is home to Hocking Hills State Park and several nature preserves. We love being outside.
On Route 33, we stopped at the visitor’s center, which has pioneer gardens and meadows good for birdwatching, and the Pencil Sharpener Museum! Who knew? Inside the tiny building adjacent to the gardens, glass cases showed off thousands of pencil sharpeners — military vehicles, cars, planes, busts of presidents, city buildings, bridges, animals. The walls above the displays were filled with newspaper clippings about the minister who collected the sharpeners. It was worth a linger.
Inside the visitor’s center, the staff was helpful. We were intrigued that one newer bypass was created to keep endangered snakes from getting killed by cars— the road was built above their trails. We picked up brochures, maps and a Hocking Hills guide that went far beyond the park, which was smart because the internet was spotty.
We drove half an hour or so to Old Man’s Cave and walked the one-way trail. We joked that the big carved-out space where the waterfall flowed over the black sandstone and people stopped to take pictures was not very cave-like. But it turns out that wasn’t the cave — it was one of those hollowed-out structures in the soft middle layer of the rock cliffs where hermit Richard Rowe, an “old man,” lived in the late 1700s. The walking was tricky, and sometimes we had to step stones across water or gingerly navigate narrow passageways, ascending and descending the rocky turf. It was a good hike, and it took up most of our afternoon.
We drove through the countryside where small houses and beautiful farms lined winding roads. The lane to the inn was long and narrow, allowing for an advance sighting of the Glenlaurel manor house. Michael Daniels, the original owner, wanted to honor his Scottish heritage by re-creating Laird Ceymus MacTavish’s Scottish Estate. Glenlaurel takes its name from the Scottish usage of the word “glen,” which means a secluded narrow valley, and “laurel,” an evergreen found in abundance on the estate. In 1994, the Manor and Carriage House opened, and soon after, the farmhouse crofts were built. More crofts and some cottages were completed in 2001. The property is now owned by three Columbus business partners, one of whom lives on the property.
We chose to stay in the Manor House. The front door opens to the charming and authentic-feeling living and dining rooms. Although the lighting is appropriately dim (what I think a Scottish estate might feel like), the rooms are homey and warmed by fireplaces. The place seems older than it is, a tribute to Daniels’ vision.
“It feels like Scotland,” Paul said, as we walked down the first-floor corridor to our room adjacent to and hidden by the kitchen (and we’ve been there). Inside, we found a medium-sized room full of character and décor that could be Scottish — the carved plaques of white-bearded men hanging below the mantel seem to convey the rugged old country. We had a gas fireplace, a small kitchen area with microwave and refrigerator, coffeemaker, cutlery and dishes, a jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, a comfortable queen-sized bed, a sitting area with a television without cable, and a small dinette.
After we changed into business casual clothing, we walked down the hall and down the stairs to the pub, which hosts a social hour from 6-7pm every night. Life during the pandemic felt like it was becoming more normal when we sat down at the bar and ordered Manhattans. And we were social — on one side was a young couple from Nebraska who now live in Chagrin Falls and on the other side sat a couple who has been to Glenlaurel 27 times. The inn has a wedding anniversary discount, but the couple travels to the inn for additional getaways.
We were called to dinner at 7pm by executive chef Jean-Michel “JM” Matos, who met us at the door and made sure we were seated. The two-hour culinary adventure takes time, but we wanted to experience elegant food in candlelight. We were sorry the bagpiper in full kilt dress was not piping guests to dinner during COVID, but we did hear a Scottish poem and the large windows provided ample opportunity to see the outdoors. On Friday evening, the mussel soup was wonderful, and so were the haddock and filet mignon; JM came into the dining room to talk with us about romance and marriage and got some audience participation, like a true host.
On Saturday, we had rack of lamb — two delicate bones with meat in the crevices that was cooked well, fragranced with herbs, a sauce of berries, with a potato puree decorated by green beans. Again, the soup was excellent — a smoky tomato with a grilled cheese crouton that I dismantled to find out that it really was a little grilled cheese sandwich. The other appetizer was a scallop with an overlay of crusty cheese, Paul’s favorite of the evening.
The Camusfearna Gorge, which was right off our balcony, is home to birds, squirrels and deer (and an occasional gnome), and the geological features are the same as the state park — hilly and broken by deep ravines and steep precipices. The heavily wooded trails feature rock cliffs and waterfalls along the Camusfearna Gorge Trail, the Highland Scott’s Trail, and Thistle Bluff Walk. The trails traverse a landscape of 50 to 100-foot rock cliffs, caverns, creeks and waterfalls.
As we walked the trails on Saturday morning, we spotted gnomes hiding out next to tree roots and in tree nooks, and read the poem set in stones placed side by side on the ground near the end of the trail. Several times we saw and chatted with couples we recognized from dinner the night before. The trail was sometimes hard to find because of the leaves and tree roots, but we prevailed and found a path that led up to the cottages and crofts.
Our lunch was delivered while we were relaxing on the balcony. With our new walking sticks and our picnic lunch, we got in our car and drove through small Appalachian towns, past homesteads with rusted-out vehicles leaning into the hillsides, sad-looking cemeteries laid out in fields, and old farmhouses whose barns were decaying towards the ground.
We were on our way to Conkles Hollow. The hollow is in a gorge, and the sand rock walls get taller and closer the further you walk. It was a cement-paved walkway, and we were surrounded by hemlock trees and bare deciduous trees during the month of March, lots of sandstone, fallen boulders, and bewildering rock formations. Water trickled from the ceilings and small waterfalls flowed over cliffsides. After our walk, we were hungry for Glenlaurel’s picnic lunch of pesto chicken salad, fruit, chocolate chip cookie, and chips, and glad for the bottled water.
It was after three when we were back at Glenlaurel, but we had time to walk on the other side of the gorge, which was much more interesting. We found that at the end of the trail we could walk right down to the water. Again, we encountered other couples we knew from the inn. Back in our room, we were sweaty, tired, and 15,000 steps stronger, and we took off our shoes and sipped scotch on our balcony. It was 70 degrees and felt like summer, so it was hard to pull away to fill up the jacuzzi tub with water and L’occitane bath wash and sit with our backs and feet against the jets.
Breakfast is a three-course deal. The golden raisin-pecan scones were shortbread-like and were followed both days by porridge seasoned with anise and brown sugar. We had a choice of French toast or an egg dish (like spinach-cheese frittata) each day, each served with Canadian bacon and a yogurt parfait.
At the firepit on Saturday evening, we spotted constellations and planets in the dark sky. Another couple joined us, and we had an easy conversation about how life has changed during the pandemic. The pandemic has taught us much about patience and living in the moment and letting go of expectations. But like us, they were ready to travel again. When we got home, we booked a grip to Wyoming and Montana National Parks, but we will return to Hocking Hills to hone our hiking skills.
Claudia Taller is a northeast Ohio-based writer with a special interest in travel, food and wine. Check out her work at claudiajtaller.com.
One Response to “Balm for the Travel-Starved: A Getaway to Hocking Hills by Claudia Taller”
Cecelia Price
Sounds like a great little getaway!