There can be few greater contrasts to downtown Hong Kong than the Scottish Highlands. For red taxis read fishing boats; crofters' cottages replace highrises; and 98 per cent humidity, black rainstorms and air pollution are unheard of. Nowhere is the contrast more sharply drawn than the Knoydart Peninsula, an area remote even by Scottish standards. The region, 90 minutes' drive northwest of Fort William, nestles between Loch Nevis and Loch Hourn (meaning the lochs of heaven and hell) and is traditionally known as the Rough Bounds. It covers 220 sqkm, has a population of about 200 and has been called the last true wilderness in Britain. As befits such a place, access to Knoydart is not straightforward. The most common approach is from Fort William to Mallaig along the Road to the Isles. Another is on the romantic West Highland steam train, which crosses the 35-metre-high Glenfinnan Viaduct. It also passes the monument at the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie unfurled his standard and began his anti-English rebellion in 1745. Finally it heads to the sea by skirting Loch Morar (supposedly home to a monster that's been upstaged by its cousin in Loch Ness), which at 309 metres is Britain's deepest lake. From the fishing town of Mallaig, mail boat MV Westerner sails into Loch Nevis and on to Knoydart's main settlement, the village of Inverie, a thin line of whitewashed stone buildings clinging to the water's edge. We enter the Rough Bounds from the road at Kinlochhourn, shoulder our packs and begin the rough, 20km hike alongside Loch Hourn to the hamlet of Barisdale, views of the rugged Knoydart improving with every step. An otter swims in the clear, cold waters of the loch and in the distance dolphins leap on their way out to the Sound of Sleat. Like much of the Highlands, Knoydart has a history of tragedy and displacement. In the mid-19th century, the MacDonnell clan forcibly cleared the area of crofters and turned the mountains and glens over to sheep and deer. This forced emigration has left a legacy of solitude, beauty and unspoiled nature that has been faithfully preserved and enhanced by the Knoydart Foundation and John Muir Trust. While conserving the wilderness, they have not neglected the stone buildings and rugged appeal of the two small villages on the peninsula. Barisdale is perched at the head of Loch Hourn, with panoramic views to mountains and across the sea to the Isle of Skye. The village offers limited accommodation and we choose to settle into the local 'bothy' - after posting the fee of #3 ($42) in the honesty box at the front door. Bothies are a Scottish institution: simple, unlocked shelters maintained by the charitable Mountain Bothies Trust. Barisdale's bothy is an old crofters' cottage with bunk beds, toilets and a kitchen. Those who enjoy luxury should give it a miss, but bothies offer sociable and comfortable accommodation in wilderness areas across Scotland; guests can cook whatever food they have carried and exchange stories of highland adventure in front of a peat fire. Visitors who require more in the way of home comforts should continue over Mam Barisdale and down to Inverie, where bunkhouse, cottage and guesthouse accommodation awaits. The village's best attraction is the Old Forge pub. Classed by Guinness World Records as the most remote pub in mainland Britain, it is an unexpected delight. Its award-winning real ales, such as Hebridean Gold, Heather Ale and Fraoch would taste good anywhere, but at a table by a small pier jutting into a loch framed by mountains, they may just be the most tasty beers ever supped. Then there is the food - mostly seafood freshly caught in Scottish waters. A menu featuring langoustine, mussels, lobster, hake, haddock, scallops, salmon, Knoydart venison, home-made stews, organic malt bread and Scottish cheese would be memorable in any pub, but so far from roads, shops and towns it is remarkable. And if all that weren't enough, the pub boasts a collection of fiddles, guitars, pennywhistles, mouth organs and spoons for customers to make music with. The result is a hugely energetic and surprisingly tuneful concert and impromptu ceilidh in the Old Forge every night - though the enthusiastic sing-along owes more to the Hebridean ale than to any musical prowess. A Scottish breakfast with black pudding and neeps (turnips) provides both hangover cure and sustenance for the real challenge of Knoydart the next day. Within the Rough Bounds are four munros (mountains higher than 900 metres), the most famous and majestic of which is Ladhar Bheinn, meaning 'forked mountain', at 1,020 metres above sea level. The peak is the westernmost on the British mainland and enjoys unparalleled views to the Hebridean isles of Skye, Eigg and Rhum, and inland to the Lochaber hills and Ben Nevis. The mountain is not an easy prize and the ascent is steep (think Tai Mo Shan without paths) but the rewards are immense and, like the best peaks, it does not reveal its airy crest until the last moment. There is a feeling of solitude and space on the summit, and it is easy to understand why many Scottish mountain enthusiasts have stood here and pronounced Ladhar Bheinn the most beautiful mountain in Britain. The only sign of life visible from the summit is likely to be a herd of deer on the slopes below, a golden eagle floating on thermals rising from the glen 1,000 metres down or a distant fishing boat tracing a delicate arc on Loch Hourn. The descent to Inverie is long and tough on the knees but we find time for one more pint before catching the mail boat to Mallaig. It is a small town but the bustle of the harbour, shrieks of the seagulls and vibrant colours of the fishing boats are an assault on the senses after days of silence. In Mallaig, we realise, areas like Knoydart create a sense of wellbeing and peace in a way only exceptional places can. Getting there: British Airways ( www.ba.com ) flies from Hong Kong to Glasgow via London. The Old Forge pub has a website at www.theoldforge.co.uk . It has no rooms for rent but the proprietors can advise on accommodation in Inverie.