Accommodation

The paragraphs below give a good idea about accommodation offered in this shore-side cottage.

The images at the foot of the page show some more of the details in the cottage.  Do also take a look at the Gallery page where you will get some idea about the cottage's location.

Taobh na Dachaidh (pronounced Tiv or Tayv na Dakkie) offers beautiful self-catering holiday accommodation comprising kitchen / dining room, sitting room, three bedrooms (two doubles and one twin) and a bathroom. One of the double bedrooms is downstairs as is the bathroom.

The garden is largely grassed and surrounds the cottage.  A gate from the garden leads straight on to the beach.  The views from the garden and beach look out across the loch with the Cuillin mountains of Skye on the horizon.  Slightly closer and to the left, Plockton can be seen and to the right, the Applecross mountains and the Bealach na Bà complete the picture.  

The setting offers complete tranquillity when often bird-song is the only sound you can hear with seals regularly and otters and porpoises occasionally swimming past.  On a clear night the Milky Way and millions of stars are easily seen.

We do allow just one dog due to the cosy size of the cottage and we do ask that you bring your dog's own bedding so that it is familiar with where it can sleep..

Ardaneaskan is a small hamlet of around two dozen houses, with a mixture of permanent residents and holiday homes.  The cottage is a real 'home from home' - warm, cosy and full of character.  There is plenty of parking in the car park just a few paces walk from the cottage.  Please note that access is made by walking down a gravel and grass track of around 50 metres distance.  Taobh na Dachaidh is a no-smoking cottage. 

Renovated a few season's ago, the cottage boasts a simple but fully serviced kitchen and dining room, a sitting room and three bedrooms.

Heating is provided by storage heaters in the kitchen, sitting room and bathroom and by a panel heater in the downstairs bedroom.  Warmth from downstairs easily keeps the upstairs bedrooms warm as the heat rises up the central staircase.  With the insulation that was installed during the renovation process, there should not be much need for too much heating, though it is there for when things do get cold, as they sometimes do in Scottish Highland winters!  And to add to the cosiness within the cottage, the sitting room has an open fireplace which guests are welcome to use (firelighters, kindling and coal can be purchased from the garage in Lochcarron).

Electricity is included in the rental price.

The sections below give more details about the accommodation in the cottage and the images at the bottom of the page further illustrate the excellent facilities.

The sitting room has sofas and chairs giving plenty of room to curl up, read a book, surf the internet, watch TV or just quietly relax. The window has a great view of the Craig (a craggy cliff) and the loch.

There is a TV with freeview and DVD player and Wifi is provided via a security enabled Wifi link (the password is available on your arrival). 

The fireplace is a lovely feature of this room, especially when the fire is lit (see the gallery of pictures below).  There is also a bookshelf with a selection of paperback novels and hardback reference books.  See the notes about the books in the Kitchen section for more information.

If you like to play games, then a collection of family board and card games are included to help provide some good get-together entertainment (they are stored in the shelving unit at the top of the stairs).

The kitchen offers all that you'd need and is a comfortable space to cook in with all the necessary things for you to prepare your favourite holiday meals.  There is a cooker, fridge (with small freezer compartment), kettle, toaster, microwave and all the appropriate cupboard stuff (cutlery, crockery, glasses, utensils, pans, food mixer and so on).  There is also a washing machine.

The kitchen features a beech worktop, saucepan rack, cupboard doors made from recycled floorboards (saved when some of the original floor in the cottage was taken up) and low-energy spotlights.  The dining area has a table that can comfortably seat six people.

There is also a bookshelf with a good choice of books - some perhaps just for browsing (covering art, cooking, general information and others), some for finding out about the local area and some for just a good read. 

The double bedroom has a comfortable double bed with duvet, and is equipped with a wardrobe, long mirror, a bedside table and lamp.  The room has two windows, both of which look out to the sea.  The mountains of Skye - the Cuillins - can be seen on the horizon and the beach can be seen in the foreground.

Bed linen and towels are provided for all guests at no extra charge.

Set in the sloping roof of the upstairs, this double bedroom has a cosy traditional shape and feel with a comfortable 'Scottish' (four foot) double bed with duvet.
 

The room has a wardrobe, bedside tables and a skylight that looks out towards the Craig - the mountain ridge along the left hand side of the loch.

Also set in the sloping roof of the upstairs, this twin bedroom too has a cosy traditional shape and feel with comfortable single beds with duvets.  

The room has a wardrobe, a bedside table and lamp, a long mirror and a skylight that looks out towards the Craig - the mountain ridge along the left hand side of the loch.

The lobby is the best place to leave your coats and boots - especially if they are wet or muddy.

The bathroom features an enamelled cast iron bath with an overhead or wall mounted shower as well as the expected loo and basin.  With ceramic tiling and traditional painted wood V-grooving, this bathroom is a stylish and functional room.

There is a mirror and shelf for your toothbrushes, a shaver point, a first-aid kit with basic essentials.  

Sets of towels are provided for all guests.

The grassed garden, wrapping right round the cottage, provides a space to sit quietly, eat a romantic al-fresco meal, catch some sun, read, admire the views, watch the sunset, spot the seals or simply to contemplate things.  Alternatively you could play small garden games such as swingball (which is to be found in the cottage lobby).

At one end of the garden, through the gate a short path leads on to the beach.  We would wish you to be aware that small children would need supervision in the garden as there are low walls and open access to the rocks.  

The beach is pebbled and slopes gently to the sea.  It is a great place to wander around, spend time searching for treasures or just admiring the different colours in the stones. The beach is secluded and you are likely to have it to yourself for much of the time.

Click here to read a brief history of the cottage.

Click here to see some photographs of the cottage renovation works, as undertaken by Helen and Kevin.  In the cottage there is a book that contains many more photos of the renovations - there is a link to where you can buy a copy of this book on this page.