Arrowdale

Gairloch, Highland
Self-catering
+44 (0)7762 793644
Visit owner's website

From
£225 - £280
per night
From
£1750 - £2250
per week

A delightful harled stone and wood house yards from the sea with glorious hills behind, for walkers, dreamers, nature lovers and adventurers

Bed

5 beds

Bedroom

3 bedrooms

Sleeps

Sleeps 6

Children welcome
Pets welcome
Babies welcome

£225 - £280 per night

£1750 - £2250 per week

The Experience

Inside is lovely, light and warm. Timber lined walls are painted in a soft colour, there’s a big window seat for gazing towards the water, books in every room, an easy chair with a reading light by the window and a super utility room with a pulley dryer for wet gear. Downstairs is warmed by underfloor heating from an air source heat pump and there’s a wood fire to cheer on really foul-weather days. Dramatic skies will be fun to watch from the inside.

The master bedroom is downstairs and has garden views, White Company sheets and duck down pillows, two twins up in the eaves have sloping ceilings but proper windows. Bathrooms have Arran Aromatics and you’ll find stripy towels for the beach. Clare is a cook so the kitchen has gadgets galore, decent knives and cookery books. She can also provide delicious home cooked meals.

Wander through a meadow to a rocky beach, two kayaks are provided for wonderful adventures and, if you’re lucky, spotting otters.

Arrowdale - Gallery

We think you'll love

  • The kayaks Clare leaves out for you - set out to explore the water right below the house
  • The stunning views, water in front, hills behind
  • Ordering a home-cooked meal (2 weeks ahead) ready to pop into the oven on your arrival
Arrowdale - Gallery

You should know

  • Mobile signal fine on certain window sills and in the garden
  • Owner Clare's house is in sight but both houses face different directions

Essentials

  • EV charger
  • Self check-in
  • Swimming pool
  • Hot tub
  • Garden
  • Open fire / woodburner
  • Breakfast included
  • Breakfast available
  • Meals available
  • Vegetarian meals
  • Oven
  • Parking on premises
  • Free parking nearby
  • Accessible by public transport
  • WiFi
  • Television
  • Central heating
  • Limited mobility
  • Wheelchair access
  • Mobile reception
  • Hob
  • Barbecue
  • Paid parking nearby
  • Air conditioning
  • Relaxation areas
  • Washing machine
  • Tennis court
  • Microwave oven
  • No smoking
  • Credit cards
  • Working farm
  • Owner has pets
  • Electricity included
  • Dishwasher
  • Pets welcome

Family friendly

  • Baby monitor
  • Books and toys
  • Children welcome
  • Babies welcome
  • Stair gates
  • High chair
  • Fire guard
  • Cot available

Nearby

  • Pub/bar within 3 miles
  • Restaurant within 3 miles
  • Shop within 3 miles

Activities

  • Bikes available
  • Food courses
  • Kayaking
  • Other courses
  • Sailing
  • Surfing
  • Wild swimming

Pricing

Nightly price
from £225
Weekly price
from £1750
Damage deposit
£250
1 House for 6
From £2255 beds3 bedrooms

Information

Booking information

Check in
From 4pm Friday
Check out
By 10am Friday
Other details
Minimum stay: 7 nights. STL licence number and EPC rating: HI-10200-F / C.
Closed
Never.
No smoking
Smoking not permitted anywhere in the property.
Dogs

£35 per dog, max 2.

Up to 2 small dogs welcome by prior arrangement. £35 per dog.

Reviews

Pretty much a perfect self catering experience! Helpful host, beautiful location and view, free use of kayaks, home made treats on arrival and a well equipped and high quality accommodation. We would come back again definitely.

Rebecca, Twickenham

Arrowdale is an exceptional self-catering home offering superior comfort, style, and breathtaking views. Beautifully designed, the house provides a cosy retreat, with its stylish interiors and luxurious amenities. The location is perfect for those looking to explore the natural beauty and activities the area has to offer with Kayaks provided to paddle to nearby beaches and bays offering stunning scenery. Clare is a wonderful host who strikes the perfect balance between being attentive and skilfully unintrusive. Arrowdale provided a perfect blend of relaxation and adventure. Highly recommend!

Claire, Dornoch

This really is the perfect cottage in the perfect location with stunning views from a huge picture window over a beautiful garden, Loch Gairloch and the hills. It is by far the best-equipped cottage we have stayed in, with lots of cooking equipment and something for all three generations: books, games, kayaks and lifejackets (seals abound), and even a telescope. Clare is a wonderfully welcoming and thoughtful host and we arrived to plates of home baking and a chilled bottle in the fridge. Take up all her recommendations for eating out! I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Jane MacRae, Ivybridge

An astonishing haven. A place where one can truly indulge one’s self in the things that are truly important. Rest, relaxation, Mother Nature and comfort. How one then chooses to pass the time will vary from person to person. But the options are many and varied. It’s a place where one visit is but an appetite whetter…

Simon, Weston

Lovely cottage in beautiful location. Cottage is extremely well furnished and maintained. Lovely outdoor sitting area. Use of kayaks are a great addition!

Stuart, Dunkeld

Absolutely outstanding. Beautiful property, extremely tastefully furnished, very well equipped, luxurious bed linen and towels. Really lovely, friendly and helpful owner.

Elizabeth, Dunkeld

We had the most amazing stay in Arrowdale Cottage and it was nothing short of extraordinary. Clare made us feel at home from the moment we arrived (to be honest our mind was at ease before we even got there) and the cottage itself is beautifully decorated throughout and truly feels like a home away from home. We genuinely wanted to take all of the furnishings home with us! Clare’s attention to detail and genuine care for her guests really stood out, as did the little personal touches that make all the difference on a stay like this. We cannot recommend enough!!

Hayley, Ashford

Arrowdale is perfect! We had a beautiful Christmas there. The cottage and location is wonderful! It was easily the most comfortable and luxurious cottage we have ever stayed in. All the details so carefully done. Clare was delightful and her baking is truly splendid. We spent Christmas Day watching the seals from the window in the cosy lounge. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Jo, Sevenoaks

Arrowdale is a lovely house in the north west Highlands. We stayed there with our adult sons who went kayaking and walking in the surrounding areas. It's very well equipped, Clare has thought of everything you might need, and it was warm, comfortable and very welcoming. She had left home made gifts, including scones and fudge. It's one of the nicest houses we've stayed in as a family, the interior was beautifully decorated with a large window overlooking the Loch and stunning mountains. Recommend Gairloch Museum, Inverewe Gardens, wild windy beaches, local butcher, Beachcomber Fish/Chips.

Angela, Rhos-on-Sea, Conwy,

We had a wonderful week at Arrowdale Cottage! Arrived to some delicious home baking, a lovely personal touch. It was lovely to meet Clare, so warm and welcoming. We spent every day kayaking, the seals became quite used to us and posed for many photos by the end of our week. Arrowdale Cottage had everything you could possibly need and it was so enjoyable to relax at "home" with the most fabulous views. This was by far the best self catering holiday we've had and I so desperately wish we were still at Arrowdale.

Claire, Blairgowrie

We (6 of us) absolutely loved our 2 week stay at Arrowdale Cottage. It is so comfortable and perfectly equipped. Clare has thought about absolutely every detail. The welcoming bakeries and wine was a lovely treat. I fully agree with all the other positive reviews. We especially loved exploring the bay by kayak and dinghy (I felt we got to know the seals personally!), the Hebridean Whale Cruise (the water erupted at one point with a mass dolphins), the local walks, Beinn Eighe, otters and pine marten (2 appearances, metres from the window). Can't wait to return!

Paul, Chester

We couldn’t have asked for a better base for our stay. Arrowdale is exceptionally comfortable and well equipped. Being based right at the edge of the loch meant we could watch otters & seals going about their day while still drinking our breakfast coffee. Clare was a most thoughtful host, supplying lots of useful information prior to our stay and providing a lovely welcome pack that included many tasty home baked treats. Clare also offers a home cooked meal service. We took advantage of this and can heartily recommend the gardeners pie, while the sticky toffee pudding was the best we’d tasted!

Andy, Dorking

Arrowdale is the best equipped cottage I know of and is in the most stunning location. The host Clare's attention to detail is quite extraordinary and she has been the most fabulous host. The cottage is stunning and is only matched by the view and the location. I can't recommend this cottage too highly.

David, Truro

Yes, it is worth the journey! A fabulously scenic location with plenty to do if you are outdoors or if you prefer to cosy up at home. Arrowdale is both well equipped and dog-friendly: both essential ingredients for a wonderful holiday.

Catharine, Harrogate

A stunning home surrounded by amazing scenery . Delicious home baking, sparkling wine and doggie biscuits to welcome you to your holiday.

Tina, Edinburgh

An absolutely beautiful house in a stunning location! The owner left us incredible home made cake, biscuits, and fudge for when we arrived as well as sparkling wine and some doggie biscuits for our four legged friend. Just loved it here and seeing dolphins swimming near the boathouse on our last day was the icing on the cake!

Tina, Edinburgh

Lovely cottage, supremely well furnished and equipped, with a calm, homely feel. Fantastic views across the loch. We loved watching the deer chasing each other round the garden! Quiet area but with plenty to do - beaches, gardens, walking, water sports and more.

Sarah, Kirkby Lonsdale

Arrowdale is very special, very peaceful, very beautiful & so very comfortable. Clare has thought of everything to ensure your stay is enjoyable. Her baking is divine!! The views from the windows are stunning, the weather might be fickle (it is Scotland after all!) but the view is always amazing. If you are a walker, nature lover, out doorsy type then the cottage will wrap you in a comforting welcome home upon your return each day. If you just want some downtime to read & dream then the window seat is the perfect place. Local seafood & crafts & plenty of wildlife & birds to spot. We loved it!

EJ, Edinburgh

Arrowdale is the best self-catering property we've ever stayed in over many years of holidaying in such properties. The house is very well-equipped, luxuriously so, located in a beautiful area with lots to do close by. During our week we had a whole range of weather and appreciated the warmth and comfort of the house on cold days and the sitting out options on hot days, especially sitting on the rocks on the loch edge just below the house. A truly wonderful place.

Ann, Shrewsbury

Beautifully situated gem of a house: stylish, extremely comfortable and very well equipped - and blessed with the most welcoming of owners. Five stars.

G & P, Skipton

Read more reviews

Location

The neighbourhood

You're down the end of a long drive in 20 acres of old birch and oak trees and mossy rocks with a coastal track for grand picnic spots. Long walks from the door up into the hills will thrill you but you can also reach Shieldaig Lodge Hotel for fine dining half a mile away and a good pub in a mere 2 miles, The Badachro Inn - or kayak to it, passing seals along the way. Gairloch is 5.5 miles.

Local points of interest from Clare Lumsden

  • There's a thriving family of seals in the area; you will be unlucky if you DON'T see them beside the house when you're staying. There are also roe deer, pine marten and wild geese to be seen in the garden and you'll hear lots of cuckoos in spring too.
  • Photographers/artists love Arrowdale. In addition to the garden, the land around the house provides glimpses of the sea on the coastal path, of dappled light through the birch trees, close up studies of ferns or of rocks thickly covered with mosses.
  • A private beach. A 30 minute kayak paddle or a 90 minute walk through protected ancient oak woodland will find you at a sandy beach totally inaccessible by road. It is a magical place to spend the day swimming, sunbathing, picnicking or playing games.
  • There are so many walks to go on in the area and hydro schemes's excellent tracks have opened up lots of lovely new walks or bike rides right up in to the hills for people who like to be able to walk side by side or on more secure ground in wilder places.
  • Accessible directly from the house is a stunning hillwalk to an official WW2 War Grave. There's an eerie beauty to the site where the crew of a US Air Force bomber died; wreckage lies on the hill and a propellor stands upright in a tranquil hill loch.
  • 1/2 mile in one direction of Arrowdale is the only fine dining cuisine in Gairloch (also with an outstanding gin and whisky bar) and 2 miles in the other direction is the pub with the most stunning views in the area (plus good pub food and a pizza truck).

Introducing

Clare Lumsden

Clare is from the Highlands. She's a keen cook and loves to include her homemade scones, cakes or brownies in your welcome hamper. She's also a photographer and you'll see examples of her work on the walls in the cottage - mainly local landscapes – and is an avid walker. She’ll send you lots of suggestions for routes before you arrive.