Avernish Lodge

Avernish Lodge is a fabulous luxury two-bedroom house in the North West Highlands close to Skye. Sleeping four and built with natural local stone and slates, it offers superb facilities and breathtaking views of the dramatic highland scenery

The owners clearly take design seriously and the use of local stone, slate and the glass help Avernish to blend sympathetically into the site cut into the banks of Loch Alsh. The interiors are superb too and this is a very comfortable and stylish holiday house.

Bringing the outdoors inside.

No matter how you get to the Lodge you will have passed through some incredible scenery, rest assured it doesn’t stop once you’ve arrived. If you’ve come through Glen Shiel you will have driven past the iconic Eilean Donan Castle. That will be a constant for your visit as the fairy tale continues when it is lit up in the evening for your viewing pleasure from the property.

A few miles after you pass the Castle, you turn left and drive for a mile along a narrow road. It can’t be far away from the main road, but it feels a world away.

Sensibly, cars are parked to the rear of the property to avoid compromising the stunning views from the glass wall. You enter the property through a large porch, it encourages you to leave shoes and boots and outdoor clothing. You immediately notice the underfloor heating which is provided throughout and can be customised by room as desired.

Superb facilities and breathtaking views

Entering the main room, the view of the outside moves you immediately to the sliding doors. It’s an incredible vista of loch and mountains. Turning to your left you will see the lounge area. A large swivel chair in the corner allows you look in towards the cosy wood burning stove, or outside to the stunning views.

There are two large sofas facing the generous TV (supplied with full SKY Package) and the stove. A comfortable area for relaxing after a busy day or on a cold evening. Spinning around you will see the dining area, a solid and luxurious wooden bench table with four leather backed chairs – always placed along three sides only as who wants their back to that view?

You will be greeted in the kitchen with a generous welcome pack of wine, chocolate, biscuits, coffee, tea and perhaps most importantly if you arrive late – milk. The kitchen is equipped with everything you need and le creuset cookware. Ample storage space for food and drink.

Exiting the main room, you will find the bedrooms and bathrooms. The master en-suite is at the far end. A lovely spacious shower room and WC. The tiled floors and walls are warm and well lit. The underfloor heating is especially appreciated after a shower. The king sized bed is really comfortable and is ideally positioned to allow you to see the sun rise in the morning.

Explore the spectacular west coast and nearby Isle of Skye.

The second bedroom has a super king / twin beds with a similarly grandiose view of the loch and mountains. The mattress was extremely comfortable. The main bathroom is across the hall. A large room which encompasses a large shower and a wonderful freestanding bath. Nice touches like the handsfree mirror lights and large candle add the feeling of luxury. Luxurious towels and bedding make one feel cosseted.

Outside there is ample space for outdoor relaxing / dining should the weather allow. Nothing better than to watch the local bird life weave in and out of the stand of birch trees with a glass of local Loch Carron, Plockton or Skye beer in hand.

Avernish Lodge is a wonderful property in a fabulous location, well designed to make the best of both the indoors and the outdoors. The USP is the wonderful views and the way these have been maximised by clever planning. It’s a superb holiday house for couples or groups of friends and a great base for exploring the spectacular west coast and nearby Isle of Skye.

A few suggestions….one day, get back to the Lodge before the sun goes down, light the stove, pour a couple of drams, sit yourselves in the ample canoodling chair and watch the landscape change colour and texture as the sun drops behind the house (and Skye). Once dark, wait a while and  move your gaze upwards to pick out the emerging starscape (night skies are clear more often than you might imagine)

Top Tip 2; another day after a long and arduous day on the hills, get back in the dark, light the stove, run the bath, light the candle and relax with chilled champagne in the best indoor bath for two that we have found to date. Why light the stove? Well you’ll have to come out sometime.

Perfect Days

Visit the excellent Brochs near Glenelg, for the uninitiated Brochs are dwelling structures from the Iron Age. These are some of the best preserved around. The drive up and over the glen (Mam Ratagan) also presents great opportunities for spotting eagles and deer – not to mention the views, especially if you go to the road end, a long way round to Arnisdale but worth it. This will be a full day trip. Otters could be seen too, they are often spotted off the pier at Glenelg. Keep your binoculars at the ready.  Before heading back out of the glen, our top tip is to drop into the community cafe in the centre, doesn’t look much from the outside but that’s a disguise, open the door and you will find a cozy cafe, with great coffee, baking, light lunches and service.

Take your boots, map and navigation skills up the Glen Shiel or Morvich munros. They are incredible mountains but challenging and rising steeply from the road side, but if the weather is fine you can see a long way.  The Falls of Glomach is also a fantastic walk with a great site at the end, however, this is not a quick jaunt and you should expect 5-7 hours and will need full hillwalking gear.

Explore nearby Eilean Donan Castle, the most photographed castle in Scotland. This amazing castle is just up the road, so you can go and take photographs early in the morning or early evening when most of tourist have gone.

Skye is on your doorstep so is a must for a visit. The fairy pools may be busy year round now but use your local advantage and get there nice and early.

The boat trips from Elgol to Loch Coruisk result in a pleasant couple of hours walking in a unique landscape as well as the opportunity to spot seals, dolphins, porpoises and even Golden Eagles or Sea Eagles. At the other end of the island is the Quirang, an out of worldly place but eerily beautiful in all weathers.

If you want a really unique adventure, head over on the ferry to Raasay. The island has a huge variety of landscapes especially on the wonderful east coast. Or climb to the top of the iconic Dun Can.

Its  not all about Skye! The railway trip from Kyle to Inverness is one of the top ten railway journeys in the world. Check the times.

Plockton with it’s palm trees is just around the corner. Great food and welcome at the Plockton Inn, near the bottom of the hill.

A longer day is a drive round Loch Carron to Kishorn, then over the Beallach Na Ba (Pass of the Cattle) – the steepest road in the UK – for lunch in Applecross or Shieldaig. Remember and stop at the top to take in the views and have a stroll.

The local shops are well stocked so don’t feel obliged to fill your boot unless you are short of time. Buy, drink and eat local!

How to book

Call 07748 911 155 or complete the form.