Dog-Friendly Scottish Highlands

Situated on a promontory and enjoying spectacular sea views, Ethel’s House is a detached stone cottage set in its own garden, adjacent to a working croft. Much loved by its original family, this traditional stone cottage was painstakingly moved stone by stone to a higher vantage point in the village of Armadale on the far north-west coast of Scotland. The current owners have completely renovated this charming cottage and it now provides a good standard of accommodation in a truly superb setting.
Entering through the pretty patio gardens that look out across the sea, a hallway leads through to the main accommodation. There is a delightful living room with leather sofa suite and a cosy wood burner. The kitchen/dining room is extremely well-equipped with contemporary built-in units and a good sized solid wood dining table. All the windows look out across the bay. There is a large shower room on this floor. Upstairs there are three very attractively decorated and furnished bedrooms. Skylight windows ensure that visitors can encounter the dramatic sunrises and sunsets afforded by the clear unpolluted skies in this part of the Highlands (and for those who prefer, black out blinds are built-in too!). The cottage has oak flooring on the ground floor, high quality wool carpeting in the bedrooms and underfloor heating throughout.
Situated just off the renowned North Coast 500 route, in the quiet hamlet of Armadale, this cottage is ideal for visitors wishing to explore this totally unspoilt area. Sea otters are regularly spotted on the shoreline below the cottage and whales, basking sharks, porpoises and seals all frequent the local waters. There are superb walks direct from the cottage and numerous outdoor activities close by, including kayaking, sailing, hill walking, fishing, surfing, golf and plenty of archaeological sites and historic places of interest. In winter months it is often possible to see the Northern Lights from the cottage garden. The nearby villages of Melvich and Bettyhill, both within 10 minutes’ drive, have a good selection of amenities, including pub, restaurant, café and a small local shop. The beaches along this coastline are renowned for their wide sandy bays with high sand dunes, and spectacular mountain backdrops. Beach ½ mile. Shop 7 miles, pub and restaurant 3 miles.

Tor Aluinn is situated in the small hamlet of Coldbackie, 3 miles from Tongue, which has a local shop, restaurants and a bar along with craft shops and a post office. This detached property offers a superb level of comfort and space throughout. There is a storm porch to the front and a spacious reception hall, the living room is large with a tremendous feature fireplace all with chesterfield style furniture and a smart television with a full sky package for those rainy days. There is a ground floor wet room and a beautiful fitted kitchen that has a good level of appliances and is open plan to the dining area. To the rear of the property is a laundry room and boot store. Upstairs there is a master kingsize bedroom with an en-suite shower room, a further kingsize bedroom and a twin bedroom both served by a family bathroom. Externally there is a fully enclosed private garden where you can leave your bikes. There is parking to the front of the property for 2 cars. The views are breathtaking from all the windows to the front overlooking the Kyle of Tongue and the headland. The beach is 250 yards from the property down a steep footpath, which is ideal for a spot of paddling or sand castle building, or perhaps for taking your four legged friend for a stroll. Pub and restaurant 2.7 miles.

Borlum House Farm in Reay on the far north coast of Scotland is a brilliant location to be based for a memorable short break or longer holiday. The restored early 18th century farmhouse and buildings are surrounded by highland cows, lambs and chickens. The Annex is a converted barn attached to the farmhouse that was originally maid quarters.
The farm was originally part of the Sandside Estate which was owned at one time by Mr Pilkington of Pilkington Glass. Records date back to 1729 and it is known that the farm was a sheep farm with dairy for cheese-making. Situated in an enviable spot up the hill from Reay and overlooking the magnificent north coast of Scotland right out to sea, arriving at The Annex you’ll be delighted with the location you’ve picked for your holiday.
Just off the NC500 that goes through Reay, Borlum House Farm is perfectly placed as a base to explore the far north coast. As well as Sandside Bay Beach with Fresgoe Harbour, just down from Reay, and Reay’s fantastic links golf course, there’s so much to see and do that the NC500 touring route will help you reach.
Other amazing beaches nearby include Melvich and Strathy, which are loved by surfers. Historic Thurso is nearby and so too is the ferry port for trips over to Orkney, a great day-trip from Borlum House Farm. Beyond Thurso you must visit Dunnet Head, the Castle of Mey, John O’Groats and Duncansby Stacks. To be honest, the list of amazing places to see goes on and on, and alas we can’t feature all here. But be certain that there’s so much to do during your stay at Borlum House Farm.
The accommodations are finished to a high standard. Both cottages include a kingsize double bedroom with en-suite double shower cubicle. Highland Soap products and lovely bathrobes are provided. The open-plan living/dining/kitchen space is great, complete with Smart TV and woodburning stove. Outside each property there is a private and enclosed garden as well the freedom to explore the grounds of the farm and meet the animals. There’s also a firepit and BBQ Grill shared with each cottage at the farm. Beach 1½ miles. Pub and restaurant 6 miles.
These properties can be booked together to accommodate up to 4 guests.

“Rhianchaitel” is Gaelic for Cattle Field. This part of Bettyhill where the the house is built was an old croft that obviously often had cattle roaming around. Built over a hundred years ago at the beginning of the twentieth century, Rhianchaitel House is a rather grand croft house. You can see the ruin of the older property in the grounds near to the house, and that single storey croft house would’ve been 17th or 18th century. Arriving in the rugged village of Bettyhill on the far north coast of Scotland, you’re greeted with a collection of cottages across the hilly coast, centred around a shop, a café and a hotel with bar and restaurant. Rhianchaitel is walking distance from the village centre, approximately halfway down the hill towards the beach. Walking down the hill you come across the track circling back towards the house where it stands proud with no neighbours. The accommodation is spacious for five people and the house welcomes up to two dogs. Now even though it isn’t an enclosed garden, it’s a great spot for dogs as the end of track where there’s the occasional slow moving vehicle is about 200 yards away from the house. Dogs can have a great time roaming around the house in the garden and grounds.
Entering through the back door, which you’ll mostly do, there’s a useful hallway for boots after days out exploring. There’s a single bedroom on the ground floor near to the back door. The kitchen/dining room wit adjoining utility area is next and is a fantastic space for the family to gather in to plan days out and reminisce of days well spent at or near Rhianchaitel House. There’s a magnificent floor to ceiling window in the kitchen that gives a spectacular view of the beach and surrounding hills. The kitchen/dining room has everything you’d want from the space plus a handy Flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. The living room is also on the ground floor and again has a large Flat-screen TV for everyone to gather round on comfy sofas. Up to the first floor there are two bedrooms, one with a kingsize double and another with a double bed. The double bedroom has an amazing view down to the sandy beach. Also on the first floor is a spectacular bathroom complete with shower cubicle and a free-standing bath. Rhianchaitel House is the holiday home you’ll want to return to during your stay up in the far north of Scotland after long days out exploring. It’s also likely to be a family favourite that you want to return to in future years. There’s so much to see and do on the far north coast, and the NC500 touring route, which passes through the village will be very helpful. There are more amazing sandy beaches beyond Farr Beach at Armadale, Strathy and Melvich. To the west you have Tongue and its unbelievably scenic backdrop of Ben Loyal and Ben Hope which you can explore en route to the arty outpost of Durness. There’s too much to mention here, but hiking, biking (road and mountain bike), surfing, golfing, fishing (fly fishing on some of Scotland’s best salmon rivers, as well as trout lochs and sea fishing, whisky and chocolate tasting, wildlife trips. The list goes on and on. You better book a few weeks to enjoy it all!

Osprey Lodge is situated in an elevated position, deep in the Sutherland hills, tucked away down a private track, and enjoying unbelievable views across the surrounding hills and open countryside. This superb, detached solid wood lodge enjoys total peace and privacy, set in 50 hectares of croft land. The accommodation is presented to a very good standard throughout. The delightful open plan living space features a welcoming wood burner in the living area, as well as patio doors that open onto the raised decking, with a private hot tub and sitting-out area. There are two beautifully presented kingsize bedrooms with colour coordinated soft furnishings allowing for a good nights’ sleep. This property is very accessible for wheelchair users, with a level entrance and modern bathroom with a claw-footed bath and accessible wet room walk-in shower.

Situated on a working farm where the friendly cattle and sheep roam freely, this is a haven for wildlife and you may also stumble upon osprey, deer, pine martin, red kites, golden eagles and curlews. Whilst completely private, it is just over 1 mile to the pretty stone village of Rogart which is home to a thriving village pub that serves meals, as well as a shop, post office and railway station. It is ideally located for exploring the whole of the Highlands, with many places of interest within a short drive. Dunrobin Castle, seat of the Duke of Sutherland, with its gardens modelled on Versailles is well worth a visit. Or experience salmon leaping up the famous Falls of Shin, and mountain biking, hill walking, fishing, and various water sports are all available locally. The historic seaside town of Dornoch is just 15 minutes’ drive away, where you can visit the sandy beach and the renowned championship golf course, as well as the 12th-century cathedral that dominates the central square. Beach 17¾ miles. Shop, pub and restaurant 1½ miles.

Ardlearag is an outstanding architecturally-designed and timber-clad holiday home in the North West Scotland. Overlooking the sea loch Little Loch Broom, Ardlearag also has views of the isolated Scoraig peninsula and wee mountain Beinn Ghobhlach across the loch, and to the east An Teallach, a fabulous Munro, is in view and only a few miles away. Staying at Ardlearag is like striking gold. Pulling up at the stunning property you won’t believe your luck. Any length of time booked is guaranteed to be too short.

The property nestles into the landscape right beside the water and is surrounded by mountains. The area around Ardlearag is known as the ‘great wilderness’ and staying at the property makes it easy to see why. The front of the house looks towards the water and mountains -quite rightly - so you enter through the back door. On the left there’s a well-placed utility room, perfect for cleaning up after long days out exploring in the wilds. Quickly you discover the wow factor of the house, which is the vast amount of glass in the open plan living/dining/kitchen area. Views up the loch and across the water are truly sensational. It’s an amazing room making the most of the surroundings, and it’s finished to a fantastic high standard (like the whole house). To return to this room after days out on adventures is pure bliss.

Beyond the house the great wilderness awaits. An Teallach is a fantastic Munro and with it being so close it deserves an attempt or two during your holiday. Ullapool and Assynt beyond are not far away, and to the south the coastal villages of Aultbea, Poolewe and Gairloch with numerous sandy beaches to choose from await. Staying at Ardlearag is a superb choice for the most amazing of Highland holidays. Book now and forever be happy with your choice!