Dog-Friendly Scottish Highlands

Enjoying a quiet setting with panoramic views across the extensive grounds and on towards the beautiful Cairngorm mountain range, Sunnyside House makes just the perfect base for exploring one of the most scenic and popular holiday destinations in Scotland. The house has been equipped and furnished to a high standard which will ensure you have as supremely comfortable and relaxing holiday as possible, with your every need taken care of. Robes are provided for after a soak in the hot tub and dog beds, cages and dishes are included for your four-legged friends.
Located just a mile or so from the centre of the village of Carrbridge and only 11 miles from the vibrant town of Aviemore, both situated in the heart of The Cairngorms National Park and at the head of the Speyside Way, Sunnyside House can be used as a base to explore or to relax and unwind. Carrbridge has the usual village facilities with a larger range available in Aviemore. The area boasts a super range of shops, restaurants and bars along with a wide range of outdoor activities – skiing and snowboarding, mountain and quad biking, climbing and hill walking and a variety of water sports on nearby Loch Insh, Loch Morlich and the River Spey, zip lining and zorbing are just a few of the myriad of activities available. Take a trip on the Cairngorm Mountain funicular railway, the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre or the Highland Wildlife Park at nearby Kingussie and the Landmark Forest Adventure Park which is just a short distance from the house – a superb day of fun for all ages. Visit the lovely Spey Valley golf course and the Dalfaber Leisure Resort in Aviemore with its wonderful array of leisure activities.
Further afield, take a trip to the beautiful west coast and the Isle of Skye or a day trip to the Orkney Islands is well worth the effort. Visit the Moray coastline peppered with little fishing villages and beautiful beaches – voted in the top 20 of the best coastline destinations in the world. This is an area with so much to offer, see and do for all ages. For the less energetic, you can sit back by the side of the wood burner or soak in the hot tub and let the stresses of everyday life slip away. So many happy and unforgettable memories will be made on your holiday in Sunnyside House. Beach 24½ miles. Shop 1½ miles, pub and restaurant ½ mile.

Enjoying a peaceful yet central setting within the pretty village of Auldearn, this semi-detached, traditional holiday property has been furnished and equipped to a good standard to ensure as comfortable and relaxing holiday as possible. Just three miles from the seaside village of Nairn with its long sweeping sandy beaches and local amenities, Tigh Na Bruiach (Gaelic for ‘House on the Hill’) makes a super holiday base for exploring this wonderful part of the Northern Highlands. Visit Culloden Battlefield, Fort George, Inverness, and Loch Ness, all within a very easy drive. Brodie and Cawdor Castles are just a short distance and well worth a visit. You can meander along the Moray Coast and visit some of the beautiful, unspoilt beaches and hopefully catch sight of the dolphins, seals and large variety of birdlife this area is renowned for. Take a trip along the Malt Whisky Trail – the only one of its kind in the world! Further afield, go to the scenic West Coast, Fort William or the enigmatic Orkney Islands. Golf, mountain biking, kayaking, hill walking and photography are some of the many activities available.

A warm highland welcome awaits you at Blueberry Hill, which enjoys a peaceful setting just a mile outside of the popular village of Beauly. This lovely, cosy holiday apartment has been furnished and equipped to a very good standard to ensure your holiday is as enjoyable and relaxing as possible. Blueberry Hill makes a super base for exploring this fantastic part of the northern Highlands. The village of Beauly has a lovely selection of quality shops and restaurants for you to enjoy. Nearby Muir of Ord boasts the Glen Ord Distillery and Visitor Centre, where you can sample their lovely whisky. Inverness, the Highland capital, is only 15 miles away from the Beauly and enjoys a large number of shops, a cinema, theatre and museums. Take a trip along the Moray coastline, which is dotted with small fishing villages and unspoilt and quiet sandy beaches, and you can also take a trip along the Moray Malt Whisky Trail, the only one of its kind in the world. Enjoy a day at Culloden Battlefield, Fort George or Brodie and Cawdor Castles, all steeped in history and well worth a visit.
Slightly to the south is Loch Ness and Drumnadrochit where you can explore the ruins of Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness. To the north you will find the vast unspoilt counties of Sutherland and Caithness. Aviemore and the Cairngorms National Park are within an easy drive with so many outdoor pursuits and visitor attractions that you will be spoilt for choice. Visit the stunning beauty of the west coast and the Isle of Skye within driving distance, you can enjoy a super day out where castles, historic sites and great places to eat are abundant. Amongst the many activities the area has to offer you will find mountain biking, water sports, hill and mountain climbing, horse riding, paint balling and quad biking just to name a few. A holiday in Blueberry Hill is where many happy memories of your holiday will be made. Shop, pub and restaurant ½ mile.

This wonderful detached property, with its own hot tub in a private garden, enjoys a quiet setting, yet it is only 1½ miles from the lively centre of Aviemore. Providing guests with an unforgettable holiday experience, Birch Corner offers spacious and beautifully presented holiday accommodation with your every need having been thought of.
Aviemore nestles in the heart of The Cairngorms National Park at the head of the Speyside Way and boasts a wonderful range of shops, restaurants and bars. The area also offers a very wide range of outdoor activities including skiing, snowboarding, mountain and quad biking, zip lining, climbing, hill walking plus a variety of watersports on nearby Loch Insh, Loch Morlich and the River Spey, to name just a few of the myriad of activities available. Take a trip on the Cairngorm Mountain Railway, visit the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre, Landmark Centre in nearby Carrbridge or take a trip to the Highland Wildlife Park at nearby Kingussie, all of which are within easy reach. About 12 miles from Kingussie, lies the Ardverikie Estate, which has been the setting for films including the BBC TV’s drama series ’Monarch of the Glen’, as well as the location for movies such as ’The Missionary’ and ’Mrs Brown’.
Another visitor attraction for all the family to enjoy, not far from Kingussie, is the Highland Folk Museum, which offers an insight into Highland life in a living history setting. All in all, this is a fantastic base for exploring the many delights that this area has to offer, and there is so much to see and do for all ages. Shop, pub and restaurant 1 mile.

This attractive ground floor holiday apartment forms part of a stone cottage situated in the village of Castletown which is on the North Coast 500. Its high ceilings, original wooden shutters and cottage garden (grassed area outside the main garden provides space for dogs’ exercise) all add to its charm. Four miles of sandy beach adjoins the fishing harbour 800 yards from the property. Sea angling and loch fishing are available. Known for its unspoilt beaches and wide variety of wildlife and, at certain times of year, the Northern Lights are visible. Central to many surfing locations, golf courses, fishing and the Castle of Mey (8 miles). Take a day-trip to the Orkney Isles. An all weather short mat bowling green is available for guests to use. Shop, pub and restaurant 200 yards.

Shielside lies on the outskirts of the ancient crofting village of Acharacle, at the western end of Loch Shiel, on the Ardnamurchan peninsula. It offers four double bedrooms, all with en-suite facilities and bedrooms 2 and 4 are particularly spacious. It also has its own large, enclosed garden for guests to enjoy.
Ardnamurchan is a wild and beautiful place, designated as a National Scenic Area for its outstanding scenery and landscape, a popular holiday destination, rich in wildlife with some fabulous walks and great scenery. Acharacle has a village store and post office, Hotel and bar, local garage, café, medical practice and gift shop. Other villages within a short drive have similar facilities and there are plenty of opportunities for cycling, kayaking and wild swimming. Acharacle is 45 miles from Fort William via a single-track, well-surfaced road through the wild depths of Moidart.
Fort William, known as the “Outdoor Capital of the UK” has a wide variety of attractions which make ideal walking opportunities on the West Highland Way, the Great Glen Way, Ben Nevis and Glen Nevis. There are a variety of shops, hotels, restaurants, distilleries, a bus station and railway station with links to Mallaig, Glasgow and Edinburgh as well as an overnight sleeper to London. At the foot of Ben Nevis, you can enjoy a world-class mountain bike trail in summer, or skiing in winter. The steam train made famous by the ’Harry Potter’ films, can take you on a spectacular journey from Fort William through Glenfinnan and its famous monument to Bonnie Price Charlie and on to Mallaig. You will also find plenty of walking and cycling opportunities.

Harland Cottage is a delightful bijou cottage for couples. This single-storey, detached cottage is beautifully presented throughout. The main living area is open plan and a large deep leather sofa looks out through French windows to the pretty cottage garden. The kitchen area is bright and modern, with built-in units and is well-equipped. The double bedroom has a kingsize bed and an en-suite with a large walk-in shower, which can also be accessed via the hallway. The garden is a real delight, enclosed by an original Caithness dry stone wall, there is a patio area with seating and a good-sized lawn area.

Harland Cottage is situated in Castletown, just 500 yards from one of the most spectacular beaches to be found anywhere in the British Isles. Dunnet Beach has 4 miles of sweeping sands, with high sand dunes providing a natural backdrop. There are lovely walks direct from the cottage, through woodland glades to the beach beyond. It is ideal for dog walks as well as numerous outdoor activities and there is also a pretty harbour to wander round. The area is renowned for its surfing, water sports, fishing and golf. For wildlife enthusiasts, there are often deer close by, numerous seabirds including puffins, whales, porpoises and dolphins are spotted along the coastline.

Castletown has a good selection of local amenities, including a pub with a good restaurant and a local mini-market, all within walking distance. The Heritage Visitors Centre is within a mile. The nearby town of Thurso is just 5 miles away and has further amenities, including supermarkets, bars, cafés, restaurants and a cinema. There are lovely riverside walks along the banks of the River Thurso and plenty to see and do in the region. A visit to the Castle of Mey, with its superb garden and interesting history is a must, along with a day trip to Orkney; the ferry is approximately 8 miles away. Caithness is renowned for big clear night skies so there is a good chance of seeing the northern lights during winter months from the top of Dunnet head the most northerly point on the Uk mainland only 4 miles away. The property is also on the North Coast 500.

This cosy holiday home is a no-smoking detached bungalow with a hot tub at the end of a quiet and peaceful cul-de-sac in the well known and highly sought after Silverglades area of Aviemore. Situated alongside the Strathspey Steam Railway, it’s only a short 8-minute walk along a quiet country lane to the beating heart of Aviemore and all it’s amenities. Holly Lodge is ideally located for those wanting adventure, romance or peace and quiet, Holly Lodge is the perfect place to start and end your day for families, couples and friends alike. For those arriving by car, there’s plenty of space for two vehicles or more with on-road parking if required.

If during your stay you’ve had enough of mountains, lochs and walks for the day, Holly Lodge ensures you’re kept entertained with unlimited Wi-Fi, a NowTV subscription with entertainment and movie packages, as well as a DVD player with a selection of DVDs. There’s also a large selection of board games for all ages if you decide you really want to fall out with each other (play Monopoly at your own risk)!

You can also indulge in the flicker of flames with the wood burner in the living room, which has a complimentary pack of locally sourced wood from a renewable and responsibly managed family business in Kincraig.

Both bedrooms provide professionally cleaned linen, towels, robes and slippers so you can be comfortable and relaxed during your stay. For little ones, there is a travel cot and highchair, as well as plastic dishes, cups and cutlery. The kitchen is also very well appointed in terms of utensils and equipment, including a dishwasher.

If the weather is in your favour, then you can enjoy and relax in the spacious, enclosed garden which provides a place for the kids to play, as well as a brick barbecue which has a starter pack of charcoal and all utensils are provided, so all you need to think about is what is on the menu. The gem in the garden however is definitely the private NS7 Serenity hot tub. The tub is always on, fully maintained and certified for hygiene and cleanliness, and seats six. This provides the perfect way to relax and soothe the aching bones and muscles after a hard days exploring. Don’t worry if you get back late in the day, as the hot tub has built-in lighting so you can enjoy the bubbles even after the sun has gone down, and its a firm favourite with all guests.

Growing from strength to strength every year, Aviemore is the perfect hub for reaching other areas of the Cairngorms as well as for enjoying the local facilities and activities. You’re a pleasant 10-minute stroll from the nearest country pub/restaurant, and the fantastic and varied local shops. If you hop in the car you’re 15 minutes from Loch Morlich or Loch Insh and the fantastic water sports provisions there, as well as Rothiemurchus en route and the amazing outdoor centre for a whole raft of activities. Shop, pub and restaurant 1 mile.