The most spectacular view in the entire universe! Perhaps.

Ok, there are other views in the world. But this one imprinted itself in a teenagers memory that lasted all his days.

You had to get to Mallaig by Saturday otherwise you were cooked. No ferry on Sunday. That meant you could not get to your first climb in the Cuillins before Monday afternoon.

As a lad of 17 I used to race up the Great North Road, hitching rides on lorries to try to make it before the last ferry, and I never did. Not once. But it didn't matter.

I spent all Sunday pitched in the tent above Arisaig and just kept looking at the view. Looking endlessly at the view across those golden sands and rocks. That view, looking out over the Inner Islands I've never forgotten in over fifty years.

Usually the sunsets covered the entire North West sky in a 180 degree arc the other side of those mountains I was headed for. You can see the self same sunsets from the living room at Ach na Skia.

The view has not altered for 40,000,000 years. Yes, that's the right number of zeros since the last volcanic eruption in Ardnamurchan nearby which formed this stunning landscape. You can still see the outline of the crater if you go there.

Sheila's cottage and lodges are in the most stunning area. But they offer a family playground, too, with slides and swings for the youngsters, and a playroom if it ever gets mildly damp, as it does occasionally. The croft cottage and lodges in Arisaig on Scotland's West coast

Here also is the little 9 hole Traigh golf course. You can lose your ball in the water here and not feel the least bit upset as you look out with wonder across Rhum, Eigg, Skye, you can imagine Newfoundland as the next stop once you get past the islands. Who cares about a little ball?

Here also is the most brilliant canoeing area, safe, too, from rapids, but with the occasional four foot breaking wave to add excitement. The Morar sands, world-famous, few people about, rock hopping for everyone. What a place!

Oh, and did I mention the real Monster in Loch Morar nearby? Oh yes, not like puffed up monster stories from other places, this female one is really there. Those fishing for brown trout in this freshwater loch will tell you about Morag.

I nearly forgot watching Whales and Dolphins playing around your boat as you go on a little day cruise out of the Harbour as Gillian and I did. You'll drop off parcels and post on the Small Islands, of course. This is the West Coast after all, it is what people do.

Go to Ach na Skia, you'll get a fine, warm welcome from Sheila. Off-season with no one about it is magical. The blog site for Ach na Skia with personal stories

John
Ps This is a little-known insider tip. If you want to know more about hitch-hiking up the Great North Road in days of yore, ask an expert. Such as Sheila..

Short November self catering breaks Scotland, special prices

All over Scotland, the season for short breaks begins about now.

After the summer bookings have fallen away then some very special prices are offered, down to as low as £7 per person per night and this site shows some truly excellent properties around the country. You can see some of the best rates here
last minute, self catering holiday breaks scotland This site shows you about twelve owners who have got together to make these special get-away-from-it-all holiday offers.

November is a good month for those who want peace and quiet and this is the month usually when property owners will break down their weeks into shorter periods.

Just a weekend away in glorious countryside, with no hurry, little traffic on the roads - that for some is ideal.

This property offers a Friday to Monday break or a Monday to Friday break at £199 in a lovely small lochside cottage near Glencoe. Short Breaks Glencoe Plent of things to do, even in November. The colours are wonderful.

John

A famous 200year old listed Mill, can be yours for a holiday break

Bobbin Mill is so lovely. The guest book shows it:

"The house is most beautifully designed. Each window appears to be placed with meticulous care to yield the greatest sight and sound from the surroundings"

"Lots of wildlife in the garden – a fawn eating from the tree. Scotland’s for me!"

"Accommodation was first class and the attention to the smallest detail"

"We have fallen in love with everything round here: the Deil’s Cauldron for yummy dinners, a red squirrel in the garden, red deer, buzzards, hares, pheasants, partridge in the hills, buying trout and veggies down the road. We could go on and on……"

"The design and layout of the house is spectacular, finished immaculately and very well equipped"

Christine Grace thinks of everything, thats why she gets a 4 star luxury grading for the Bobbin Mill.

"John," she says, "What do you think of this virtual reality tour of the Mill on our website?"

Wow, I had to get one for us. It looks stunning.

Our e-mail exchanges go all over the place, from the pros and cons of moving her change date to Friday so she gets the weekend with her family, to climate change and when am I going to give up flying, to folk music, her sister's singing career, her Fort William upbringing. She is a true Highland lassie. I've just got my jazz band to tell her about, but she is very nice about it.

But this Mill that she and her husband restored with such care is absolutely outstanding. It is in the Perthshire hills, near Crieff and Loch Earn. It sleeps eight people and is ideal for families sharing. In the low season you can rent the Mill for £640 for a week, and she will let you have it for shorter breaks. How would you find such luxury anywhere else for about £11 per person for a night?

John

Beside the Seven Sisters, minutes before you reach the Isle of Skye...

Gillian and I were surrounded by the most beautiful mountains. We had driven along the small road towards Skye, from Invergarry. We dropped down towards the most photographed castle in the world, Eilean Donan, looking peaceful now, but deadly in its day, then up towards the Seven Sisters of Kintail, wondering if we had the energy....


Around the corner then was Colin, simply the most affable and warmest of men and the owner of Conchra Cottages.

I first met him at a meeting of holiday home owners when we found ourselves on the same side of a debate, the origins of which I've forgotten now, but I think our side lost. We've become e-mail chums - huffing and puffing against the rights and wrongs of many issues, on all of which we seem to agree. It is the "We are right and they are wrong strategy" and it works well for us.

His 3 cottages are wonderful and the garden flat which can sleep up to 6 people. From them you can see the little Highland village of Dornie across the water. The first - or is it the last - of the Seven Sisters is growing out of his back garden.

So would you like it if the romance of the Isle of Skye was only ten minutes away, if you had magnificent walks and views all around, to see some small old Highland communities on the lochsides, see the last remaining turntable ferry in Scotland, look inside an ancient and mysterious broch, and wonder as everyone does, about its origins and purpose a couple of thousand years ago? Of course.

You can find some wonderful pictures of the area here.

mailto:info@conchracottages.co.uk

The Winter rates vary around £280 for a week.

John

About this blog, self catering, last minute and offers

Scotland in the low season is cosy and offers low cost holiday breaks. Roads are free of traffic. The cottages are warm. The people are friendly. The prices can be as low as £10per head per night if the property is full, because the best owners want to keep their properties occupied. Scotland can be unbelievably lovely in the off season. For a short break away-from-it-all you can't do better.

Last minute breaks in the high season
When the schools are on holiday, properties are usually full, but you can sometimes find occasional weeks at the last minute. Sometimes a cancellation makes a property available, sometimes there is a week's gap in the bookings. If you search you'll find somewhere. Better to book early, of course, but come just the same.

John