One of The Observer's 50 Essential Travel Websites

Quick search

Inspire me

Browse maps

Orkney Islands East Highland North Highland Western Isles, Isle of Lewis Angus, Dundee Aberdeenshire, East Grampians Perth and Kinross, Grampians Easter Ross, Moray, Inverness East Mull, North Argyll and Bute, South Highland Highland, Wester Ross, East Skye Highland, Western Isles, West Skye Isle of Mull, Isle of Coll Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Cheviot Hills, Berwick-upon-Tweed Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway Edinburgh, Lothian, Fife Glasgow, South Stirling, East Argyll and Bute, North Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire Dumfries and Galloway, Ayrshire, Southern Uplands Mull of Kintyre Jura, Islay, Argyll and Bute North Lincolnshire, Kingston upon Hull East Riding of Yorkshire, Scarborough York, South and West Yorkshire North Yorkshire, Darlington, Middlesborough, South Durham Manchester, Merseyside, Blackpool, South Lancashire Cumbria, The Pennines Holy Island, Isle of Anglesey Isle of Man South Suffolk, East Essex Norfolk Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire Lincolnshire, Rutland, Peterborough, West Norfolk Worcestershire, Warwickshire, North Gloucestershire, North Oxfordshire Staffordshire, South Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Birmingham Powys, West Herefordshire East Gwynedd, South Conwy, Denbighshire, West Cheshire, Shropshire Gwynedd, Wales West Coast Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion Southend, Dover, East Kent Brighton, East Sussex, West Sussex London, North Surrey, North Kent Southampton, Portsmouth, Isle of Wight West Berkshire, Swindon, Hampshire, West Surrey Dorset, East Devon, Bournemouth North Somerset, West Wiltshire, Bristol, Newport North Devon, Exmoor, West Somerset South Devon, Dartmoor, Plymouth, East Cornwall North Cornwall North Cornwall West Cornwall

Special Escapes: Self-catering in the UK

The Old House

The Old House, Glen Orchy, Argyll & Bute, Scotland

You drive for six miles along a leafy track that hugs the rushing river. Salmon leap and Caledonian pine tower above. Yet the train from London chugs into the local village; why not leave the car at home, take the train to Bridge of Orchy and let your hosts collect you? The house was the Earl of Breadalbane's sporting lodge and has been renovated from top to toe with sensitivity and flair. The golden yellow sitting room has a large log fire with a railway-sleeper mantelpiece and old saddle hooks in the walls. The four-poster bedroom is on the ground floor, too - along with a utility room and Belfast sink for washing your day's catch. The large 'wet room' has such a purposeful-looking shower that the whole family could scrub up at once. There are two pleasingly simple twin rooms upstairs, with valley views and lots of light. Hikers are spoilt for choice: walk up the hill on the other side of the river to a natural clearing in the trees where the play of sunlight through woodland is magical, or climb 2,500 feet up Ben Udlaidh (it's known as a Corbett, a mini-munro) for views towards the islands. The pretty garden slopes towards the river: cluster round the table on the decking or you may cut veggies from the veg garden. In the bathrooms are your lovely hosts' excellent cosmetics; their company harvests seaweed from the islands off the west coast. An extremely comfortable home for a family holiday - and if you need supplies from the local grocers, the postman can be persuaded to bring them up with the morning mail.

Next steps

Details

The Old House

Contact: John & Erica Kerr

  • Tel: 01838 200399
  • Sleeps: 6 (8 with sofabed).
  • Rooms: 1 four-poster with bath, 2 twins, bath/shower room, shower room, sofabed
  • Price: £375 – £1,000. £75.00 per person per week
  • Closed: Never.
  • Changeover: Saturday.
Children are positively welcomed, with no age restrictions, but cots, high chairs etc are not necessarily available. Ground-floor bedrooms and bathrooms for people of limited mobility. Within 10 miles of a bus/coach/train station and owner can arrange collection. No smoking anywhere in the house. Well-trained pets are accepted and may sleep in your room (not on the bed). Check when booking. At least one bedroom and bathroom accessible for wheelchair users. Phone for details.

Checklist

  • Dishwasher
  • Electricity included
  • Washing machine
  • Microwave oven
  • Central heating
  • Mobile reception
  • Television
  • BBQ
  • Beach within 3 miles
  • Cooked meals available
  • Restaurant nearby
  • Short breaks possible
  • Extra bed/cot available
  • Shop within 3 miles

Points of interest

  • Ice climb open all year at Kinlochleven, a 45-minute drive
  • Seafood restaurants in nearby Oban
  • Marine life and seal-watching boat trips from the Argyll coast
  • Skiing and snowboarding, a 20-minute drive away
  • Within walking distance of the Caledonian Pine Forest
  • Smokehouse and Hollow Mountain, both within a short drive

This information is provided by owners and is not endorsed by ASP. If you have questions about it, please contact the owners.

The Old House The warm and comfortable Old House

The warm and comfortable Old House

The Old House The spacious sitting room with open log fire

The spacious sitting room with open log fire

The Old House Enjoy the acres of private land that surround the house

Enjoy the acres of private land that surround the house

The Old House The large, warm farmhouse kitchen with all mod cons

The large, warm farmhouse kitchen with all mod cons

Photo captions have been written by the owner or management of The Old House and are not verified or endorsed by ASP.

Help

Children welcome but cots, high chairs, etc. are not necessarily available.
Guests’ pets can sleep in the bedroom (not on the bed).
Working farm.
Wireless internet access available for guests.
No smoking anywhere in the house.
Full and approved wheelchair facilities.
Tennis court on premises; use may be by arrangement.
Credit cards accepted; most commonly Visa and Mastercard.
Bikes on the premises to hire or borrow.
Swimming pool on the premises; use may be by arrangement.
Within 10 miles of a bus/coach/train station and owner can arrange collection.
At least one bedroom and bathroom accessible without steps.

Hide symbol explanations ↑

Show me places nearby

Search Britain again

Anchor Butter Competition