There are farm conversions and farm conversions but you would be hard put to it to find one better done than Rosemarkie Stable Cottage, which stands high on the edge of the pretty coastal villages of Fortrose/Rosemarkie (they run into each other) on Scotland's lovely Black Isle, about 14 miles north of Inverness.
Semi-detached from its twin, Rosemarkie Byre Cottage, it has a peaceful situation with fields to the side, and some farm buildings used only for storage to the back. There is plenty parking around the house and to the back is a fully enclosed and partly covered seating area (furniture), part gravelled and part grassed.
But it's the interior of the cottage which will really take your breath away, for both in terms of design and execution, everything is of the highest quality, from the polished wooden floors to the standard of furnishings. Downstairs is an attractive living room with gas stove, perfect for relaxing and toasting your toes after a day in the open air. An arch leads to a superb kitchen with all you could wish for. An additional utility room with washing machine is handy for muddy boots and coats. There is also a king-size double bedroom downstairs and a shower room.
Upstairs, you have a pleasant landing corridor, off which are two excellent twin bedrooms, with slightly coombed ceilings, and a further elegant bathroom. The pictures tell their story and could one ask for more?
It is just a short walk down the hill into the village, where there are shops, pubs, eating places, and the lovely sandstone ruin of Fortrose Cathedral, dating from 1250. A walk along the shoreline here is a delightful experience, and, of course, you must not fail to keep an eye out for the pods of dolphins swimming into the Inner Sound through the narrows at nearby Chanonry Point. Chanonry Point is arguably Europe's prime dolphin-watching site, and here you have it on the doorstep!
On the way to the Point, there is also a famous and rather fiendish links golf course which will not fail to appeal to enthusiasts of the game. But there are also plenty of other sports which can be enjoyed here - walking, cycling the quiet minor roads, pony trekking, fishing and sailing, to name but some.
The Black Isle is well-known too to lovers of wild life. There is a shorebird reserve at Munlochy Bay, and red kites have also been reintroduced into the area - look out for them in the skies above, distinguished by their notched tails. The village of Cromarty at the end of the peninsula is a delight - the scent of the cottage gardens in summer is quite intoxicating.
Should you decide to explore further afield, you are very well placed to do so. Inverness has everything you could possibly wish for in terms of shopping, leisure and entertainments. Beyond there is Loch Ness itself, while from the Tore roundabout at the end of the Black Isle peninsula you have easy access to Glen Affric, north to John o'Groats or north-west to Scotland's incomparable west coast.
A week at Rosemarkie Stable Cottage will certainly be too short for all you want to do here. Best book your second visit right away!
Bed linen, towels, electricity and the first £25 of oil CH are INCLUDED in the rental. Wi-fi available subject to provider. Sorry pets are not accepted and smoking is not permitted in the cottage.
See also Rosemarkie Byre Cottage
