This is a gem of a house, set high on a hillside on the edge of the village of Ardrishaig, with wonderful views across the sparkling waters of Loch Fyne to the hills of the Cowal Peninsula beyond.
It stands in extensive, beautifully kept sloping gardens, with play equipment for young children, a pond (so care required with them!), a lovely wee burn which chuckles down the hillside, and a private path down to the road and shore below. If you are lucky, you may see a shy deer passing through it in the evening or early morning. Red squirrels and a host of various birds are other frequent visitors. The house is semi-detached from the owners', but is entirely self-contained, while the gardens at the side are very much those of the cottage, and there is no sense of being overlooked.
Inside, the owners have thought of everything necessary (and quite a bit more besides) for a comfortable holiday. The compact and well equipped galley kitchen is open plan to the dining and sitting areas, light and bright with lovely big windows to make the most of the view. But alongside the sitting room and if anything even more charming, is a delightful sun room, with patio doors opening to a decking area (FURNITURE) where you really can feel that you are 'monarch of all you survey'. There is a downstairs double bedroom, with bathroom alongside, and up some (narrowish) stairs is a spacious twin bedroom, with huge Velux windows to make the most of the light and that view again, which has its own little cloakroom alongside.
Ardrishaig has shops, pubs and hotels, and the added advantage of being an easy and scenic drive, by way of Loch Lomond and Rest and Be Thankful, from Glasgow and the south. The cottage stands just a few hundred yards from the end of the Crinan Canal, beloved of yachstmen, who use it to gain swift access to the Atlantic. There is a picturesque walk along the towpath, with lots of places to partake of liquid refreshment as you go. Further excellent walks are to be had straight from the cottage on the hills behind.
There are 9 hole golf courses at Lochgilphead (2m) and Tarbert (12m) and the Argyll Trail Riding Centre is just a mile down the road from the cottage. A boat from the lighthouse at the end of the Canal can be hired for sea fishing. If you are interested in archaeology, a must see is Kilmartin Glen, just 6 miles from the house, where there are burial mounds, standing stones etc. dating back some 3,000 years. More recent history may be sampled 27 miles away at Inveraray (castle and jail), and from there you can drive on up to Loch Awe, Oban (beaches) and as far up or down the west coast as you care to go. (On a rare wet day (!) the Hydro-Electric power station at Cruachan, built right inside the heart of the mountain, is well worth a visit.)
If island hopping is your bag, then there are sailings from Kennacraig, just south of Tarbert, to Islay, from Tayinloan to Gigha or from Claonaig over to Arran. Or why not just continue south to Campbeltown ('the furthest town from anywhere') and on to Machrihanish or Southend or the very tip of the Mull, where you may spot a golden eagle or two? Machrihanish has a wonderful beach, and the size of the seas along this stretch of coast make it popular with surfers.
Heating is by total control electric central heating (first £20 INCLUDED). Bed linen and towels are INCLUDED. Up to two well behaved pets are welcome by arrangement. Sorry, no smoking in the cottage.
