With the Sound of Sleat at the end of the garden, looking right across to Kylerhea on the Isle of Skye, The Old Post Office in the little Highland village of Glenelg, some 27 miles from Kyle of Lochalsh was built in 1723 to house the English captains who were stationed at the nearby Bernera Barracks following the first Jacobite revolt. It is now a snug and charming holiday home for four people.
As its name suggests, this mid terraced cottage saw service in the intervening centuries as the local Post Office and its position in the village could hardly be bettered. You can roll out of bed in the morning and collect the papers from the village store opposite and roll home at night from the village inn (serving excellent meals and with frequent informal evenings featuring local musicians) just along the road.
Inside, the house is surprisingly spacious while retaining its quintessentially cottagy feel. The cosy sitting room has a multi-fuel stove to complement the efficient electric heating. Three steps lead down to the well equipped kitchen and on to a separate dining room and bathroom. Up the rather steep and narrow stairs there is a double bedroom with breathtaking views across the Sound and a very spacious second bedroom with twin beds and an additional single bed. Behind the house is an area where you can sit out and admire the changing light on the mountains across the Sound.
From April-October a little community owned turntable car ferry (no booking necessary) plies between Glenelg and Kylerhea, perfect for a day out on Skye, either walking in the Cuillins or perhaps looking out for otters at the Kylerhea hide. (You might even be lucky enough to spot some behind the cottage itself.) There is a sandy beach on the way to the ferry just in front of the ruin of the Bernera Barracks while a gentle stroll from the cottage takes you to a pebble beach, ideal for a beach barbecue or a bracing dip in the wonderfully clear waters.
The little single track road winds on down the coast to come to an end at Corran. Turn left just outside the village and you will come to the Glenelg Brochs, large Pictish round houses in a remarkable state of preservation, which are well worth a visit, perhaps by bicycle if you take yours along.
Further down the coast you can walk through the woods to Sandaig, the former home of Gavin Maxwell, the author of ''Ring of Bright Waters'.
Driving back along the spectacular road over Mam Ratagan to the main road at Shiel Bridge (garage, cafe, riding stables), it is also worth diverting to up the side of Loch Duich to Letterfearn. At the end of the road there, at Totaig, there is a lovely walk which leads upwards through the woods to some more amazing Brochs.
On the other side of Loch Duich are the Five Sisters of Kintail, another mecca for avid hill walkers, or you can head on beyond Kyle of Lochalsh to visit the pretty village of Plockton with its sheltered anchorage and palm trees along the lochside. Kyle of Lochalsh, at the mainland end of the Skye Bridge, has a supermarket, shops, hotels and eating places.
Bed linen and electricity are INCLUDED and towels may be hired. Sorry pets are not accepted and smoking is not permitted.
