We’re getting a lot of enquiries about renting Greenhill for self-catering in 2013.

Greenhill is a comfortable family home that has been owned by the same family for generations. It is traditionally furnished with an open fire and 4 cosy bedrooms.

It sleeps 6 and is set in wonderful, secluded grounds with amazing views over the Summer Isles.

There is direct access across the croft to the sea. Greenhill makes an ideal base for a family holiday or for a couple who want a bit of space and room to relax.

BOOKING DETAILS AND PICTURES OF THE HOUSE AND ROOMS ARE HERE

 

Around this time of year we always see a huge number of enquiries from families looking to rent our house in Achiltibuie.

Maybe there is something psychological about the start of a new year or maybe you are just a blank new diary and starting to plan how to fill it… whatever the reason I recommend that you make time for a visit to Achiltibuie in 2012.

Greenhill is a comfortable family house that sleeps up to 6. It is available for self catering holidays throughout the year. The summer months and school holidays always book up very fast but whatever time of year you fancy there is always lots to do in Achiltibuie and the surrounding area.

Pictures of the house and rooms can be seen here together with rates for booking the house.

We have today opened up bookings for Greenhill in 2012.

If you would like to book the house for a self-catering holiday please do get in touch.

The peak summer weeks, Easter, May and Spring Bank holidays are always extremely popular so we would advise you to plan in advance if you want to stay at the house.

Full details of bookings and rates can be found on these pages: http://achiltibuiecottages.wordpress.com/self-catering-house-to-rent-in-achiltibuie/

I was having a look at YouTube the other day and came across a great 360 degree video from Tanera (one of the Summer Isles) looking back towards Achiltibuie. You can really see how the weather changes in the area & the fantastic landscape.

A great event in Achiltibuie tomorrow – the annual Coigach Gathering which starts at 12.30 with the piping of Cheiftain Dorothy Miller on to Badentarbet Green.

Here is the programme of events:

1.30     Piping & fiddle competitions.

1.30     Fly-casting competition – until 3.30

1.30     Clay pigeon shoot – last shot at 3.30

1.30     Target shooting – until 4.00

2.00    Hill race – juniors, ladies, men’s & seniors.

3.30    Skiff racing between Coigach & Ullapool skiffs – men’s, women’s, mixed & junior

4.15    Net mending competition

5.00   Tug-o-war

5.00   Stone tower building competition

5.30   Prize giving & prize draw

6.30   Traditional music in tent

9.30   Dance in tent to Grousebeater Soundsystem & The Rogues

Lots of stalls, games and food.

Get along there and enjoy the day – it’s all free to attend. Hope the weather is fine.

With all the bank holidays coming up – Easter, May Day, Royal weddings etc. – we’re getting loads of enquiries about renting Greenhill for holidays.

Currently there is availability for many of the weeks. I don’t keep an up to date booking form on this site but if you are interested in a holiday in Achiltibuie before summer then please do drop me a note.

Greenhilll is an old crofters house that was extended in the 1920′s. It sleeps from 2-6 people and has amazing views over the Summer Isles. It provides a fantastic base for holidaymarkers to explore the NorthWest Highlands of Scotland.

Greenhill self catering house to rent

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• Holiday cottage in Achiltibuie for rent in 2011 (achiltibuiecottages.wordpress.com)

Disappointing news today that The Summer Isles hotel in Achiltibuie has lost its Michelin star (http://reut.rs/hW2dFk).

The Summer Isles hotel is one of the main draws for high-end tourists to the region and generates a huge amount of publicity for the area. Wherever I go I meet people who have heard of it and have often come to Achiltibuie as a direct result. I hope this doesn’t affect the number of holiday-makers visiting.

It is interesting that the hotel changed hands recently. Indeed I wrote recently about some teething problems that the new owners were having.

I am sure that if they continue to hold on to talented head chef Chris Firth-Bernard that this will only be a temporary blip and the star will be regained shortly.

Good luck to the team there (who dropped me a very nice note after my last post).

We always find that the first weeks of January are the peak time for enquiries about our house in Achiltibuie.

Maybe everyone is opening their new diaries and planning holidays. Alternatively, the whole country may just be fed up with the problems that air travellers had in 2010 and are looking for somewhere closer to home?

Whatever your motivation I’d really recommend that you consider a holiday in the highlands of Scotland this year.

Here are just a few reasons why you should consider renting in Achiltibuie:

• The most glorious unspoilt beaches – our favourites are Achnahaird and Achmelvich but there are many smaller and less well known ones along the coast – great for picnics with the kids.
• Amazing scenery and wildlife. Whether you like walking, bird watching or just soaking up the big country and views out to sea with a good book; the highlands can not be beaten.
• Foodie heaven. Fancy your langoustines fresh off the boat? How about the freshest fish supper from an Ullapool chippy? Maybe some Michelin-starred dining? This part of Wester Ross has got the lot.
• Outdoor activities. If you prefer your holidays to have a theme then why not try some sea kayaking around the Summer Isles as part of your holiday. We tried it this year and loved it.

Whether your planning a holiday for the family or a get away from it all break with friends, Greenhill is an ideal base to explore the region. It’s an old crofting house with magnificent sea views & set in its own grounds.

The busy summer months & school holidays are already booking up but there’s plenty of time to think about holidays at Easter, May Day or Spring Bank Holiday. Visit these pages to see some photographs of the house and to enquire about renting.

Come to Achiltibuie in 2011 – we guarantee you a memorable holiday. Happy 2011.

Chris Firth-Bernard of the Summer Isles hotel in Achiltibuie prepares some of his favourite dishes on this programme for STV.

There are some lovely shots from around the region and seeing the summer isles prawns is making me very hungry…

Ever since Hollywood came to Achiltibuie last year there has been great anticipation of the launch of The Eagle of the Ninth film. The release date has been put back a couple of times but an official trailer has now been released under the revised name of “The Eagle”.

There are some great shots of horse riding across Achnahaird beach and also from the hill at Fox Point with views across the Summer Isles. I’m really looking forward to seeing it.

Related articles

• The Eagle has Landed, Intensely! (screenhead.com)
• Movie Trailer: ‘The Eagle,’ Formerly ‘The Eagle of the Ninth’ (slashfilm.com)
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If you are currently planning your holidays for 2011 then I really recommend you consider the NW Highlands of Scotland.

We have just started taking bookings for next year at Greenhill – a comfortable family house by the sea that is available for self catering all year round. Some of the summer weeks have already been reserved but there is still plenty of availability for Easter, Spring Bank Holiday, Mayday (or even to be as far away from a Royal Wedding as possible!).

Achiltibuie is the ideal base for:

• Families
• Walkers
• Foodies
• Anglers
• Outdoor sportsmen
• Beach lovers
• Bird watchers
• or, anyone who loves to get away from it all with a good book, spectacular views and an open fire.

The house is a converted and extended old crofters’ cottage, set in its own grounds that sleeps between 2 and 6 people.

Pictures of all the rooms, rates for rental and booking details are available on these pages.

Last October there was great excitement in the village when Hollywood descended to film The Eagle of the Ninth. The film has yet to see the light of day but I believe is due for release in early 2011.

12 months on and it’s production time again. Not quite so Hollywood but looks interesting nonetheless.

In the 3rd week of October “An Incident in Time” will be shot over 4 days in the area. The film is described as “an ambitious, bold and darkly comic short film following a band of Pictish warriors as they trudge across the wind blasted landscape beneath the crown of Stac Pollaidh”.

The producers are looking to cast a small number of locals as extras in the film and are also looking for runners. Contact Tom Duncan for further details.

The family are just back from a great late-Summer holiday at Greenhill.

The sun was out, the midges were absent and the kids weren’t too whingey…

All in all it was a fantastic holiday.

Greenhill has been booked fairly solidly since Easter but we now have a few weeks free for late summer/early autumn holidays in Achiltibuie.

If you are interested in any of the following weeks: 4th September; 25th September; 2nd October; 9th October; 16th October; 23rd October or 30th October please look at these pages for further information and get in touch.

A quick note to say that we had a cancellation for Greenhill today for 2 prime weeks in the summer holidays – starting 7th & 14th August. If you’re interested in a holiday in Achiltibuie please let me know as soon as possible because these weeks are always very popular.

Greenhill, Achiltibuie, originally uploaded by Rory Brown.

Once again this year it seems as though many families are choosing to stay in the U.K. for their holidays. Uncertainty over flights following the Icelandic ash cloud, combined with the weak pound has meant that holidays in Scotland have never been more attractive.

We’re already seeing the weeks during the school holidays booking very fast but we currently still have vacancies for the following weeks in May, June, July and August this year:

(Lets are from Saturday – Saturday)

• May 1st
• May 8th
• May 15th
• May 22nd
• June 19th
• July 10th
• August 28th

Maybe you have been inspired by Monty Halls’ new Great Escapes programme, want to spend time on some glorious empty beaches or experience the delights of the Caledonian Sleeper instead of flying?

Whatever your motivation I recommend a holiday in the NW Highlands.

See this page for details of Greenhill, rates and how to book your holiday

It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a while and at the end of June this year I have finally sorted out a sea kayaking course in Achiltibuie with some friends. We are going to be taught by NorWest Sea Kayaking of Lochinver and I’m really looking forward to it – especially after seeing this video and their encounter with a basking shark…

I wanted to share a recommendation for a book I’m currently reading – At the Loch of the Green Corrie by Andrew Greig. It is the tale of Andrew’s quest to find and fish a hill loch between Lochinver and Kylesku in Assynt.

The story begins with a description of Andrew’s long term friendship with the poet Norman MacCaig who he visits infrequently over the years in his Edinburgh flat. As Norman’s health declines they talk about their respective travels and favourite places in the world. Increasingly Norman’s tales centre on his time in Assynt & trips he made there with friends to walk and fish.

On what turns out to be his final visit Norman says that after he is gone he would like Andrew to:

“fish for me at the Loch of the Green Corrie. Only it’s not called that. But go to Lochinver and ask for a man called Norman MacAskill, if he likes you he may tell you where it is. If you catch trout, I shall be delighted. And if you fail, then looking down from a place in which I do not believe, I shall be most amused“.

Rarely have I enjoyed a book so much. Andrew’s descriptions of the NW Highlands, friendship, poetry, fishing, travel, geology, the highland clearances and the general reflections of age intertwine smoothly to make a great read.

I really recommend you buy a copy – link to the page on Amazon here (although I’m sure it is also stocked in all the local bookshops and I know that Andrew will be one of the featured authors at next month’s Ullapool Book Festival).

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I’m just back from opening up the house for the season. There was a real feeling of spring in the air after a long and hard winter.

In the house we leave a visitors book with comments and tips from previous holiday-makers. It is always good to catch up with what people have been doing and the walks, restaurants and beaches they have discovered.

Here are a couple of comments from 2009. Others can be found on this page.

“Delightful location with views reminiscent of the Aegean.”

“Walked up to Kirkaig Falls. The kids loved it and at the end of the walk we dipped our hot & tired feet in the cool stream by the car park – bliss!”

“Great weeks holiday – fantastic weather. Surfing, swimming, otter spotting, beach BBQ’s… We loved the views over the islands from the front terrace.”

“The house is perfect. It has everything you need without any flashiness. It respects its own history and is spacious and very comfortable.”

“Lovely week with good weather – we swam three times in stunning and warm seas – particularly recommend Achinver Bay.”

“Soaked up the stillness and isolation – we had a fantastic time.”

“Amazing beaches. Achnahaird in particular – the sand is perfect for sandcastles with our kids.”

“Thank you for the use of your house – we had a lovely week.”

Bookings have been strong for 2010 but there are still some prime weeks available. If you’re interested in a holiday in renting a self catering holiday house in Achiltibuie this year you can find details for Greenhill by clicking the link.

When you visit Achiltibuie and have a fine day I strongly recommend that you take a trip around the Summer Isles on the MV Hectoria. The trips take around 3 1/2 hours and includes a stop on Tanera.

There’s lots of amazing wildlife and rock formations to see around the islands. The views back towards the mainland and across Loch Broom & the Minch are spectacular.

I found one holiday-maker’s video on YouTube that will give you a great impression of what to expect.

The Ullapool Book Festival was launched in May 2005 and has grown to become a well established and well attended annual event. This year’s festival takes place in Ullapool Village Hall from Friday 7th May – Sunday 9th May.

There are sessions covering fiction, storytelling, non-fiction, poetry, writing workshops and a ‘one-woman’ show.

Fiction writers attending include: Iain Banks, Ron Butlin, Regi Claire, Jason Donald, Anne Donovan, Ian Finlay Macleod, Kevin MacNeil, Andrea McNicholl and James Robertson.

Full details of the festival, together with information about how to get tickets can be found on the festival website.