New: Electric Vehicle charger installed (7kW, AC, type 2)
Fìor Sgeir Cottage is a light, bright, modern holiday home on Sleat, the 'garden of Skye', in the Scottish Highlands. It is easily reached from the mainland via the Skye Bridge or the Mallaig-Armadale Ferry.
Designed for two people with a comfortable, restful interior and far-reaching mountain and sea views, the cottage provides the perfect haven for unwinding from life’s stresses and reconnecting with the natural world. It is ideal for nature lovers, writers, artists and outdoor enthusiasts, with opportunities for walking, climbing, kayaking, biking and fishing, whilst excellent pubs, restaurants and local facilities are available 8-12 miles away. Designed to high ecological standards (EPC rating 78), the cottage has an open-plan living-dining area that is flooded with light from floor-to-ceiling double-glazed windows and skylights. From here you can enjoy the view across Tokavaig Bay and the ruins of Dunscaith Castle to the magnificent Cuillin Mountains, and watch the sun set behind the islands of Canna and Rum. A wooden deck, accessed from the living room, provides a private, sheltered spot for sitting outside.
The cottage is warm and cosy in winter, with thermostatically controlled electric radiators and a wood-burning stove for extra ambiance. Underfloor heating keeps the bathroom toasty, and hot water is provided via an immersion heater and solar panels. The water supply is chlorine-free, Scottish hill water, pumped from a sealed private borehole that collects water from 35 m down in the rock. Water quality is tested annually to government Environmental Health standards.
For entertainment there is a CD player, iPod/iPhone docking station, and a TV with free-sat channels and DVD player. Choose from our selection of classic and modern DVDs, or curl up with a book from the cottage’s library. There are also games for rainy days, as well as maps and information on places to visit, things to do, restaurants, excursions and transport.
The kitchen is equipped with electric hob and oven, microwave, dishwasher and fridge with freezer compartment. There is a washer-dryer machine. The bathroom features a large bath with shower, heated towel rail, and non-slip ceramic floor tiles with under-floor heating.
The bedroom has a comfortable, medium-firm, super-king bed 180 cm wide and 200 cm long (6 foot wide, 6 foot 6 inches long) which can be converted to two single beds if required. We can provide separate single duvets or one super-king duvet, according to your preference.
There is a dedicated flat parking space next to the cottage. The cottage has its own electric vehicle charger for guests' use (7 kW, AC, with tethered type 2 (Mennekes) connection - suitable for overnight charging). The cottage is accessible for wheelchair users.
There is an EE mobile phone signal (4G contract phones); otherwise the nearest signal is 3 miles away. The cottage has wi-fi (slow download speed, but enough for emailing and internet surfing). There is a landline telephone. Calls made will be charged at the end of your stay. There is also wifi access at hotels, restaurants and other locations nearby.
We regret that pets are not allowed at the cottage.
The cottage is entirely non-smoking and non-vaping.
The owners, Dorothy and Andy, live next door to the cottage and are at hand to provide information and help if needed. Nous parlons Français. Wir sprechen Deutsch.
LOCAL INFORMATION
Fìor Sgeir (pronounced FEE-or skirr) Cottage is ten minutes’ walk from Tokavaig Bay, where lie the ruins of the oldest castle on the Isle of Skye, Dunscaith Castle (the Fort of Shadows). The castle was occupied by the MacAskills and the Macleods before it became the principal seat of the Macdonalds. Legend has it that Queen Sgàthaich built Dunscaith in one night and that here she taught the great Celtic hero, Cù Chulainn, the arts of war.
Ancient Atlantic oak woodlands with veteran oak trees, birch and hazel stands, and lush ferns, mosses and lichens, give Tokavaig its special character. Our croft, 300 metres up the road, encompasses part of this rare and wonderful habitat. We have begun a programme to restore the woodlands which have been damaged by overgrazing. Guests are welcome to walk on our croft and soak up the magical atmosphere of the gnarled trees, the ruined black-houses built by previous generations of crofters, and the nearby Bronze-age sites.
In the summer and autumn months, cattle roam across Tokavaig’s traditional crofting landscape. Red deer and pine martens live in the woods, and otters fish around the castle when the tide is right. At Tokavaig and nearby you can see golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, merlin, hen harrier, whooper swan, great northern diver, red-breasted merganser, turnstone and purple sandpiper as well as many other woodland birds, waders and wildfowl.
Tokavaig is one of four hamlets on the southern shores of Loch Eishort linked by a single-track road which loops across wild, heather-covered moorland with stunning views of the Cuillins and the Knoydart Hills along the way. The beach at Ord, one mile up the road, is perfect for launching canoes and kayaks, and three miles the other way you’ll get a lovely view of Tarskavaig’s neat houses and crofts nestling in a green hollow with the Cuillins beyond.
GETTING TO THE COTTAGE
The cottage is easily accessible by car from the Scottish mainland via the Skye Bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh, or two ferry services - the Caledonian MacBrayne service from Mallaig to Armadale, and a community-run, 6-car ferry with a manual turntable, from Glenelg to Kyleakin (Easter to October). Detailed directions will be provided on booking.
PROVISIONS
The nearest grocery store is 8 miles away in Armadale, so you may wish to arrive with provisions for the first day or two. You can also stock up at the Co-op and local shops in Mallaig (if coming by ferry), the Coops in Kyle of Lochalsh and Broadford, or the Armadale stores by the petrol station near the pier. More information will be provided on booking.
