Cottages near Assynt, Drumbeg and Lochinver Sutherland, Highlands of Scotland

Luxurious family friendly self-catering holiday houses

A very special place staycation amongst rugged and remote Scottish landscape in an idyllic West coast village with award-winning deli, a pub, restaurant and tea garden. Turquoise sea and white sandy beaches along the 14 mile coastal drive between Drumbeg and Lochinver.

Often described as 'the last great wilderness in Europe', the west coast of Sutherland is one of the Highlands' best kept secrets, a truly magical landscape of majestic mountains, trout-filled lochs and white sandy beaches. Take one of the many peat tracks into the hills and you will find yourself able to walk for miles in seclusion with only the highland cows, red deer and eagles for company. Drumbeg is a hamlet of some 40 residents which the Sunday Times has praised as being 'as close to the idyll of a west coast village as you are likely to find.'

Loch Drumbeg has A pebble beach while there are a number of beaches with white sand and swimmer friendly turquoise waters along the 14 mile coastal drive between Drumbeg and Lochinver, listed in Peter Irvine's Scotland The Best as one of the 20 most scenic routes in Scotland. Drumbeg itself boasts an award-winning deli as well as a pub, restaurant and tea garden. In the much larger village of Lochinver you will find a bank, a post office and a number of restaurants including one with a Michelin star - the most northerly eatery in the UK to receive this accolade.

Throughout the summer there is a full programme of ranger-guided events which take place in the Drumbeg area: regular favourites include 'The Old Man of Stoer', 'The Drumbeg Peat Road Walk', 'Clachtoll Sand Sculpture Competition', 'Achmelvich Coastal Walk', 'In search of Black Throated Divers' and 'Whale and Dolphin watching at Stoer Lighthouse'. Bird watchers will want to visit nearby Handa Island, perhaps fitting in a visit to the highest waterfall in Britain along the way. Also in the summer, the Assynt Highland Games are held in Lochinver during August.

For nature lovers, you may be fortunate enough to see an otter or a pine marten and Glencorse's visitor guide will tell you where to find the nearby seal colonies: also you are sure to see some badgers during your stay in area!