The Loch Fleet Hideaway

Rooms

The cabin is open-plan, with an L-shaped living area, the bed at the back, and the kitchen and lounge at the front. Picture windows face the covered deck and reveal sweeping saltmarsh views. The surprisingly sleek bathroom is enclosed, clad in dramatic black Caithness stone and wood, with piles of fluffy white towels. There's a ladder up to a small mezzanine with a queensize bed for kids (toddlers are allowed but parents should take extra caution) and a stargazing velux window.

It might be off-grid, but it's been expertly handcrafted by Boban. The kitchen units are made from honey-hued sycamore felled in Dunrobin Castle's grounds (and replaced with indigenous Scottish trees), while the interior walls are warm terracotta-toned chipboard. The mid-century style sofa is chic, and local artworks adorn the walls. A roaring fire in the large wood-burning stove heats the hut and hot water. It's the best of both worlds: you can go full digital detox but there is a TV and WiFi if you want to stay connected.

Features include:

• Coffee / tea making
• Fireplace
• Hairdryer
• Minibar
• Radio
• Toiletries
• TV
• Washing machine
• WiFi

Eating

The kitchen is well-kitted out (with a wood-fired stove and hot plate and separate gas rings), but a delicious gourmet breakfast is delivered in a wicker basket – with fresh flowers. Think crispy bacon, roasted tomatoes, free-range eggs (from their hens), a warm baguette and homemade scones wrapped in a cloth, fresh fruit, muesli and organic yoghurt. You'll find a range of kitchen staples awaiting you, such as tea, coffee, sugar, milk, salt, pepper, oil, pasta and rice.

In the nearby village of Golspie, there's a fishmonger along with The Trawler, for sustainably-sourced haddock (battered, breaded or in gluten-free batter) and chips, fish cakes and scampi. At Capaldi's ice-cream parlour, scoop up Belgian chocolate rum truffle, cinnamon latte and after-dinner mint along with more traditional flavours. Or head to Dornoch, where you'll find a local farm butcher's (their own lamb, beef and turkey) as well as The Courtroom, an industrial-chic bar and brasserie dishing up hand-dived Orkney scallops and local game.

Features include:

• Barbecue
• Breakfast
• Chef on request
• Coffee maker
• Dishwasher
• Fridge
• Hob or stove
• Kitchenette
• Organic produce
• Oven
• Toaster

Activities

• You can just hole up here. There are walks from the door through the coastal reserve, a tidal basin fringed by fragrant pine forest and peppered with wildlife-watching hides, and mountain bikes to borrow
  
• Spot wildlife on the mudflats – keep your eyes peeled for waders in winter (curlews, oystercatchers, dunlin and herons), as well as cormorants, buzzards and osprey, and seals basking on the sandbanks
  
• There are also hills to climb (Ben Bragghie), beaches to comb (Golspie has a long sweep of golden sand), and whisky distilleries if you fancy a dram (Clynelish the closest)
  
• Fairytale Dunrobin Castle is pure Disney, more grand chateau than forbidding fortress, with elegant formal gardens to wander
  
• Picture-postcard pretty Dornoch is just a 15-minute drive south, with its wild, dune-backed beach and 13th-century cathedral
  
• The northeast coast is home to a number of legendary golf courses: Golspie (James Braid-designed), Brora and Royal Dornoch

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Birdwatching
• Boat trips
• Cycling
• Golf
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Mountain biking
• Plantlife / flora
• Swimming
• Wildlife

Kids

This is a wonderful place to allow your kids to run wild over the salt marsh and in the surrounding woodland. It's all big open spaces and freedom. Boban and Lizzie have two small children and a big, friendly dog. The whole set-up feels laid-back, relaxed and child-friendly. Nearby there are plenty of bucket-and-spade beaches.

Best for:

All ages

Family friendly accommodation:

There's a double bed up a ladder in the eaves for children.

Distances:

• Airport: 1hr 15m (Inverness)
• Hospital: 5 minutes
• Shops: 5 minutes

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

The Loch Fleet Hideaway is in the Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve, close to the Loch and the coast. It's a 10-minute drive from the village of Golspie, in Sutherland, in the Highlands of Scotland.

By Air:
Inverness Airport (1-hour drive) is the closest, with flights from around the UK.

By Train:
Golspie railway station (5-minute drive) has trains to Inverness (2 hours).

By Car:
It's easiest to arrive by car. There's a parking spot behind the cabin. Edinburgh and Glasgow are a 4-hour drive south, Inverness 1 hour south.

Detailed directions will be sent when you book through i-escape.