Barn Owl Cottage

Barn Owl Cottage comes ready for self-catering: the kitchen has an electric cooker, dishwasher, microwave and washing machine, so you can prepare proper meals or handle laundry without fuss. Electricity, Wi-Fi, bed linen and towels are all included. There's a welcome pack on arrival, and a heated towel rail in the en-suite shower room, which also has underfloor heating.

The layout is straightforward—one open-plan living space with a 28-inch TV and DVD player, leading through French doors to a sandstone patio, lawn and garden furniture. The bedroom holds a kingsize bed. Everything is on the ground floor, accessible from an entrance porch; the garden can be reached by steps or a slope. Parking for two cars sits on the property. The cottage stands detached on a quiet rural lane, with open countryside stretching toward the hills, set in the owner's grounds with its own private garden.

This is genuine Highland country: the coastal villages of Portmahomack, Shandwick and Balintore, with their beaches and harbours, are a ten-minute drive away. You can walk to the shore at nearby Inver, or explore forest trails and mountain bike routes in the locality. The North Coast 500 scenic route passes close by. Smoking is not permitted indoors.