Maison entière
A-Listed Nine-Bedroom Highland Mansion on the Beach sleeping up to 17 guests
Galerie de photos de l’hébergement A-Listed Nine-Bedroom Highland Mansion on the Beach sleeping up to 17 guests
Maison entière
9 chambres6 salles de bain17 personnes
Commodités populaires
- SécheuseSécheuse
- LaveuseLaveuse
- BarbecueBarbecue
- Animaux de compagnie acceptésAnimaux de compagnie acceptés
- CuisineCuisine
- Espace extérieurEspace extérieur
Explorez la région
Balnakeil, SCT
- Balkaniel Beach (plage)5 min à pied
- Smoo Cave (grotte)4 min en voiture
- Durness Beach (plage)9 min en voiture
À propos de cet hébergement
Hébergement entier
Vous aurez la maison entière pour vous et ne la partagerez qu’avec d’autres voyageurs de votre groupe.
A-Listed Nine-Bedroom Highland Mansion on the Beach sleeping up to 17 guests
Balnakeil House is an A-listed nine-bedroom highland mansion which sleeps up to 17. Now fully restored it has been sympathetically refurbished to provide a unique and luxurious experience.
The setting is magical, all rooms have spectacular sea or mountain views. Step out the back door and onto the mile and a half long white sandy beach of Balnakeil Bay. Step into a timeless décor of earthy colours in sympathy with the surroundings, solid wooden furniture and heated slate floors, lovely muted plaids and tweeds from Anta.
Enter to find the superbly equipped kitchen with an Aga at one end, and a stove at the other separated by a 4.5m long oak table, it makes the perfect spot to gather and socialise whilst preparing and enjoying meals.
A games room with a pool table, board games, books, DVDs, stove, a comfy sofa and a flat screen TV will keep the young at heart entertained, whilst those requiring quieter moments can rest in the sumptuous drawing room upstairs, with a fantastic view over the beach, before all joining up for dinner in the breathtaking dining room.
The nine bedrooms are welcoming and exceptionally comfortable, with crisp white linen over memory foam mattresses.
A maximum of two dogs are welcome. The property has a strict pet policy, please enquire on booking.
The History of Balnakeil House
It is believed that building of the original Balnakeil House was begun around 1642 and it was then rebuilt c. 1744 and extended a few times in the 1800's, but there is no known authoritative work documenting this.
Balnakeil House was built by the Mackay chiefs as a family mansion on the site of an earlier building which had at one time been the summer palace of the medieval Bishops of Caithness. There is little by way of contemporary documentation on the building itself but plenty of stories about the place and its inhabitants. The first occupant of the rebuilt mansion, Donald, son of the third Lord Reay was, according to poet Rob Donn, "the apex of society and entertainment, of the men of poetry and of music". In 1740, the minister in the nearby manse, the Rev Murdo Macdonald, wrote in his diary that he couldn't concentrate on composing his Sunday sermons for all the merrymaking going on at the house on Saturday evenings!
From the early 1800s Balnakeil was occupied by the sheep farm tenant, beginning with John Dunlop. The last occupants were the previous farm manager and his family, the Andersons. Balnakeil House has lain empty since 1992.
Melness-based author Mary Beith has written: "By the end of the seventeenth century, the Reay Forest, including Glen Golly, had been subject to Sutherland's [sic] earliest and least publicised clearance when a chief of Mackay moved the people to Eddrachillis in the west to make way for what may well have been, ironically, both the Highland's first purpose-planned sporting estate and one of the last resorts of a truly indigenous luxury lifestyle.
"At Balnakeil House in Durness, John, Lord of Mackay, held sway over what the historian Edward Cowan has called "an almost aggressively traditional household". When the then Lord Lovat visited John Mackay in 1669 there was hawking, hunting, sea fishing, archery, wrestling, feasting, music and dancing. Among other household retainers, Mackay had a piper, a harpist and an amadan (Gaelic: fool or jester). When he left, Lovat was showered with gifts a sheltie, guns, longbows, an antique sword, a pair of deerhounds, a silk plaid and a doublet and trews."
In his book "The world of Rob Donn" (Edinburgh, 1979, although a new edition has now been issued) Ian Grimble wrote: "Second in magnificence to the seat of the chief at Tongue stood his mansion in the far west. This ancient manor farm had been inhabited by the second Lord Reay while Tongue House was being rebuilt, and it was used besides as a hunting lodge for expeditions to the Reay Forest, as a granary the chief's western estates, and as the residence of his heir. Like Tongue House it remains exactly as Rob Donn saw it, though it has also lost all its eighteenth century furnishings." According to Dr Grimble, Balnakeil was built by the second Lord Reay who was educated in Denmark while his father was fighting with his clan regiment in the Thirty Years' War, "and it may not be fanciful to see in its architecture the influence of the Danish manor-farm".
Another story related by Ian Grimble tells how the wife of a Mackay chief, a Sutherland by birth, helped save Kenneth Sutherland, an army deserter who had fled to Durness during or shortly after the 1745 rebellion. A detachment of troops caught up with him at Balnakeil. "Whether by accident or design, Kenneth Sutherland did not choose one of the doors leading to the ground-floor premises when he bolted through the garden and across the court. He chose the entrance which took him to these narrow stairs. At the head of them can still be seen the little closet beside the panelled reception room into which Lady Reay pushed her clansman in his extremity. She then welcomed his pursuers as they tumbled up the stairs, ushering them into the great room beyond Kenneth's hiding place. She ordered drink for them; she summoned the women who were working about the premises and improvised a dance."
"There was a lady beside the threshold / Standing there, alert, formidable. / I don't know the pass / He went out by, on my life / But between the woman's legs, / Without bonnet or weapons, / Very near the fissure where he was born, / There he made his escape." The double entendre got lost in the translation, apparently.
"Lady Reay's resourcefulness in smuggling the deserter to safety down that narrow staircase beneath a woman's skirts was not the only theme she provided for Rob Donn," Dr Grimble commented.
Balnakeil House was listed in 1971 by Historic Scotland as a category "A" building, which makes it of national importance, placing it in the top seven-and-a-half per cent of listed buildings. The escription reads: "1744. Two storey and attic, symmetrical U-plan house; four centre bays, rojecting outer wings with 3-bay inner faces to small paved court; two first floor and small attic windows only in south facing outer gabled wings. All harled, with polished ashlar margins and dressings." The interior is a mixture of original features and nineteenth century alterations and decoration (wood panelling etc.). The walled garden is dated 1863.
Works on the House started in late 2009, following lengthy discussions with Historic Scotland, and the house has now been sympathetically refurbished to form a comfortable large house.
Elliot Houses look forward to welcoming you to Balnakeil House!
The setting is magical, all rooms have spectacular sea or mountain views. Step out the back door and onto the mile and a half long white sandy beach of Balnakeil Bay. Step into a timeless décor of earthy colours in sympathy with the surroundings, solid wooden furniture and heated slate floors, lovely muted plaids and tweeds from Anta.
Enter to find the superbly equipped kitchen with an Aga at one end, and a stove at the other separated by a 4.5m long oak table, it makes the perfect spot to gather and socialise whilst preparing and enjoying meals.
A games room with a pool table, board games, books, DVDs, stove, a comfy sofa and a flat screen TV will keep the young at heart entertained, whilst those requiring quieter moments can rest in the sumptuous drawing room upstairs, with a fantastic view over the beach, before all joining up for dinner in the breathtaking dining room.
The nine bedrooms are welcoming and exceptionally comfortable, with crisp white linen over memory foam mattresses.
A maximum of two dogs are welcome. The property has a strict pet policy, please enquire on booking.
The History of Balnakeil House
It is believed that building of the original Balnakeil House was begun around 1642 and it was then rebuilt c. 1744 and extended a few times in the 1800's, but there is no known authoritative work documenting this.
Balnakeil House was built by the Mackay chiefs as a family mansion on the site of an earlier building which had at one time been the summer palace of the medieval Bishops of Caithness. There is little by way of contemporary documentation on the building itself but plenty of stories about the place and its inhabitants. The first occupant of the rebuilt mansion, Donald, son of the third Lord Reay was, according to poet Rob Donn, "the apex of society and entertainment, of the men of poetry and of music". In 1740, the minister in the nearby manse, the Rev Murdo Macdonald, wrote in his diary that he couldn't concentrate on composing his Sunday sermons for all the merrymaking going on at the house on Saturday evenings!
From the early 1800s Balnakeil was occupied by the sheep farm tenant, beginning with John Dunlop. The last occupants were the previous farm manager and his family, the Andersons. Balnakeil House has lain empty since 1992.
Melness-based author Mary Beith has written: "By the end of the seventeenth century, the Reay Forest, including Glen Golly, had been subject to Sutherland's [sic] earliest and least publicised clearance when a chief of Mackay moved the people to Eddrachillis in the west to make way for what may well have been, ironically, both the Highland's first purpose-planned sporting estate and one of the last resorts of a truly indigenous luxury lifestyle.
"At Balnakeil House in Durness, John, Lord of Mackay, held sway over what the historian Edward Cowan has called "an almost aggressively traditional household". When the then Lord Lovat visited John Mackay in 1669 there was hawking, hunting, sea fishing, archery, wrestling, feasting, music and dancing. Among other household retainers, Mackay had a piper, a harpist and an amadan (Gaelic: fool or jester). When he left, Lovat was showered with gifts a sheltie, guns, longbows, an antique sword, a pair of deerhounds, a silk plaid and a doublet and trews."
In his book "The world of Rob Donn" (Edinburgh, 1979, although a new edition has now been issued) Ian Grimble wrote: "Second in magnificence to the seat of the chief at Tongue stood his mansion in the far west. This ancient manor farm had been inhabited by the second Lord Reay while Tongue House was being rebuilt, and it was used besides as a hunting lodge for expeditions to the Reay Forest, as a granary the chief's western estates, and as the residence of his heir. Like Tongue House it remains exactly as Rob Donn saw it, though it has also lost all its eighteenth century furnishings." According to Dr Grimble, Balnakeil was built by the second Lord Reay who was educated in Denmark while his father was fighting with his clan regiment in the Thirty Years' War, "and it may not be fanciful to see in its architecture the influence of the Danish manor-farm".
Another story related by Ian Grimble tells how the wife of a Mackay chief, a Sutherland by birth, helped save Kenneth Sutherland, an army deserter who had fled to Durness during or shortly after the 1745 rebellion. A detachment of troops caught up with him at Balnakeil. "Whether by accident or design, Kenneth Sutherland did not choose one of the doors leading to the ground-floor premises when he bolted through the garden and across the court. He chose the entrance which took him to these narrow stairs. At the head of them can still be seen the little closet beside the panelled reception room into which Lady Reay pushed her clansman in his extremity. She then welcomed his pursuers as they tumbled up the stairs, ushering them into the great room beyond Kenneth's hiding place. She ordered drink for them; she summoned the women who were working about the premises and improvised a dance."
"There was a lady beside the threshold / Standing there, alert, formidable. / I don't know the pass / He went out by, on my life / But between the woman's legs, / Without bonnet or weapons, / Very near the fissure where he was born, / There he made his escape." The double entendre got lost in the translation, apparently.
"Lady Reay's resourcefulness in smuggling the deserter to safety down that narrow staircase beneath a woman's skirts was not the only theme she provided for Rob Donn," Dr Grimble commented.
Balnakeil House was listed in 1971 by Historic Scotland as a category "A" building, which makes it of national importance, placing it in the top seven-and-a-half per cent of listed buildings. The escription reads: "1744. Two storey and attic, symmetrical U-plan house; four centre bays, rojecting outer wings with 3-bay inner faces to small paved court; two first floor and small attic windows only in south facing outer gabled wings. All harled, with polished ashlar margins and dressings." The interior is a mixture of original features and nineteenth century alterations and decoration (wood panelling etc.). The walled garden is dated 1863.
Works on the House started in late 2009, following lengthy discussions with Historic Scotland, and the house has now been sympathetically refurbished to form a comfortable large house.
Elliot Houses look forward to welcoming you to Balnakeil House!
Gestionnaire de l’hébergement
Liz Elliot from Elliot Houses
Langues
Anglais
Commodités de l’hébergement
Plage
- Au bord de la plage
- Serviettes de plage
Internet
- Disponible dans la maison : Wi-Fi gratuit
Stationnement et transport
- Stationnement
- Voiture requise
Cuisine
- Réfrigérateur
- Surface de cuisson
- Four à micro-ondes
- Four
- Lave-vaisselle
- Îlot de cuisine
- Grille-pain
- Essuie-tout
- Vaisselle et ustensiles
Restauration
- Table de salle à manger
Chambres
- 9 chambres
- Literie fournie
Salle de bain
- 6 salles de bain
- Papier de toilette
- Séchoir à cheveux
- Serviettes fournies
Espaces de séjour
- Coin salon distinct
- Coin cuisine distinct
- Poêle à bois
Divertissement
- Téléviseur
- salle d’arcade/salle de jeux
Espaces extérieurs
- Cour clôturée
- Barbecue
- Jardin
Buanderie
- Laveuse et sécheuse
Confort
- Chauffage
Animaux de compagnie
- Animaux de compagnie acceptés
- Nombre maximal d’animaux de compagnie : 2 par chambre
- Chiens acceptés uniquement
Accessibilité
- Hébergement non-fumeurs
Services et commodités
- Entretien ménager (sur demande)
- Fer et planche à repasser
Points forts de l’emplacement
- Au bord de la mer
- Dans les montagnes
- En zone rurale
- Dans un village
Activités
- Arcade ou salle de jeux sur place
- Golf sur place
- Privilèges de golf sur place (en option)
- Baignade à proximité
- Cyclisme à proximité
- Écotourisme à proximité
- Golf à proximité
- Observation d’oiseaux à proximité
- Parois d’escalade à proximité
- Pêche à proximité
- Sentiers de randonnée ou de vélo à proximité
- Spéléologie à proximité
- Vélo de montagne à proximité
Dispositifs de sécurité
- Présence d’un détecteur de monoxyde de carbone non signalée (L’hôte n’a pas indiqué s’il y avait un détecteur de monoxyde de carbone dans l’hébergement; envisagez d’apporter un détecteur portable.)
- Présence d’un détecteur de fumée non signalée (L’hôte n’a pas indiqué s’il y avait un détecteur de fumée dans l’hébergement.)
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10,0/10
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Politiques
Politiques
Arrivée
Arrivée à partir de 16 h
Âge minimal pour l’enregistrement : 21 ans
Départ
L’heure limite de départ est 10 h.
Instructions spéciales pour l’enregistrement
L’hôte vous enverra un courriel contenant les instructions relatives à l’arrivée et au départ.
Animaux de compagnie
Les animaux de compagnie sont autorisés.
Les animaux d’assistance sont acceptés et exempts de tous frais.
Chiens acceptés
Nombre maximal d’animaux de compagnie : 2 par chambre
Des restrictions s'appliquent. Pour en savoir plus, communiquez avec l'établissement au numéro figurant sur la confirmation de réservation.
Commentaire de l’hôte : The property has a strict pet policy.
Enfants et lits supplémentaires
Les enfants sont bienvenus.
Renseignements importants
Renseignements importants
À savoir
Des frais par personne supplémentaire peuvent s’appliquer et varient selon les politiques de l’établissement.
Une pièce d’identité avec photo émise par le gouvernement et un dépôt en espèces, une carte de crédit ou une carte de débit pour couvrir les frais accessoires peuvent être requis à l’arrivée.
Les demandes spéciales sont sujettes à la disponibilité au moment de l’enregistrement et peuvent entraîner des frais supplémentaires. Les demandes spéciales ne peuvent pas être garanties.
Les fêtes et les événements de groupe sont strictement interdits.
L’hôte n’a pas indiqué s’il y avait un détecteur de monoxyde de carbone dans l’hébergement; envisagez d’apporter un détecteur portable avec vous pendant le voyage.
L’hôte n’a pas indiqué s’il y avait un détecteur de fumée dans l’hébergement.
Cet établissement est géré par l’intérmediaire de notre partenaire Vrbo. Vrbo vous enverra un courriel contenant un lien vers un compte Vrbo qui vous permettra de modifier ou d’annuler votre réservation.
À noter
Une voiture est nécessaire pour accéder à l'établissement et pour se déplacer pendant le séjour.
À propos du quartier
Balnakeil
À Balnakeil, cette propriété de vacances se situe en zone rurale et sur la plage. Voici une attraction locale : Monument et jardin John Lennon Memorial Garden, et la beauté naturelle de la région peut être contemplée en visitant ces sites : Durness Beach (plage) et Balkaniel Beach (plage). La pêche et la natation offrent d'excellentes occasions de parcourir les cours d'eau de la région. Vous pouvez également partir à l'aventure en découvrant l’exploration de caverne et le cyclisme à proximité.
À proximité
- Balkaniel Beach (plage) - 5 min à pied
- Village artisanal Balnakeil - 9 min à pied
- Monument et jardin John Lennon Memorial Garden - 2 min en voiture
- Smoo Cave (grotte) - 4 min en voiture
- Durness Beach (plage) - 9 min en voiture
Restaurants
- Cocoa Mountain - 10 min à pied
- Sango Sands Oasis - 2 min en voiture
- Choraidh Croft - 12 min en voiture
- Meet and Eat - 11 min à pied
- The Durness Food Spot - 4 min en voiture
Foire aux questions
A-Listed Nine-Bedroom Highland Mansion on the Beach sleeping up to 17 guests accepte-t-il les animaux de compagnie?
Oui, cet hébergement accepte les chiens (limite de 2 par chambre).
À quelle heure est-il possible d'arriver à A-Listed Nine-Bedroom Highland Mansion on the Beach sleeping up to 17 guests ?
L’arrivée est possible à partir de 16 h.
À quelle heure doit s'effectuer le départ à A-Listed Nine-Bedroom Highland Mansion on the Beach sleeping up to 17 guests ?
Le départ est à 10 h.
Où se situe A-Listed Nine-Bedroom Highland Mansion on the Beach sleeping up to 17 guests ?
Balnakeil - propriété de vacances sur la plage se trouve à moins de 10 minutes de marche des sites suivants : Balkaniel Beach (plage) et Village artisanal Balnakeil. Durness Beach (plage) et Monument et jardin John Lennon Memorial Garden se trouvent également à moins de 3 km.
Avis
Note de 10 – Excellent, d’après 0 avis sur 0." "
10 – Excellent
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Note de 8 – Bien, d’après 0 avis sur 0." "
8 – Bien
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Note de 6 – Acceptable, d’après 0 avis sur 0." "
6 – Acceptable
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Note de 4 – Médiocre, d’après 0 avis sur 0." "
4 – Médiocre
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Note de 2 – Terrible, d’après 0 avis sur 0." "
2 – Terrible
0
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