Once the stone gate house for the Duke of Argyll’s shooting lodge, Ardfenaig Lodge has been lovingly renovated and extended as a self catering cottage accommodating six guests. Great attention to detail and a passion for preserving original features has resulted in a comfortable and luxurious cottage that will make for cherished memories of your stay on the magical Isle of Mull.
Situated along the shore of Loch Caol in 30 acres of forest, lawn, garden and moors, the Lodge is surrounded by natural beauty, abundant wildlife and a great variety of birds. A large deck overlooking Loch Caol invites you to linger, marvelling at the quality of the light and the peace and stillness surrounding you. A picnic table for al fresco dining is at the centre. The deck is off a sunroom with floor to ceiling windows and two comfortable club chairs perfect for reading a good book or just taking in the view. The dining area is located there and opens onto the kitchen that features a Rangemaster Classic range cooker and everything needed to prepare hearty Highland fare after a day of walking, exploring or just relaxing.
The heart of the cottage is the large but cosy sitting room furnished with antiques and chairs and sofa upholstered in Ralph Lauren fabrics. A stone fireplace with multi-fuel stove rises to the vaulted and beamed ceiling. The sitting room also has a large flat screen television with SKY TV and a DVD player as well as an iPod dock. On the ground floor are two en suite bedrooms, one with a king sized bed and the other with twin beds whilst upstairs is another bedroom with two single built-in beds (one 2’6” wide and the other 3’) and an en suite shower room. Hair dryers are provided in all bedrooms. A laundry room with washer, dryer, airer, small Belfast sink and loo is also on the ground floor, and Wi-Fi broadband is available throughout the Lodge.
Our location is midway between two villages each with a well-stocked shop. Several good restaurants are located nearby including the nationally acclaimed Ninth Wave Seafood restaurant just over two miles away. And a bit farther down the road at the village of Fionnphort is the ferry to the historic Isle of Iona. Here in 563AD St. Columba landed from Ireland and established a monastery bringing Christianity to Scotland. Today there is the restored Abbey given life by an ecumenical community that live, work and worship within. The Abbey Church and cloisters are open to the public with tours provided throughout the day by Historic Scotland. The Abbey cemetery is the burial place of the Lords of the Isles and many of Scotland’s kings, and the ruins of the ancient nunnery are close by.
From Iona there are daily boats trips to the incredible Isle of Staffa where seabirds abound and friendly puffins fearlessly mix with visitors. Made entirely of hexagonally jointed basalt columns, Staffa is uninhabited and belongs to the National Trust for Scotland. Fingal’s Cave, an enormous sea cave, inspired the composer Mendelssohn to write his famous Hebrides Overture because of its large size and naturally arched roof and the eerie sounds produced by the echoes of the waves.
From the Lodge a turn in the opposite direction will take you to the village of Bunessan and beyond to the rest of Mull where you can explore castles, standing stones and stone circles, visit a sea eagle hide and stroll along the colourful harbour in Tobermory, the capital of Mull. A picnic on one of the many pristine white sand beaches is a favourite activity especially with children. Whether driving the scenic route to Salen along the Gribun Rocks and Loch Na Keal or through the moonscape scenery of Glen More, the views are astounding. Planning your outings is easy with the good selection of maps, booklets and information available at the Lodge.
Our hope is that your holiday here will far exceed your expectations and that you will return again to savour the freshness of the air, the clarity of the light, and enter into the quiet peacefulness of a bygone era here on the beautiful, unspoiled Isle of Mull.
