Edge of the Elements: Staying at Black h and Wood h

Skye’s western edge feels wilder somehow—less shaped, more elemental. Around Harlosh, the land folds quietly into the sea, scattered with low houses, distant islets, and broad, shifting skies. It’s not a place of grand arrivals but of gradual attention. You begin to notice things: the hush of wind across the loch, the angle of late sun on stone, the sudden, everyday presence of birds, clouds, waves. This is where Jason and Sarah Bold chose to build Black h and Wood h, two distinct but connected retreats made to open guests up to this part of Skye.

Black h and Wood h provide the walls and windows for the shelter and views you need on Skye’s seaswept and brilliantly scenic western coast. Wood h offers seascapes that reach beyond the Outer Hebrides to the edges of Britain. From inside Black h, you can experience sunrise and sunset. Depending on where you stand, you might be looking to the Cuillin mountains or Macleod’s Tables. “And Loch Bracadale wraps around us, offering views of Tarner and Wiay Islands,” says Jason Bold, who runs the Harlosh hideaways with his wife Sarah.

The couple first visited Skye over 20 years ago, when Sarah, from Australia, was homesick for the sea. “We hired a cottage not far from where Wood h now stands and loved it so much we kept coming back,” recalls Jason. Over the years, they saved to buy a small plot to build Wood h. While renting it out to pay for itself, they renovated a croft house to live in, and went on to build Black h, 14 miles further south.

Black h, ideal for couples, is a bespoke structure by local architects Dualchas, featuring clean, minimalist pieces – a sofa by Scottish designer Namon Gaston, “lovely small wooden stools” by Pinch, and “some gorgeous cups by Jono Smart to make your Birch coffee extra special”. Wood h, designed for families and small groups, interprets the traditional Scottish longhouse: timber clad, with a deck overlooking Loch Pooltiel, a “roaring fire for winter”, and a spacious dining table by &Tradition, lit by an original Tom Dixon copper light.

What are the must-do’s around Harlosh?

The coastal walk from Wood h to Neist Point – with only the Outer Hebrides between you and North America.
We also love the walk to Oronsay, across a coastal causeway near Ullinish, or for a day hike, out to Macleod’s Maidens from Orbost.
For something more challenging, our neighbour Skye Adventure offers coasteering.

When you stay, “it is amazing to notice your senses adjusting,” say Sarah and Jason. “Taking in the sound of silence, hearing birds and spotting dolphins. There is always something to see or absorb that is just not part of life in busier places.”