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A keeper's cottage and lighthouse stand together on a rocky headland overlooking the sea at Eilean Sionnach.
Sleat

Eilean Sionnach Lighthouse Cottage

For eight, with four bedrooms, firewood and room for the dog.

Licence HI-30580-F

Book on their website
Welcome

Eilean Sionnach, the Island of the Fox, is a private four-acre island just off Isleornsay, on the Sleat peninsula of Skye, and the keepers’ cottage beside Ornsay Lighthouse is let on its own.

Visited and photographed by Hidden Scotland

The Stevenson brothers built the cottage and the lighthouse in 1857, and the light, automated in 1962, still works. The owners’ skipper brings you over from the pier at Isleornsay in their open boat, with the transfers included in the price, and at low tide the sure of foot can walk across, which takes 20 to 30 minutes.

The cottage sleeps eight adults in four en-suite bedrooms: three have king-size beds, and the fourth, a little smaller, has a day bed that is often made up as a king. One bedroom, the Sedgwick Room, also has a roll-top bath. The lounge has a wood-burning stove, with the wood provided, the kitchen has a Smeg oven, a microwave, a dishwasher and an American-style fridge-freezer, and there is underfloor heating and superfast broadband but no television. Outside, you can look for life in the rock pools, fish off the rocks beyond the lighthouse, swim from the small bay in front of the cottage and watch for otters, seals, harbour porpoises and minke whales.

What is here

There are four en-suite bedrooms with showers, one with a roll-top bath as well, a wood-burning stove in the lounge, a kitchen with a Smeg oven, microwave, dishwasher and American-style fridge-freezer, underfloor heating, superfast broadband (not in the kitchen or the workshop), a speaker in the lounge, and a barbecue, fire pit and fire circle outside.

Wood for fires
Bath tub
Firepit
Barbecue
Board games
Books
Dishwasher
High chair
Travel cot
Underfloor heating
Wifi
Wood-burning stove
Good to know

The skipper takes you across from the pier at Isleornsay in the owners’ open boat, which carries four passengers plus luggage, so a larger party crosses in two trips; transfers on arrival and departure are included, and extra trips cost £50 each way.

Please arrive at 4pm where you can, because no boat can cross after dusk, which comes early in winter, and departure is at 10am. Getting down to the boat means a steep wooden stair down the side of the pier, which can be slippery, and you may have to clamber ashore onto slippery rocks; the owners say it has not been possible to make the island suitable for people with restrictive physical disabilities. There is space for one car at the pier. Up to two dogs are welcome from August to April only, to leave the nesting birds in peace, and they are asked to keep off the Island of Birds, the big rock off the island. There is no smoking inside the cottage. The first night is paid when you book and the balance six weeks before you arrive, with no refund for cancellations inside six weeks.

Dog friendly
Family Friendly
Parking
Wi-Fi
Where it is

Eilean Sionnach lies just off Isleornsay, a village on the Sleat peninsula in the south of Skye.

At high tide, when the wind direction is right, the crossing from the pier can take as little as two minutes; at low tide, or in certain sea conditions, the skipper takes a longer route and it takes 15 to 20 minutes. From the cottage, windows look across the Sound of Sleat. On the island, climb Mount Doglet, the little hillock beside the house, just before the light fades and watch Ornsay Light start blinking to its neighbour across the water at Sandaig. Am Praban, the bar at the Eilean Iarmain Hotel, is by the pier the boat leaves from, and at low tide you can walk across for a pint; An Crubh, a café and village shop, is within a couple of miles, and Kinloch Lodge and the Duisdale Hotel are close neighbours for lunch or dinner, though the boat cannot cross after dark, so winter meals out have to be lunches. The walk to Leitir Fura, a lost village in the woods, is about 4 miles and takes around two hours, and the Armadale ferry takes you over to Mallaig, for Morar.

Close by
  1. Café tables beneath a vaulted ceiling hung with hessian sacks and hills beyond the windowsAn CrùbhA café, shop, post office and hall built by the people of Camuscross and Duisdale, looking across the Sound of Sleat.1 mile 2 min by road
  2. A table set under a brass chandelier in a bay window over the sea loch at Duisdale.Duisdale HouseA Victorian mansion turned hotel on Sleat, facing the Sound of Sleat and Knoydart, with a two-AA-Rosette restaurant.1 mile 3 min by road
  3. Whisky barrels on grass before the Torabhaig distillery and pagoda roofTorabhaig DistilleryThe second licensed distillery in Skye's history, in a restored farm steading on the Sound of Sleat.4 miles 7 min by road
  4. Sheep grazing among ruined castle walls on a grassy coastal headlandKnock CastleThe ruin of Caisteal Chamuis, a MacLeod and then MacDonald castle, on a promontory over Knock Bay in Sleat.4 miles 8 min by road
  5. Otter Hide7 miles as the crow flies
  6. The Misty Bottle, a white cottage with an orange roof, a red phone box and an old green van outside, Breakish.The Misty Bottle ShopA bottle shop in Breakish's old post office, with Skye gin, Scottish whisky, organic wine and fresh beer on tap.9 miles 13 min by road
  7. A walker on a path above a loch beneath a steep mountain on the Skye Trail.Skye Trail with Thistle TrekkingA guided seven-day walk along the unmarked Skye Trail, from Broadford to Rubha Hunish, with Thistle Trekking: 127 km and nine days in all.9 miles 15 min by road
  8. Shopfront sign for The Selkie Collective, advertising ethical, sustainable products and giftsThe Selkie CollectiveA zero-waste shop in Broadford: refills of food, cleaning and body care, and ethical gifts from small Scottish makers.9 miles 16 min by road
Walks from here
  1. Leitir FuraLeitir Fura4½ miles, about three hours4 miles away
  2. Irishman's PointIrishman's Point2¼ miles, about an hour9 miles away
  3. The Point of SleatThe Point of Sleat5½ miles, about four hours12 miles away
  4. BoreraigBoreraigabout three hours to Boreraig and back; five to six for the full round by Suisnish12 miles away
  5. KyleakinKyleakinA mile, about half an hour15 miles away
Directions
Kinloch Lodge, Isle of SkyeSleatKinloch LodgePlace to stay · 3.6 miles
Stonechat Bothy, a timber-clad cabin with a grey corrugated roof, at the end of a grassy double track among birch, pine and rushes.DrumfearnStonechat BothySleeps 2 · 4.5 miles
Yellow kayak passes through a narrow rock cleft towards open waterAttractionsSouth Skye Sea Kayak5.2 miles
Bothan Beileag, Isle of SkyeHeastaBothan BeileagSleeps 2 · 5.2 miles
A timber shepherd's hut with a curved roof stands on a grassy slope, a bench and picnic table in front and hills rising behind.HeastaBothan BuidheagSleeps 2 · 5.2 miles
White tower buildings on a rocky headland above the seaAttractionsSabhal Mòr Ostaig – Gaelic College & Culture Centre5.7 miles
Ivy-covered ruined archway stands beside a crenellated stone castle under blue skyAttractionsArmadale Castle Gardens7.0 miles
A freestanding bath stands on a decked platform beside a red timber shed, potted plants and a wooden fence surrounding the garden.BroadfordPtarmigan CottageSleeps 2 · 8.4 miles
Cloud-capped mountain above a coastal village on the sea loch shoreAttractionsWaterloo Beach8.5 miles

Recommend to a friend

Days out from Eilean Sionnach Lighthouse CottageAll days out from here
  1. An evening at Isleornsay and supper in Bar Am PràbanAn evening at Isleornsay and supper in Bar Am PràbanHalf a mile away A few hours
  2. A walk to Leitir Fura in Kinloch ForestA walk to Leitir Fura in Kinloch Forest3 miles away A few hours
  3. A tour of Torabhaig DistilleryA tour of Torabhaig Distillery3 miles away A few hours
  4. Sleat: Armadale and the west loopSleat: Armadale and the west loop3 miles away A day out
  5. Knock Castle in Sleat and afternoon tea at DuisdaleKnock Castle in Sleat and afternoon tea at Duisdale3 miles away A day out
  6. A walk to Sandaig, Gavin Maxwell's CamusfeàrnaA walk to Sandaig, Gavin Maxwell's Camusfeàrna5 miles away A few hours
  7. Armadale Castle Gardens in SleatArmadale Castle Gardens in Sleat6 miles away A few hours
  8. Dunscaith Castle and lunch at An CrùbhDunscaith Castle and lunch at An Crùbh7 miles away A few hours
  9. The otter hide at KylerheaThe otter hide at Kylerhea8 miles away A few hours
  10. Broadford, Kylerhea and the Glenelg ferryBroadford, Kylerhea and the Glenelg ferry8 miles away A day out
  11. A walk to the cleared village of BoreraigA walk to the cleared village of Boreraig8 miles away A few hours
  12. A walk to Irishman's Point at BroadfordA walk to Irishman's Point at Broadford8 miles away A few hours
  13. A shore walk to Castle Moil at KyleakinA shore walk to Castle Moil at Kyleakin9 miles away A few hours
  14. The Mallaig Circular Walk and Loch an NostarieThe Mallaig Circular Walk and Loch an Nostarie10 miles away A few hours
  15. The boat to Inverie and a pint at the Old ForgeThe boat to Inverie and a pint at the Old Forge10 miles away A day out
  16. A wildlife cruise from MallaigA wildlife cruise from Mallaig10 miles away A few hours
  17. A Saturday night at the Chlachain Inn in MallaigA Saturday night at the Chlachain Inn in Mallaig10 miles away A few hours
  18. The Plock and the Kyle Station MuseumThe Plock and the Kyle Station Museum10 miles away A few hours
  19. Seaprobe Atlantis, the glass-bottom boat from KyleSeaprobe Atlantis, the glass-bottom boat from Kyle10 miles away A few hours
  20. Torrin Pools and a shore walk at WaterlooTorrin Pools and a shore walk at Waterloo10 miles away A few hours
  21. A walk to the Point of SleatA walk to the Point of Sleat11 miles away A few hours
  22. A walk to Camasunary Bay from KilmarieA walk to Camasunary Bay from Kilmarie11 miles away A few hours
  23. Loch Coruisk's seals by boat from ElgolLoch Coruisk's seals by boat from Elgol12 miles away A few hours
  24. Camusdarach and the Silver Sands of Morar: two beach walksCamusdarach and the Silver Sands of Morar: two beach walks13 miles away A few hours
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