Hill Cottage

Robbie and Fiona Mackay began work on their family croft at Port na Con in the mid-2000s and finished in 2010, after three harsh winters stalled the build on this exposed stretch of coast. What they created was worth the wait. Hill Cottage is a fan-shaped, single-storey retreat for two, its honey-coloured stone quarried from the croft itself and its curved form following the contours of the glacial landscape around it.

Inside, one light-filled open-plan space runs the length of the building, with oak-clad walls, heated floors and glazing that traces the curve from the kitchen through to the sitting area. The loch stays in view at the sink, at the specially commissioned dining table and from the oversized chairs beside the wood burning stove, which come upholstered in Anta tweed. Nothing here is off the peg. The 7ft feather-topped bed was made by an artist blacksmith from lacquered steel and leather, and it fills the bedroom behind a huge sliding door. The en-suite has a double walk-in shower lined in polished Caithness stone and a bath designed for two, with premium eco toiletries on the side.

There's a second bath, and it's the one guests write about. It sits outside on the stone patio, facing the water, with Ben Hope rising on the far shore. In winter, the Northern Lights turn up often enough that one couple from Sydney left a guestbook entry that simply read: beat that.

The eco credentials run deep. Sheep's wool insulation, a retaining wall of recycled tyre bales, solar collectors and the croft's own 6kW wind turbine mean Hill Cottage produces more energy than it uses. You'd never know from inside, where the underfloor heating holds a steady warmth whatever the weather is doing beyond the glass.