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A turreted white mansion with stepped gables and tall chimneys stands behind a low stone wall on a lawn.
Caithness

House of the Northern Gate

For 18, with nine bedrooms, firewood and room for the dog.

Licence HI-00003-REPC B

Book on their website
Welcome

House of the Northern Gate is a country house on the Dunnet Estate in Caithness, out on Dunnet Head, the northernmost point of mainland Britain, and it’s let to one group of up to 18 at a time.

Building began in 1894. In 2018 the Dunnett family, whose ancestors left the village over 200 years ago, bought it and spent three years restoring it with local craftspeople.

There are nine bedrooms, seven of them en suite, among them Bushta, a king room with a four-poster and, in the turret, a bath and a separate shower. Downstairs you’ll find a living room with a wood-burning stove, a library of books in English and French, a dining room that seats 20, a movie room and a kitchen with three ovens and a five-ring hob. There’s a gym beside the house, and Peedie Sands, the estate’s own secluded beach, is a short stroll downhill.

Today we share the house with our guests and hope they come to love the Dunnet estate as much as we do.
The Dunnett family
What is here

Nine bedrooms, seven en suite (Stroma and St John’s share a bathroom), with Egyptian cotton linen and bathrobes, and an accessible downstairs bathroom with a shower.

Wood for fires
Bath tub
EV charging point
Cinema room
Accessible bathroom
Alternative brew methods
Baking equipment
Board games
Books
Dishwasher
Gym
High chair
Kitchen
Rainfall shower
Travel cot
Washing machine
Wood-burning stove
Good to know
Exclusive use
Let to one group at a time.
Sleeps
Up to 18, in nine bedrooms.
Inside
A movie room and a study, with a gym next to the house.
Outside
A beach on the estate, sheltered bays for swimming, and surf at Dunnet Bay.
Where it is

The house stands at the southern end of the Dunnet Estate, on Dunnet Head in Caithness, with Dunnet Bay to the west, the Pentland Firth to the east and St John’s Loch and Dunnet village to the south.

Its address is Dunnet Estate, Thurso, KW14 8AF. Guests usually arrive from Inverness or Wick airports, and transfers can be arranged from either.

Getting hereAt the edge of Dunnet Head, on the north coast of Caithness.

Close by
  1. A surf lesson on Dunnet beach seen from the air, learners on boards in the white water along the long sands.Surfing in CaithnessUnder half a mile 2 min by road
  2. Waves roll onto a sandy beach beneath a headland dotted with housesDunnet Beach2 miles 5 min by road
  3. Castletown Chip Shop, tel 01847 821778, on a quiet street cornerCastletown Chip Shop4 miles 9 min by road
  4. Sheer cliffs edge grassy headland above churning grey seaDunnet Head5 miles 11 min by road
  5. White lighthouse tower with black lantern room rising behind a stone wallDunnet Head Lighthouse6 miles 12 min by road
  6. Turreted sandstone castle with crenellated walls and tall chimneys under grey skiesCastle & Gardens of Mey7 miles 16 min by road
  7. Olive café frontage with dark timber cladding and a street lamp beside itOliveOlive calls itself ‘a shop within a shop’: an informal coffee shop and dining space.10 miles 19 min by road
  8. A sea-view room at The View in Thurso, a bed with a mustard headboard facing tall windows over the bay.The View, Thurso10 miles 21 min by road
Walks from here
  1. Dunnet BayDunnet Bay2 miles, about 1.5 km (1 mile) each way, 3 km (nearly 2 miles) there and back by our map along the sand, from the Seadrift visitor centre to the Burn of Midsand, the stream that crosses the sand mid-bay. Level, with no path on the sand. No source gives a time for this walk2 miles away
  2. St John's PointSt John's Point1¾ miles, about two hours7 miles away
  3. Duncansby HeadDuncansby Head3½ miles, about 3 km each way, 6 km (3.7 miles) there and back, by the John o' Groats community site. No source gives a time for this walk. Foreshore and grassy clifftop, boggy in places, rising to about 50 m at the lighthouse car park by our reading of the heights12 miles away
  4. Holborn HeadHolborn Head4 miles, about two hours11 miles away
Directions
Bedroom with oak furniture, purple throws and a cast-iron fireplaceAttractionsPennyland House10 miles
Couple stand outside The Captain's Galley Seafood Restaurant beneath a hillsideRestaurantsThe Galley, Scrabster12 miles
AttractionsThurso Golf Club12 miles
John O'Groats signpost showing Edinburgh 273m and Orkney 8m beside a turreted white buildingAttractionsJohn o' Groats12 miles
Whisky shelves and a fridge beside signs for Café Groats and Ready To EatAttractionsThe Storehouse13 miles
Grassy dunes overlook a curved sandy beach with rocky cliffs beyondAttractionsBay of Sannick13 miles
Jagged sea stacks rise from the water beside grassy coastal cliffsAttractionsDuncansby Head14 miles
Forss House from the air, a white house among woods on a loop of the River Forss, fields and the sea beyond.AttractionsForss House Hotel15 miles
Sandstone facade of the Ulbster Arms Hotel with white bay windows and chimneysRestaurantsUlbster Arms Hotel16 miles

Recommend to a friend

Days out from House of the Northern GateAll days out from here
  1. Dunnet Bay Distillery, the home of Rock Rose ginDunnet Bay Distillery, the home of Rock Rose ginHalf a mile away A few hours
  2. A surf lesson at Dunnet BayA surf lesson at Dunnet Bay1 mile away A few hours
  3. Dunnet Bay walk: the sands and the community forestDunnet Bay walk: the sands and the community forest1 mile away A few hours
  4. Dunnet Beach and lunch in CastletownDunnet Beach and lunch in Castletown1 mile away A day out
  5. Dunnet Community Forest with the childrenDunnet Community Forest with the children2 miles away A few hours
  6. A wood-fired sauna at Castletown Beach, Dunnet BayA wood-fired sauna at Castletown Beach, Dunnet Bay2 miles away A few hours
  7. Dunnet Head and lunch at the Northern SandsDunnet Head and lunch at the Northern Sands3 miles away A few hours
  8. Dunnet Head's seabird cliffsDunnet Head's seabird cliffs3 miles away A few hours
  9. The Castle of Mey, its walled garden and teaThe Castle of Mey, its walled garden and tea5 miles away A few hours
  10. A family swim in Thurso and the North Coast Visitor CentreA family swim in Thurso and the North Coast Visitor Centre6 miles away A few hours
  11. Stromness for the day, by the ferry from ScrabsterStromness for the day, by the ferry from Scrabster6 miles away A day out
  12. A walk to St John's Point and lunch at Annie's BakeryA walk to St John's Point and lunch at Annie's Bakery7 miles away A few hours
  13. A clifftop walk round Holborn HeadA clifftop walk round Holborn Head7 miles away A few hours
  14. A Wolfburn Distillery tour in ThursoA Wolfburn Distillery tour in Thurso7 miles away A few hours
  15. An evening by the River Thurso and a dram at the Ulbster ArmsAn evening by the River Thurso and a dram at the Ulbster Arms9 miles away A few hours
  16. A Pentland Firth wildlife cruise from John o' GroatsA Pentland Firth wildlife cruise from John o' Groats11 miles away A few hours
  17. The shore walk from John o' Groats to Duncansby HeadThe shore walk from John o' Groats to Duncansby Head11 miles away A few hours
  18. Keiss Castle and Castle Sinclair GirnigoeKeiss Castle and Castle Sinclair Girnigoe11 miles away A few hours
  19. A cliff-top walk from Nybster Broch to Keiss CastleA cliff-top walk from Nybster Broch to Keiss Castle11 miles away A few hours
  20. Duncansby Stacks and lunch at Café GroatsDuncansby Stacks and lunch at Café Groats12 miles away A few hours
  21. Reiss Sands with the dog and lunch at Puldagon FarmReiss Sands with the dog and lunch at Puldagon Farm13 miles away A few hours
  22. A walk to Castle Sinclair Girnigoe on Noss HeadA walk to Castle Sinclair Girnigoe on Noss Head15 miles away A few hours
  23. A family swim at the East Caithness Community Facility in WickA family swim at the East Caithness Community Facility in Wick16 miles away A few hours
  24. Wick Heritage Centre and lunch at No 1 BistroWick Heritage Centre and lunch at No 1 Bistro16 miles away A few hours
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