
The Hollies
For 18, with eight bedrooms, a games room and room for the dog. Two nights at least.
Licence AR-02204-F
Set on the shores of the Kyles of Bute, this handsome Victorian villa pairs elegant interiors and sweeping sea views with family-friendly features, playful touches, and access to Argyll’s wild coastal beauty.
The Hollies is a Victorian shorefront house on Shore Road in Tighnabruaich, looking over the Kyles of Bute in Argyll, less than two hours from Glasgow. It is let whole to groups of up to 18, in eight bedrooms, six of them en suite, with seven bathrooms. The owners grew up in 1980s Scotland and named every bedroom after a great Scottish band of the decade.
Inside there are a lounge with a gas fire, a dining room and a games room, with a 7ft pool table, an Xbox and a 65-inch HD Smart TV in the house, and a handmade kitchen with two fridges and two dishwashers. Outside, a large terrace has dining for 18, a Big Green Egg with a pizza stone, a fire pit and a table tennis table, and the garden holds what the owners believe is Scotland’s largest boulodrome.
Every stay starts with a hamper of local produce. A smaller group of up to 12 can take six rooms at 15% off in off-peak periods, and one small, well-behaved dog is welcome with prior approval.
A beautiful property with a real sense of fun.
The owners grew up in 1980s Scotland and named each of the eight bedrooms after a Scottish band of the decade; The Bluebells, The Proclaimers and The Waterboys are three of them.
Six of the eight have en-suite shower rooms, and the house has monsoon shower heads and under-floor heating. The bedrooms have Egyptian cotton linen.
Eight bedrooms, six with en-suite shower rooms, and seven bathrooms in all, with monsoon shower heads and under-floor heating.
- The house
- Eight bedrooms, six with en-suite shower rooms, for groups of 12 to 18.
- Arrival
- A welcome hamper of local produce.
- Outside
- A terrace with dining for 18, a Big Green Egg, a fire pit, table tennis and a boulodrome.
- Car
- An EV charger.
The Hollies is on Shore Road in Tighnabruaich (PA21 2BE), on the shorefront looking over the Kyles of Bute in Argyll and Bute.
The owners put it at less than two hours from Glasgow: 75 miles by road round Loch Lomond, over the Rest and Be Thankful and down the east shore of Loch Fyne, or 55 miles by the Gourock to Dunoon ferry, which needs no booking, and round the head of Loch Striven.
Getting hereOn the shorefront at Tighnabruaich, less than two hours from Glasgow.
The OystercatcherA bar and seafood restaurant on the shore of Loch Fyne at Otter Ferry, with a beach and moorings below.Half a mile 1 min by road
Kames villageA quiet shore village by the Kyles of Bute, south of Tighnabruaich, once home to a gunpowder trade.1 mile 3 min by road
The Coffee Bar at Hayshed GalleryArgyll Coffee Roasters' own coffee bar at the Hayshed Gallery near Tighnabruaich, open at weekends.4 miles 8 min by road
Kyles of Bute ViewpointA roadside layby above Caladh Harbour on the A8003, looking out over the Kyles of Bute.4 miles 7 min by road
Portavadie Ferry to TarbertThe short CalMac crossing of Loch Fyne between Cowal and Kintyre, turn up and go, about 25 minutes.4 miles 9 min by road
Kilbride Bay BeachA crescent of sand on Argyll's Secret Coast, reached through the dunes, with Arran filling the view.4 miles 13 min by road
Kilfinan Church and StonesA Cowal village by Loch Fyne whose 17th-century church keeps a vault of carved stones, from early Christian slabs to medieval grave slabs.8 miles 14 min by road
Bishop's GlenA reservoir in the hills just behind Dunoon, with a loop path round the water and a glen of waterfalls beyond it.25 miles 42 min by road
A walk to Kilbride Bay3 miles away A few hours
A walk through Glenan Wood to the lost village3 miles away A few hours
A spa day and a seaweed bath at Portavadie4 miles away A few hours
A drive along the Kyles of Bute and lunch at Portavadie4 miles away A few hours
Travelling the Kintyre Coastline7 miles away A day out
A walk up to Tarbert Castle above the harbour7 miles away A few hours
Spending a Day on the Isle of Bute8 miles away A day out
The Ardyne Trail and Toward Castle9 miles away A few hours
A walk round Skipness Castle, the chapel and the shore10 miles away A few hours
Castle Hill and West Bay in Dunoon13 miles away A few hours
Historic Kilmun and lunch on Loch Eck13 miles away A few hours
A walk round the south end of Bute to St Blane's13 miles away A few hours
The red deer of Lochranza14 miles away A few hours
A walk to Hutton's Unconformity at Lochranza14 miles away A few hours
A walk to the cup and ring rocks at Achnabreck14 miles away A few hours
A Lochranza Distillery tour and lunch at Casks Café14 miles away A few hours
A walk to Old Castle Lachlan from Inver14 miles away A few hours
Farland Point walk at Millport on Cumbrae16 miles away A few hours
Cumbrae by train and bike: the Largs ferry, the island road and Millport16 miles away A day out
The beaver loch walk at Barnluasgan in Knapdale16 miles away A few hours
Round Loch Coille-Bharr to the lost village of Kilmory Oib16 miles away A few hours
Gogo Glen and the Greeto Falls walk above Largs17 miles away A few hours
The Laird's Trail walk at Ardentinny beach17 miles away A few hours
A walk to the cleared village of Arichonan in Knapdale17 miles away A few hours
Scotland, in print.
We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.










