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A gable-fronted white and stone house glows from within at dusk, its triangular glazed end lit against the darkening hillside.
Wester Ross

The Net Store

For four, with two bedrooms and firewood. Seven nights at least. Arrive from 4pm, leave by 10am.

Licence HI-10180-F

Book on their website
Welcome

The Net Store is a holiday house for four on the shore of Loch Beag at Ardheslaig, a small fishing village on the Applecross peninsula in Wester Ross.

It stands where Iona Drysdale’s grandfather, Malcolm Livingstone, kept his nets and brought his boat in, and it was built to look out across the Minch to the Hebrides, with the comings and goings of the village’s boats in the bay below.

Iona planned it with her uncle, a fisherman, and the site shaped it: white roughcast walls to match the old school next door, a house set into a face of Lewisian gneiss, and a tall gable window inspired by a Belgian barn and made to stand up to the Highland weather. Inside, one big open-plan room holds the kitchen, with Neff appliances and a Quooker tap, the dining table and the sitting room, where a wood-burning stove stands in front of that gable of glass.

The ground-floor bedroom has a superking that can be made up as twins, and the ground-floor bathroom has a steel bath and a walk-in waterfall shower. Upstairs there’s a king-size bedroom with its own en suite, and a big mezzanine with a desk for two and a leather sofa for three. Keep an eye on the water: the sheltered loch is a good place for otters, seals and seabirds, and there are binoculars in the house.

Good to know: stays are a week, Friday to Friday, with short breaks from November to February outside Christmas and New Year. Check-in is from 4pm and check-out by 10am. Parts of the house are less than 3m from a steep drop to the sea, so it isn’t suitable for children under ten, and there are no pets and no smoking. Iona and her husband Gordon live locally and are on hand during your stay.

The Net Store’s white gable stands on the shore at Ardheslaig above Loch Beag, with fishing boats moored in the bay at dusk.
I have always loved the quiet rhythm of life in Ardheslaig.
Iona Drysdale
Our interviewThe Net Store and Rhuroin: Two Houses by the Sea in ApplecrossRead our interview
What is here

An open-plan kitchen and sitting room with Neff appliances, a Quooker tap and a wood-burning stove, two bedrooms on Hypnos beds, a steel bath and a walk-in waterfall shower, a smart TV with Netflix, a Bluetooth speaker and Starlink wifi, and a utility room with a washing machine, tumble dryer and clothes pulley for drying wet gear.

Wood for fires
Bath tub
Private terrace or patio
Dishwasher
Dryer
Heated towel rail
Kitchen
Rainfall shower
TV
Underfloor heating
Washing machine
Wifi
Wood-burning stove
Good to know
Stays
A week, Friday to Friday; short breaks from November to February, not over Christmas and New Year.
Sleeps
Four, and no more.
Bedrooms
A superking or twin downstairs, and an en-suite king upstairs, all on Hypnos beds.
Children
Not suitable for children under ten: parts of the house are less than 3m from a steep drop to the sea.
Pets
No pets, and no smoking.
Included
Linen, towels, electricity, logs and kindling.
Charging
An outside three-pin socket for an electric car; leave cash for what you use, at 30p a unit.
Wifi
Starlink.
Utility room
Washer, dryer and a clothes pulley.
Getting there
About 70 miles from Inverness, which has the nearest airport; you need a car.
Where it is

The Net Store is in Ardheslaig, a small fishing village on the north shore of the Applecross peninsula, at the mouth of Loch Torridon in Wester Ross.

Shieldaig, round the coast, has Nanny’s Cafe for lunch and home baking and the Coastal Kitchen for dinner, and the Torridon Stores and Cafe sells groceries. If you’d rather cook, a mobile butcher and Loopy’s Fish Van both pass on a Tuesday, and will stop if you ask them in advance. Inverness, about 70 miles away, has the nearest airport. The owners, Iona and Gordon Drysdale, live nearby and are on hand during your stay.

Getting hereAt Ardheslaig on the Applecross peninsula, on Loch Beag.

Close byWhere Iona sends her guests.
  1. Nanny's CafeNanny's CafeBuilt on the site of the original village store, for light lunches and home baking.Shieldaig
  2. Shieldaig Bar & Coastal Kitchen, Wester RossThe Coastal KitchenOn Shieldaig's main street, pub or restaurant dining with views over the bay.Shieldaig
  3. Shieldaig Outdoor Adventures, Wester RossShieldaig Outdoor AdventuresFrom the Kayak Shack on Shieldaig pier, for anything from canoe hire up.Shieldaig
  4. Cold Paradise, Wester RossCold ParadiseA contemporary gallery in Shieldaig, showing artists and designers in dialogue with nature.Shieldaig
  5. The Torridon Stores & Cafe, Wester RossTorridon Stores and CafeJo makes lunches and baking, and sells groceries and books about the area.Torridon
  6. The Torridon, Wester RossThe TorridonThe 1887 restaurant, a beautiful setting for a fine dining dinner.Torridon
  7. Bo & Muc Brasserie, Wester RossBo & MucBeside the old stables, 100m from The Torridon, for something more casual.Torridon
  8. Gille Brighde Restaurant, Wester RossGille BrighdeAward-winning, at the end of the road in Diabaig.Diabaig
  9. Footprints in the sand along a curving bay with grassy dunes and distant cottagesSand BeachIona's favourite: a big sand dune, four miles north of Applecross, looking across the Inner Sound to Raasay and Skye.Near Applecross
  10. Applecross Inn, Isle of SkyeApplecross InnAt the heart of the village, generous pub food with views over the Inner Sound to Raasay and Skye.Applecross
  11. Cars parked at a roadside viewpoint amid moorland hillsThe Bealach na BàThe biggest road climb in the UK, from sea level to 626m, over Loch Kishorn to the Kintail mountains.18 miles 22 min by road
  12. Timber-clad Bealach Café and Gallery below snow-streaked mountains under blue skyThe Bealach CafeOver the pass, home baking, and local arts and crafts in its gallery.12 miles 14 min by road
  13. Kishorn Seafood Bar, Wester RossKishorn Seafood BarSouth of the Bealach Cafe, known for fresh, locally sourced shellfish.Kishorn
Walks from here
  1. ShieldaigShieldaig3½ miles, about three hours5 miles away
  2. The Falls of BalgyThe Falls of Balgy5 miles, about four hours8 miles away
Directions
A white two-storey house stands on a grassy point above a rocky shoreline, pine trees rising behind it at sunset.ShieldaigRhuroinSleeps 3 · 2.1 miles
Picnic tables and closed umbrellas outside Shieldaig Bar & Coastal Kitchen's yellow buildingAttractionsShieldaig5.0 miles
AttractionsBeinn Alligin - Tom na Gruagaich5.4 miles
A "Hidden treasure" information plaque overlooking Loch Torridon and the surrounding mountainsAttractionsLoch Torridon Viewpoint9.0 miles
Walker on a gravel track through a glen towards distant peaksAttractionsTorridon Giants Trek by Thistle Trekking13 miles
Red telephone box converted into a village book exchange, decorated with Saltire flags and buntingAttractionsKishorn Selfie Box14 miles
Hiker in red on a rocky outcrop above a winding glen roadAttractionsMeall Gorm Strathcarron18 miles
Bealach na Bà's hairpin road winds through the glen towards Loch KishornAttractionsBealach na Bà18 miles
Cars parked outside the Spar and Post Office in LochcarronAttractionsLochcarron18 miles

Recommend to a friend

Days out from The Net StoreAll days out from here
  1. A walk round the Shieldaig peninsulaA walk round the Shieldaig peninsula2 miles away A few hours
  2. A walk to the Falls of Balgy on Upper Loch TorridonA walk to the Falls of Balgy on Upper Loch Torridon5 miles away A few hours
  3. Exploring Northwestern Corners from Shieldaig to UllapoolExploring Northwestern Corners from Shieldaig to Ullapool5 miles away A day out
  4. A community sauna on the shore at ApplecrossA community sauna on the shore at Applecross8 miles away A few hours
  5. Pony trekking at Red Point, by GairlochPony trekking at Red Point, by Gairloch9 miles away A few hours
  6. A wood-fired sauna at Shieldaig Lodge, GairlochA wood-fired sauna at Shieldaig Lodge, Gairloch10 miles away A few hours
  7. Lunch at the Badachro Inn and Redpoint beachLunch at the Badachro Inn and Redpoint beach11 miles away A few hours
  8. A walk to the Victoria Falls on Loch MareeA walk to the Victoria Falls on Loch Maree12 miles away A few hours
  9. A wildlife cruise from Gairloch harbourA wildlife cruise from Gairloch harbour12 miles away A few hours
  10. Supper by the fire at the Old Inn in GairlochSupper by the fire at the Old Inn in Gairloch12 miles away A few hours
  11. A sea kayak on Loch CarronA sea kayak on Loch Carron12 miles away A few hours
  12. Gairloch Museum and the Flowerdale Glen waterfallGairloch Museum and the Flowerdale Glen waterfall13 miles away A day out
  13. Brochel Castle and Calum's Road walk, RaasayBrochel Castle and Calum's Road walk, Raasay14 miles away A day out
  14. A Daytrip Around the Applecross PeninsulaA Daytrip Around the Applecross Peninsula14 miles away A day out
  15. Attadale Gardens on Loch CarronAttadale Gardens on Loch Carron14 miles away A few hours
  16. Calum's seal trip from Plockton and Castle MoilCalum's seal trip from Plockton and Castle Moil14 miles away A day out
  17. Plockton, Eilean Donan and KylePlockton, Eilean Donan and Kyle14 miles away A day out
  18. A walk up the Beinn Eighe Mountain TrailA walk up the Beinn Eighe Mountain Trail15 miles away A few hours
  19. A walk down to Bearreraig BayA walk down to Bearreraig Bay17 miles away A few hours
  20. Inverewe Garden on Loch EweInverewe Garden on Loch Ewe17 miles away A few hours
  21. Lealt Falls, Kilt Rock and lunch at Columba 1400Lealt Falls, Kilt Rock and lunch at Columba 140017 miles away A few hours
  22. A walk to Loch Cuithir on the old diatomite railwayA walk to Loch Cuithir on the old diatomite railway17 miles away A few hours
  23. Trotternish: the Storr to the QuiraingTrotternish: the Storr to the Quiraing17 miles away A day out
  24. The path up to the Old Man of StorrThe path up to the Old Man of Storr17 miles away A few hours
What guests remember

One sighting of the otter at the foot of the patio, nightly sightings of the pine marten.

Carol and Julie, who stayed in November 2025
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