NC500 - mid priced hotels?
Discussion
Sorry for another NC500 question.
We’re planning this for mid April and struggling to find decent hotels with availability in our price range - £120-150 per night for a couple.
Am I being unrealistic?
Would anyone be able to recommend a few? Mainly on west coast please
My wife also wants to visit Skye and Harris, oh and Orkney - struggling to explain they are not quite ‘en route’
Thanks
Mike
We’re planning this for mid April and struggling to find decent hotels with availability in our price range - £120-150 per night for a couple.
Am I being unrealistic?
Would anyone be able to recommend a few? Mainly on west coast please
My wife also wants to visit Skye and Harris, oh and Orkney - struggling to explain they are not quite ‘en route’
Thanks
Mike
You'll have a problem finding hotels this late. Most were booked up for this spring last summer
Some holiday lets and B&Bs are still available.
Late cancellations often happen, but I guess that's not an option this far north (not sure where you're coming from).
Re Skye and Harris: To get to Harris from Kyle of Lochalsh = 1 hour to Uig, 90 minutes wait for Ferry, 90 mins on ferry - and there are only two a day.
I love Harris and go there most years, but you REALLY need good weather.
Sorry to be of no particular help. Best tip, sort it for 2023! Torridon Inn, Applecross Inn both worth a look.
ETA Harris in good weather: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=967HjaK0I_g&t
Some holiday lets and B&Bs are still available.
Late cancellations often happen, but I guess that's not an option this far north (not sure where you're coming from).
Re Skye and Harris: To get to Harris from Kyle of Lochalsh = 1 hour to Uig, 90 minutes wait for Ferry, 90 mins on ferry - and there are only two a day.
I love Harris and go there most years, but you REALLY need good weather.
Sorry to be of no particular help. Best tip, sort it for 2023! Torridon Inn, Applecross Inn both worth a look.
ETA Harris in good weather: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=967HjaK0I_g&t
Edited by GetCarter on Wednesday 26th January 15:30
GetCarter said:
You'll have a problem finding hotels this late. Most were booked up for this spring last summer
Some holiday lets and B&Bs are still available.
Late cancellations often happen, but I guess that's not an option this far north (not sure where you're coming from).
Re Skye and Harris: To get to Harris from Kyle of Lochalsh = 1 hour to Uig, 90 minutes wait for Ferry, 90 mins on ferry - and there are only two a day.
I love Harris and go there most years, but you REALLY need good weather.
Sorry to be of no particular help. Best tip, sort it for 2023! Torridon Inn, Applecross Inn both worth a look.
Thanks Carter,Some holiday lets and B&Bs are still available.
Late cancellations often happen, but I guess that's not an option this far north (not sure where you're coming from).
Re Skye and Harris: To get to Harris from Kyle of Lochalsh = 1 hour to Uig, 90 minutes wait for Ferry, 90 mins on ferry - and there are only two a day.
I love Harris and go there most years, but you REALLY need good weather.
Sorry to be of no particular help. Best tip, sort it for 2023! Torridon Inn, Applecross Inn both worth a look.
Already delayed from (way)before covid, and it’s part of 40th anniversary(wedding, not birthday, unfortunately)
Applecross is a definite, but think Torridon may be a bit pricey.
Damp Logs said:
GetCarter said:
You'll have a problem finding hotels this late. Most were booked up for this spring last summer
Some holiday lets and B&Bs are still available.
Late cancellations often happen, but I guess that's not an option this far north (not sure where you're coming from).
Re Skye and Harris: To get to Harris from Kyle of Lochalsh = 1 hour to Uig, 90 minutes wait for Ferry, 90 mins on ferry - and there are only two a day.
I love Harris and go there most years, but you REALLY need good weather.
Sorry to be of no particular help. Best tip, sort it for 2023! Torridon Inn, Applecross Inn both worth a look.
Thanks Carter,Some holiday lets and B&Bs are still available.
Late cancellations often happen, but I guess that's not an option this far north (not sure where you're coming from).
Re Skye and Harris: To get to Harris from Kyle of Lochalsh = 1 hour to Uig, 90 minutes wait for Ferry, 90 mins on ferry - and there are only two a day.
I love Harris and go there most years, but you REALLY need good weather.
Sorry to be of no particular help. Best tip, sort it for 2023! Torridon Inn, Applecross Inn both worth a look.
Already delayed from (way)before covid, and it’s part of 40th anniversary(wedding, not birthday, unfortunately)
Applecross is a definite, but think Torridon may be a bit pricey.
Used Tigh an Eilean in Shieldagh in lieu of Torridon (fully booked) last Sept/Oct - if memory serves it was bang on £150 (and Shieldagh was lovely). Considered also Plockton hotel (~£150) and some others around Lochalsh for less, but needed to push on.
Thereafter it was Waterside B&B in Ullapool (great and about £100 at the time), then Tongue Hotel up the top (£150ish I think?). Obvs you may have already investigated these, so apols if it merely compounds your position.
Thereafter it was Waterside B&B in Ullapool (great and about £100 at the time), then Tongue Hotel up the top (£150ish I think?). Obvs you may have already investigated these, so apols if it merely compounds your position.
Hoofty said:
Used Tigh an Eilean in Shieldagh in lieu of Torridon (fully booked) last Sept/Oct - if memory serves it was bang on £150 (and Shieldagh was lovely). Considered also Plockton hotel (~£150) and some others around Lochalsh for less, but needed to push on.
Nah, Shieldaig's rubbish. Full of English rejects 
http://rosemountcottage.co.uk/
https://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?aid=376...
https://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?aid=376...
Edited by Bingowings on Wednesday 26th January 16:32
A quick scan at places we have stayed in for mid April was pretty successful... Kinlochewe hotel near Torridon for example for example #120/night, Scourie #170/night, Uig on Skye #158/night all in w/c April 19th, cheaper places available too.. Get busy on hotels.com (or your chosen search engine) and see where you get to. It can take a while to get availability on dates you want, but there does look to be availability, although maybe not at the famous places.
GetCarter said:
Nah, Shieldaig's rubbish. Full of English rejects
Apols for the mis-spelling (and not at all jealous). It acquitted itself rather wonderfully on the evening we got there - one of those proper holiday-sigh moments as you sup a drink overlooking a peaceful shoreline in the evening sun. Could've stayed for days.Ullapool, by comparison, was a washout.
Hoofty said:
GetCarter said:
Nah, Shieldaig's rubbish. Full of English rejects
Apols for the mis-spelling (and not at all jealous). It acquitted itself rather wonderfully on the evening we got there - one of those proper holiday-sigh moments as you sup a drink overlooking a peaceful shoreline in the evening sun. Could've stayed for days.
Someone I know in Plockton was telling me the Haven hotel there is already fully booked all summer.
I'd like to think (hope) foreign travel will open up to the extent that it will become normal and without restrictions during the summer such that people will cancel domestic plans and get on a plane, so there may be more opportunity (and selfishly, the Highlands will become less horrific!) in due course. Doesn't help with trying to plan things now of course.
I'd like to think (hope) foreign travel will open up to the extent that it will become normal and without restrictions during the summer such that people will cancel domestic plans and get on a plane, so there may be more opportunity (and selfishly, the Highlands will become less horrific!) in due course. Doesn't help with trying to plan things now of course.
s2kjock said:
Someone I know in Plockton was telling me the Haven hotel there is already fully booked all summer.
I'd like to think (hope) foreign travel will open up to the extent that it will become normal and without restrictions during the summer such that people will cancel domestic plans and get on a plane, so there may be more opportunity (and selfishly, the Highlands will become less horrific!) in due course. Doesn't help with trying to plan things now of course.
Time will tell.I'd like to think (hope) foreign travel will open up to the extent that it will become normal and without restrictions during the summer such that people will cancel domestic plans and get on a plane, so there may be more opportunity (and selfishly, the Highlands will become less horrific!) in due course. Doesn't help with trying to plan things now of course.
At the moment, it looks like the world and his wife will be here come Easter.
GetCarter said:
s2kjock said:
Someone I know in Plockton was telling me the Haven hotel there is already fully booked all summer.
I'd like to think (hope) foreign travel will open up to the extent that it will become normal and without restrictions during the summer such that people will cancel domestic plans and get on a plane, so there may be more opportunity (and selfishly, the Highlands will become less horrific!) in due course. Doesn't help with trying to plan things now of course.
Time will tell.I'd like to think (hope) foreign travel will open up to the extent that it will become normal and without restrictions during the summer such that people will cancel domestic plans and get on a plane, so there may be more opportunity (and selfishly, the Highlands will become less horrific!) in due course. Doesn't help with trying to plan things now of course.
At the moment, it looks like the world and his wife will be here come Easter.
At the start of the year we decided to have the 3rd week in March on Skye, went with an AirBnB. There was a a very limited supply.
If you are planning an overnight stop somewhere in Caithness, I would highly recommend the Ulbster Arms Hotel in Halkirk, a few miles south of Thurso. Beautiful old fishing hotel, plenty of character, great views over the River Thurso, excellent and well priced bar/restaurant. Rooms should be comfortably within your stated price range.
A few other great hotels up in that area would be Forss House Hotel (also near Thurso but a little higher than your budget). If you want an old country house hotel up in the far north in Caithness, then Thrumster House just south of Wick is nice, with old world charm.
The Tongue Hotel, in Tongue, Sutherland, on the far north west coast is great, and another traditional fishing hotel. Great rooms, food and location.
The Kylesku is excellent, too, in Kylesku in Sutherland in the North West. Great place and very decent food. Right by the really iconic Kylesku bridge - all brilliant driving areas.
Depending on the time of year, you could do a day trip to Okney from John O Groats, it's the shortest crossing (40 mins), is a passenger only ferry and is well set up for day trippers to Orkney, unlike the car ferry from Scrabster near Thurso. If you want to go with your wife just for a look around, without the extra fuss and expensive (and time) of going over by car-ferry, it's a worthwhile option to keep in mind - https://www.jogferry.co.uk/Tours/Maxi.aspx - they do the tour of all the main sites that you would want to see on a short visit to Orkney.
A few other great hotels up in that area would be Forss House Hotel (also near Thurso but a little higher than your budget). If you want an old country house hotel up in the far north in Caithness, then Thrumster House just south of Wick is nice, with old world charm.
The Tongue Hotel, in Tongue, Sutherland, on the far north west coast is great, and another traditional fishing hotel. Great rooms, food and location.
The Kylesku is excellent, too, in Kylesku in Sutherland in the North West. Great place and very decent food. Right by the really iconic Kylesku bridge - all brilliant driving areas.
Depending on the time of year, you could do a day trip to Okney from John O Groats, it's the shortest crossing (40 mins), is a passenger only ferry and is well set up for day trippers to Orkney, unlike the car ferry from Scrabster near Thurso. If you want to go with your wife just for a look around, without the extra fuss and expensive (and time) of going over by car-ferry, it's a worthwhile option to keep in mind - https://www.jogferry.co.uk/Tours/Maxi.aspx - they do the tour of all the main sites that you would want to see on a short visit to Orkney.
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