Colonsay Longfield House

Sabbatical rates: this magnificent house deserves to be enjoyed all year round, so we now offer it on the following winter basis (except Christmas / New Year):
1 week £265, 2 weeks £400, 3 weeks £480, 4 weeks £535 inc. VAT

You can use Google Street View to see the house and get a 360 degree view; enter PA61 7YR and then reduce the map imagery by one step to reveal it. Then, move the yellow man so that his circular footprint is over the tiny junction where the ring-road comes closest to the west coast. It is a pity the tide is out but it is quite good fun. Longfield is the big house set back in its own grounds, and the small building with a black car outside is our island bookshop.

Longfield House is in the centre of this picture, with Port Mor to the left and raised beaches to the right. The house faces the open Atlantic and just beyond An Rubha ("The Point") one can see the waves breaking over the reefs beyond Carraig Chatan ("St. Catan's Fishing Rock").

In this view, Longfield House nestles below the impressive bulk of Meall a' Chaise; Dun Meadhonach, the ancestral home of Clan Currie, is close
at hand, as is Tobar Chatain ("St. Catan's Well) and there is a challenging ancient pathway through the hills to Scalasaig.

This three-bedroomed property is ideal for couples or for an extended family. It is particularly suitable for anyone with a mobility problem as there is an en-suite double bedroom on the ground floor as well as upstairs bedrooms. Longfield is furnished, equipped and intended for sensitive occupation by caring tenants. Full WiFi Broadband provided.

Longfield House has outstanding seaviews and enjoys amazing sunsets - it also affords remarkable opportunities for the natural historian. It is only 100 metres from Port Mór, which is one of the most reliable otter haunts in the island; with average-strength binoculars one can easily view their activities from the sitting-room windows. It is extremely convenient for walks to the sea-cliffs (which host the largest sea-bird breeding colony in the southern Hebrides), for the Golf Course, for trout-fishing in Loch Fada and for walks to the Grey Atlantic Seal colonies in Ardskenish.

ACCOMMODATION

Sitting Room, Dining Room, fully-equipped Kitchen, Utility Room, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (one en-suite).

Kitchen equipment: Gas hob, double electric oven, microwave, fridge, fridge/freezer, dishwasher, washer/dryer

The sleeping accommodation comprises one ground-floor double-bedroom with en suite shower/w.c., plus a double-bedroom, twin-bedded room and family bathroom upstairs.

Secluded, walled and very sheltered private garden catching full sun, fronted by an extensive grassy paddock, with open aspect and seaviews.

This modern and fully-equipped house is heavily insulated and designed for sabbatical and study use as well as family holidays. Out of season, it is an ideal base for botanists, geologists and ornithologists.

Port Mór is on the west side of Colonsay, facing onto the open Atlantic, with distant views of Dubh Hirteach Lighthouse and the Torran Rocks. It shelters the occasional yacht in settled weather and is a favoured haunt of a wide variety of sea-birds - shelduck, greylag geese, barnacle geese, guillemots, herons and oystercatchers. The shoreline is girdled by a series of imposing raised-beaches, backed by dramatic inland cliffs - expect to notice redthroated diver, curlew, plover, peregrine falcon, chough and corncrake. There is very easy walking to be enjoyed at Machrins and Arskenish, with the option of more challenging terrain along the cliffs or in the inland hills.

This property is ideal for couples and has the benefit of a double-bedded en suite bedroom on the ground floor, as well as upstairs accommodation. Please note that it is not suited to very young children unless carefully supervised - the design of the building and many elements of the furniture and fittings are not appropriate.

The preferred "changeover day" is Wednesday, Thursday or Friday - it varies a bit because we try to make the bookings dovetail. Please have a look at the availability chart to see what might fit.

The property is self-catering, which means that the tenant is reponsible for normal cleaning and washing-up. It is a condition of letting that it is left in a proper state upon departure. We do not charge for pets but they must not be allowed upon furniture and any dog-hair must be thoroughly removed. A minimum charge of £50.00 will be raised where additional cleaning, washing-up or dog-hair are encountered by our staff.

Please do not smoke or permit smoking inside the house. The property is rented only as a holiday let and not as an assured tenancy in terms of Housing (Scotland) Act 1988.

Until March 16 2012	£265.00
March 17 - May 5 2012	£475.00
May 6 - June 23 2012	£630.00
June 24 - August 4 2012	£895.00
August 5 - 18 2012	£630.00
August 19 - October 13 2012	£475.00
October 14 2011 to March 2013	£265.00
*Except Christmas / New Year 2011/12*	*£630.00*
*Except Christmas / New Year 2012/13*	*£695.00*

Electricity is supplied via a digital meter and charged on departure at cost price per unit inc. 5% VAT.

Available in 2013 and 2014 Although it is without firm commitment, we are very happy to pencil in tentative reservations for 2013 and 2014. Because guests sometimes have to change plans, we must encourage them to keep us informed. Therefore, when making a provisional reservation for either year, we ask you for a £50 refundable deposit. The reservation may then be cancelled at anytime before December 1st of the preceeding year for a full refund without penalty, but cancellation after that date will entail a £50 administration charge.

Outstanding family house, superb location

STB **** 4 Star Award