self catering Uist Scotland self catering Uist

luxury self catering Grimsay, Uist - sleeps 6 - Grimsay is easily reached from North Uist via a causeway.

Lovely architect-designed house set in a beautiful spot on the small island of Grimsay in the Outer Hebrides, close to the water and overlooking hills and fresh- and sea-water lochs to the island of Ronay and the Eaval mountain.

On the edge of the Atlantic ocean, on the north end of the small Hebridean island of Barra is the long, sandy beach known as Triagh Mhor, which at low tide becomes the world's one and only beach runway for scheduled flights and the most memorable place I have ever landed. Everything about the journey is fascinating - boarding the tiny Twin Otter plane at Glasgow and watching the river Clyde curl and widen out to the sea, followed by a rare bird's eye view over Argyll, Mull, Iona and Coll and finally Barra and its beautiful beach hoving into view, the gentle landing on the sand and then a walk across the beach to the airport.

I like to take my time when travelling to a remote place; this is a large part of the pleasure of a holiday and there is so much to see on the way to Baymore and so many different ways to get here that it would be a shame to hurry. So next comes a taxi ride from the airport to the ferry and island-hopping by ferries and causeways over the extraordinary, low-lying island of Benbecula (I just love that name) and north over bog and moorland, through hills and mountains to South Uist, North Uist and finally Grimsay and Baymore House.

In the small cluster of houses that make up the community of Baymore, the house sits in a superb spot by the shore, so what could be better to do on arrival than settle in the bright, spacious living room with a welcome glass of wine, relax and take in the views – over the sea lochs to the island of Ronay and mountain of Eaval on one side and over a freshwater loch and the village of Baymore on the other, perhaps catching a glimpse of a family of otters playing in the water pools, a rare white-tailed sea eagle diving for fish or red deer, their bodies steaming in the cool evening air.

Now I am in 'island' time, nothing will be done in a hurry – isn't that what holidays are about? I sit and muse on treats that await - turquoise water lapping pale, sandy beaches as lovely as any in the Caribbean or Pacific; delicious lobster and scallops from Kallin harbour a few minutes' walk away; a boat trip on the Lady Anne, a sight of minke whales perhaps, or a visit to the seal colony on the Monach Islands; a not too strenuous cycle ride around the island...maybe I'll visit the beach at Berneray, where Prince Charles used to work as a crofter, or step back in time and visit the Iron Age wheelhouse at Bagh nam Feadog. But all that can wait until tomorrow; for now I shall just put my feet up, enjoy the view and celebrate having arrived.