Out and About

With empty roads and even emptier hills, the Strontian Holiday Cottages are the perfect starting point to explore the best-kept secret in Britain - the Ardnamurchan Peninsula and Moidart.

Burial cairns, sea life centres, folk museums, mountain gondolas and loch cruises are all within a short drive of the Ben View.

This is a west coast wonderland where the shifting interplay of light on sandy coves, heather moors and rocky outcrops can catch the visitor's breath; where the sound of silence is broken only by the rushing waters and the curlew's cry.

Ardnamurchan Point, with its lighthouse open to the public, is the most westerly point on the British mainland: whales, dolphins and basking sharks regularly pass by. On the way you can stroll round the RSPB bird reserve at Glenborrodale.

If you can stand the excitement, try a whale-watching expedition from Laga Bay. Castles in the area include Castle Tioram, home of the Moidart Clanranalds, and Mingarry Castle - across on Mull, reached by a short ferry trip from Lochaline, there are two other ancient castles.

You can cruise the length of Loch Shiel, watch red deer herds grazing by the roadside, or drive to the Sunart Oakwoods wildlife hide, just five minutes from the cottages, and see otter, herons and golden eagles. If you're lucky you may spot a white-tailed sea eagle, but don't confuse it with the common buzzard, the 'tourist eagle'.

Walkers will find hill and forest tracks all over the peninsula, all with fantastic views - you'll see few other people in these hills. Cyclists are catered for once again by the quiet roads but also by increasing networks of forest cycle tracks.