Location

The House

Coillemore House is located 500m above Balmacara square in the National Trust for Scotland’s Balmacara Estate. It offers access to nearby hilltops, lochans and woodland walks straight from the door to to the lichen covered trees and mossy streams of the temperate rainforests of Coille Mhor. It is a stones throw from Balmacara Square and 5 minutes drive to Plockton or Kyle of Lochalsh and the gateway to Skye. It offers stunning views down onto the village aswell as South across the Loch to Kylerhea, the Isle of Skye and as far as Knoydart. At the top of the hill behind the house the 5 sisters of Kintail are also visible to the west and look stunning at sunset as the light hits them.

The Village

Balmacara is a small crofting village near to the Kyle of Lochalsh. Balmacara Square 5 mins walk down the road from Coillemore house has an art exhibition space called The Steadings featuring a changing rosta of local artists who exhibit in weekly shifts, it also has Beths Deli, a small visitor centre with walk maps and wildlife spotting booklets,  Cosy Corner Cafe serving lunches and breakfasts, and Home In the Highlands a home interiors and gift shop. It is set within the Scottish National Trusts Balmacara Estate.

The Balmacara Estate

Balmacara Estate is owned by Scotlands National Trust and is an outstanding example of a Highland crofting estate. The estate’s rocky, moorland-covered hills are interspersed with lochs, woodlands and crofting settlements, with a long and intricate coastline scattered with offshore islands. This diversity means the estate supports a wide variety of wildlife and plants native to the Scottish Highlands, including the ancient oak woodland of the Coille Mhòr. The Coille Mhòr is part of Scotland’s temperate rainforest and a wonderful mix of Atlantic oakwood and birch woods, with a wide array of lower plants like lichens, bryophytes and ferns. It is a truly magical experience to explore these ancient woodlands. Balmacara is a core area in the Wester Ross Biosphere, which spans from Glenelg in the south to Ullapool in the north.

The Area

Coillemore House is geographically at the centre of the West Coast Highlands. Access to the whole of the west coast is possible within a days drive. The Isle of Skye, Plockton, Glenelg Scenic Route, Torridon, Wester Ross Coastal Route, Gairloch, Corrieshalloch Gorge, Gruinard Bay, Glenshiel, even Ben Nevis, Fort William, Glencoe are all accessible in 1.5 hrs or under. This means that whatever the day or whatever the weather then theres always something or somewhere to see, that shows off the West Coast of Scotland in its ever changing light.