Inside the charming and serene twin Skye conservation village cottages, on sale
You could have a new home and a business
If you’ve had enough of the rat race, then jack it in and move to Skye.
We have the ideal whitewashed escape for you - West House, which has two en-suite bedrooms and is attached to a self-contained one en-suite bedroom annex called Florrie’s.
It’s on sale at offers over £445,000 via property consultancy Galbraith, and is situated in the conservation village of Stein, on the shores of Loch Bay on the Waternish peninsula. On its doorstep, you’ll find The Stein Inn and Lochbay Restaurant.
We asked current owner Jayne Cooke to tell us more.
Why was it time to sell?
The decision is totally due to our poor health. We moved out of the property in 2023, excited by our next adventure of moving to the Western Isles. We were lucky to find a lovely wee bungalow. Unfortunately, my husband David had heart surgery just before we left Skye at the hospital in Aberdeen. They had told him there was a shortage of anaesthetists but he could have the operation if he was happy to go ahead without an anaesthetist. Unfortunately, the procedure proved more complicated than anticipated; an appalling experience for everybody involved. David seemed to suffer PTSD, from which he is still recovering.
North Uist proved to be amazing. We had a young border collie and made the most of the fantastic beaches. David also took up an archaeology course. I started to feel unwell and eventually Lyme disease was diagnosed but, unfortunately, I received the antibiotics too late and I now have chronic Lyme disease. My husband is effectively my carer - I manage a few hours pottering about, after which I’m marooned in my chair. We decided that running two holiday lets was no longer something we were able to do well.
Are you sad to let it go?
Our five years there were the happiest of our 35 year marriage. We loved strolling along to the jetty, chatting to fishermen, visitors and neighbours. I worked in the village gallery a few afternoons per week. We loved being next door to the pub, as we had a lovely group of friends and on some winter nights, the 12 of us would be the only people there. Being a few paces away from Lochbay Restaurant was fabulous.
Tell us about the work you’ve had to do to the properties
The only things we kept were the four log burning stoves. The existing kitchen was impractical, so a second hand Ikea kitchen was installed as a stop gap. We moved out to live with friends while the upstairs was ripped apart and new bathrooms added. The house had been functioning as one big space with several rooms unused. As there were already two front doors, it made sense to create a two-bed house with a one bed annex. New staircases were added, everything ripped back to the stone and new walls created. The upstairs living space in Florrie’s is particularly special - ‘ the best room in Skye’ - according to our builder. The costs were tremendous. Friends and neighbours were also very supportive, such as the Mackays at the diving school across the road, who erected scaffolding when they saw me up a wobbly ladder trying to paint the exterior. As the work was nearing completion we moved to North Uist and with the help of dear friends managed the rest of the project long distance.
How has Skye changed in the last few years?
It continues to be the setting for blockbuster films and its distinctive landscape places it on a lot of people’s bucket list. However, in addition to the honeypots that attract thousands of visitors, there is a much quieter Skye, with stunning walks where you will pass very few people. Waternish, where West House is located, is a particularly good example of this. Fortunately, we don’t have any of the big attractions, like the Fairy Pools, but we have spectacular views towards the Western Isles of Harris and the Uists. We have formerly inhabited islands in the bay, a lighthouse at the end of the peninsula, a forest and several beaches. With the popularity of Skye has come investment and there are so many great restaurants. In Portree there is the fabulous Las centre, with a great cinema and cafe, many local artist studios and great boat trips to surrounding islands.
What are the views from the property like?
Spectacular. Lochbay is particularly scenic. On our first visit to Skye 25 years ago, we stayed for a week, near Staffin and toured the island. Waternish left a lasting impression. In 2008 when my son and his girlfriend wanted to have a Scottish holiday with us I immediately suggested Waternish. That was when we saw the property for sale. For my 50th birthday, my son bought us several nights in The Stein Inn and we viewed the house. Although living happily in the Lake District, we bought it, borrowing every penny from the Penrith Building Society. This began our love affair with Waternish. It is quite a separate peninsula in the north west of Skye. The garden in West House is particularly good for viewing the sunsets as it has the iconic Lochbay Boathouse in the foreground, once owned by Donovan and visited by George Harrison. West House itself looks across at a large, wild land mass frequented only by deer.
Any other good wildlife spots?
There are fabulous boat trips from the jetty, where all manner of birds can be seen on the cliffs, plus dolphin and minke whales in the bay. There are puffins on the small islands on the eastern side of Waternish. Gordon who runs the trips is incredibly knowledgeable. There has been a big corncrake conservation project on Waternish and I have seen them in the garden. My husband often saw otters in the bay while walking the dog before breakfast. White tailed eagles nest in the high cliffs above the bay.
Favourite spaces?
We particularly love the upstairs, open plan living space in Florrie’s. It extends right up to the roof, has lots of light with windows on two sides and the views are spectacular. My other favourite space is the bath in West House which has superb views across the bay, and with the window open you can hear the conversations of people as they walk past. Having said this, nothing beats breakfast, lunch or gin and tonic out in the front garden.
Read more: “I've had 45 summer holidays on the bewitching Scottish island of Arran, but not this year”
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