About this property
Have a lovely escape to Oystercatcher, a homely and comfortable mid terrace character property, resting in the quaint coastal village of Isle of Whithorn.
A Victorian (circa 1850) Grade B listed cottage, with Victorian internal features, in a beautiful conservation area.
Set out over three floors and sleeping up to six guests, Oystercatcher is an ideal family and/or friends property for a getaway to this part of the beautiful Machars Peninsula.
There are two ground floor bedrooms: a bright lovely double bedroom to the front of the cottage with TV (Freesat) with ample storage for guest apparel. The rear bedroom has wooden full size bunk beds suitable for adults and children plus built-in wardrobe.
Access to the pretty, enclosed, private garden with patio furniture is accessed from the rear ground floor level.
On the first floor, there is a galley style kitchen with everything you need for a self-catering stay.
You’ll also find the spacious living/dining room, where you can admire the elevated views of the harbour & sea from the window seat or enjoy an evening in front of the television/reading a book - relaxing on the comfy sofas or as you enjoy an evening meal around the table. The room additionally can be warmed by the electric stove effect fire, creating a relaxing or romantic atmosphere.
The first floor also boasts two bathrooms: one with a bath perfect for a relaxing soak and one with a walk-in shower to freshen up.
Moving up to the second floor, indulge in the lovely king-size bedroom, with a relaxing chair and foot-stool. Take time for a siesta or to take in the lovely sea views from the window whilst listening to the CD player/radio if you fancy. TV/DVD (Freesat) for cosy bed time TV.
Outside there is roadside parking at the front of the property (first come first-serve) and, at the rear, a pretty enclosed gravelled garden with shrubs, plants, garden furniture/parasol where you can enjoy catching glimpses of the old corn mill and the “Isle Castle” - one of the last tower houses to be built in Scotland (privately owned).
The property is just a stone's throw away from the historical Isle Head and the thriving harbour, with the friendly pub "The Steampacket Inn" (outdoor seating available) offering award winning lovely food and locally brewed Five Kingdoms Ale.
The nearby shop and St Ninians tea room, with views over the sea and harbour, is a great choice to grab any self-catering essentials, a lunchtime snack or a fresh coffee and a delicious homemade cake or two. If you like beach life, the nearby choices offer: sea fishing opportunities; coastal and cliff walks; sun-bathing beauty spots; pebble beaches with caves; pristine sand stretches, where you can see horses gallop from time to time; rockpools with superb marine life and much more.
Straight out the door of Oystercatcher is a fabulous walk along the rocky coastline which gradually rises to some stunning cliffs at Burrowhead eventually arriving at St Ninians Cave.
The flora, fauna and sea birds can be tremendous – so bring some binoculars. If you’re lucky, you can spot grey seals, porpoises, dolphins and occasionally even whales!
There are plenty of other excellent walks in this beautiful and scenic area – Oystercatcher has maps for your reference if required.
You can also visit a nearby nature reserve the Crook of Baldoon, perfect for birdwatching - one of many in the Dumfries & Galloway area.
There’s a fabulous, nearby golf course at St. Medan, which is perched right on another fabulous beach shoreline to enjoy.It also has stunning views over to the Isle of Man and The Rhins of Galloway Peninsula.
For those of you who are more active, there are many road cycling routes all around, with relatively quiet roads.
Mountain bikers have a world class range of choices including the nearby Glentrool and Kiroughtree (7Stanes) visitor’s centre and the Galloway Forest Park which is a “dark skies” national park – great for stargazers.
If you like playing in the sea, with the house being right on the coast, you can bring your kayaks, surf boards, wet suits, buckets and spades.
There’s a boat launching point at the harbour (by arrangement) and a local sailing club based in the Isle – Wigtown Bay Sailing Club.
Local scuba divers go out from the harbour here - and you can even buy local crab or lobster for your dinner, from a licenced fisherman!
Nearby Wigtown is best known as being Scotland’s National Book Town with over 20 book related businesses, certainly worth a visit.
A little further away, you can discover the town of Newton Stewart with its museum, cinema, riverside eateries, and the nearby Knockman Wood - which is the largest natural reserve of ancient woodland in Southern Scotland.
If you like going for a day out, there are amazing (botanic) gardens – locally the Galloway House Gardens, lighthouses and a wide variety of eating experiences to suit most preferences – including fish and chips - by the sea of course!
For a picturesque trip to this part of Scotland, choose Oystercatcher as your home-away-from-home.
Once you discover it, you’ll want to come back time and time again! EPC Rating: Band F
Although no longer an island, the picturesque village of the Isle of Whithorn has a natural harbour, popular with visiting leisure sailors and with local boats fishing for crabs, lobsters and scallops. The village is on the southernmost tip of the Machars Peninsula and has the remains of the 13th century chapel which can be seen at the end of the harbour, and the Cairn, a white tower which has been a mariner's landmark for nearly two centuries.
Accommodation
Victorian cottage in a stunning coastal/harbour location.
Sea views from all floors.
Reverse-level living over three floors.
Three bedrooms: 1 x second-floor king-size - sea view, 1 x ground-floor double, 1 x ground-floor bunk bedroom.
First floor living/dining room with electric stove effect fire and sea view.
Electric heating in all rooms - electric included in rent
Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge with freezer compartment, also an additional under counter freezer located in the adjoining outbuilding.
First-floor bathroom with bath, basin and WC.
First-floor shower room with walk-in shower, basin and WC.
Enclosed rear garden with garden furniture.
.
TV/DVD (Freesat), Wi-Fi, table football, selection of books/DVDs.
First floor galley style kitchen.
Bed linen and towels included in rent.
Roadside parking available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Shop/Tea Room 0.1 miles, pub 0.3 miles.
Coastal walking route straight across the road from the cottage.
Sorry, no smoking / no pets / no children under 5 - due to Victorian style staircase.
Note: The laundry facilities are in an outhouse utility attached to the rear of the cottage.
Please note:This property is not able to facilitate Sunday checkouts