Tigh an Eilean (House by the Island)

Shieldaig has an overwhelmingly beautiful location facing a small, tree-covered island on the shores of Loch Torridon. Here single-track roads wind you through spectacular, rugged scenery of mountains rising straight from the sea and sea lochs penetrating far inland. A wonderful place to stay in Shieldaig is Tigh an Eilean, an 18th-century house converted to a hotel and personally run by Cathryn and Christopher Field. The decor is quiet and soothing with soft beiges and warm pastels. Bedrooms are cozy and very comfortable—you absolutely have to have a room with a loch view! Dinner is taken in the airy dining room overlooking the loch and there are snug little lounges and an honesty bar.  Alternativly you can eat at the adjacent Shieldag Bar and Coastal Kitchen which specializes in local fish. There are stuning views from the deck over the loch to the open sea beyond. The hotel will pack you a picnic lunch or you can obtain supplies from the Fields’ little shop next door. Walking, birdwatching, and fishing are popular pastimes with the Beinn Eighe Nature Reserve and the 15,000-acre National Trust estate nearby. Guests often drive around the Applecross Peninsula with its awesome, twisting pass of Bealach-na-Ba and its views of Skye and the Outer Hebrides. Tigh An Eilean is an excellent place to stop if you are traveling between Skye and Ullapool and do not want to rush through all this magnificent scenery in a day.