Our stay in Machrihanish

Sometimes when you go away for a break you want somewhere to stay that is more than just a place to freshen up and sleep. You want home comforts. You want to choose between watching the telly, reading your book (in my case, one I started ages ago and have been meaning to immerse myself in once again) or playing board games – you can do. We wanted our stay in Machrihanish  to be with no timetable to adhere to. We knew that staying at Seasgair would be a perfect base for us.

Getting to the Sound of Kintyre is an adventure in itself. According to Google maps the drive from Perth to Machrihanish takes 4 hours. Aye, right! Not a chance. If you get stuck behind anything there really aren’t many safe places to overtake. Best thing to do is stop regularly to stretch your legs, takes photos and make the journey part of your holiday. Inverary and Tarbert are great places to stop. There are plenty of lay-bys to stop at to enjoy the scenery on the way down too.

Accommodation

Seasgair

Located perfectly on the Sound of Kintyre, Seasgair is a two bedroom property with plenty of character. Built in the 1970’s by the US Air Force, it does over look the old MOD site and also gives great views of the beautiful west coast sunsets from the living room! Just a short walk and you can be down on the beach which stretches for miles. Long white sandy beach with hardly a soul on it.

Downstairs is all open plan living space: kitchen, dining and living room. The kitchen is well equipped for cooking meals all week and even comes with condiments, so that is something else you don’t have to worry about bringing with you. If we are staying self catering we like to cook our own meals, as if we were at home but also experience some of the local hospitality at least one night of our stay too. The lounge area has a comfy sofa and large chair, perfect for settling down for the evening after a day out exploring. Much to the excitement of my inner child there is also a bean bag too!

Upstairs has two large bedrooms: one double and the other with two single beds. Both lovely size rooms with built in wardrobe space to unpack properly. The views from the double bedroom mirror that of the living room and are great for watching the sun set (second only to actually being on the beach to watch it).

There are a selection of books and board games to keep you entertained if you don’t want to be a slave to the television all week too.

I imagine in the summer months that walks along the beach after dinner would be perfect.

If you were wishing to take your own bikes, surf boards, SUP’s or any other outdoor kit then there is plenty of space to store them during your stay too.

Our week exploring the tip of Kintyre

Bearing in mind our stay was the last few days in October and the start of November, we were so lucky with the weather! There is plenty to do in the area no matter the weather: walks, wildlife watching, golf, explore the beaches or even do a distillery tour.

The wildlife in the area at this time of year is brilliant with many geese, including Greylags, grazing in the fields. Keep your eyes peeled and you may see red, sika or roe deer here too. There are lots of buzzards and kestrels but you must also look out for hen harriers and the magnificent golden eagles that also soar the skies. We saw lots of wading birds such as oysters catchers and curlews. Then, of course you have to look out for porpoise, seals and otters along the coastline. Blink and you could miss something!

During our stay at Seasgair, the Dude also wanted to play golf and had discovered there are three courses all within just a short drive of the house. He played and I duly followed him around Machrihanish course and also Dunaverty just a bit further down the road. Both are very different even though both are coastal Links courses. From my point of view (non golfing photographer) – I enjoying the walk and scenery at both but I think I preferred Dunaverty on the basis of I could see the sea for the majority of the way round. From the Dude’s golfing point of view he says “for value for money it has to be Dunaverty course but they are both quite different courses each with their own challenges.”

The Dunaverty course is at Southend and no trip to Southend is complete unless you have been to Muneroy Tea Rooms. They came highly recommended by Sarah and Angus who own Seasgair and we were not disappointed. The cake and meringue (yes we went twice) were INCREDIBLE. We were made very welcome and it was lovely to blether with the locals too.

We also took a CalMac ferry trip across to the pretty island of Gigha. Just a twenty minute crossing and with clear views of the Paps of Jura and across to Islay. We set off for our walk around the island. It is just seven miles long by a mile and a half wide with pretty much just one main road running through it. I would say if you do plan to visit then there isn’t really any need to take your car or campervan as you will see much more of the island on foot or bicycle.

Another weather win for us too.

It only rained for one day during our stay and we had already pre-booked a distillery tour at Springbank in Campbeltown and so it didn’t really change our plans. Springbank do a variety of tours and tastings and you can even have lunch before of after (depending on what time your tour is booked). We joined a tour and learnt about the distillery, Campbeltown and it’s place in whisky making history. We also learnt how it is produced and enhanced to make the distinct colour and flavours. As a whisky lover, the Dude took the opportunity to have a private tasting session too. Six totally different tasting whiskies varying from light to heavily peated. I am not a whisky drinker (so guess who was driving?) but it was interesting to listen to the descriptions of each one. We had also opted for to have lunch which consisted of local produce and was really scrummy!  All of this – tour x2, tasting x1 and lunch x2 – came to a very reasonable £49. Great value for money.

All in all we had a lot of fun with our introduction to the Machrihanish area and Kintyre coastline. I know there is still so much left to see and this does us good reason to return. This west coast peninsula of Argyll is buzzing with things to experience

** For those of you new to my blog the Dude is the affectionate name for my other half and partner in crime, I mean life and other mischief **

We were invited to stay at Seasgair in return for photos and a honest blog review. **UPDATE** Seasgair is no longer available to rent as holiday accommodation**