Romantisches Refugium für zwei

I live in Applecross at the south end of the Peninsula, in Applecross Manse, just beside Camusterrach Pier, which was formerly a stopping point for the MacBrayne's ferry which serviced Applecross and the Hebrides. Now the famous Beallach nan Ba road over the mountains is the main artery.

I have a croft which I use for managing my herd of Highland cattle. The cows for the most part calf on the croft from mid-May, but, to the delight of tourists, they wander the hills and are seen wandering readily. Once a year they walk to Applecross Estate and provide a rare photo opportunity as cows and weeks-old calves plunge into the Applecross River and swim to the Estate on the other side. There is a bridge but they refuse to cross it!

The property was formerly a corrugated iron Church which served the hamlets around Fearnmore. Before the First World War the population of the village approached 150, but both wars robbed the coastal villages of their menfolk and the crofting way of life fell into decline, nevertheless, the church was then an important focal point for Highland life and reflected the integrity of its people. Today there are 7 cottages in the village with two permanent residents. The Church is outside the hamlet in an isolated and elevated position.

This part of Applecross has a timeless charm beyond words. It leaves one feeling unshackled from the everyday and staggered by the moods and drama of its surroundings. One is instantly smitten.

Fearnmore Church"s charm is partly in its unique character as a romantic hideaway for two set amongst the staggering beauty of the sea and the Torridon Mountains. It's isolated position means that no other dwelling is in view from it, only mountains and sea. And it sits in its own 21 acres.

Visitors are surprised on arrival at its dimensions. Its photographs fail to convey adequately the sense of space and light, and, the outside flooding into the cottage so that one is always connected to it. It is an unconventional build modelled on the corrugated iron church which preceded it.

There is access to the shore and the old drystane harbour in the hamlet behind where otters sometimes appear.