Kirkaig Lodge

My wife and I booked Kirkaig Lodge for our first trip away with our seven-month-old baby. Sadly, the experience was a disaster from the moment we tried to check in, and I would advise anyone to think twice before booking here, especially through their own booking system. We paid £500 in advance. On the day of arrival, after a delayed flight to Edinburgh and a six-hour drive into the Highlands, we phoned the lodge to let them know we would be arriving later than planned. Once they realised we had a baby in the car, they called back to tell us we were not welcome because they “do not accept children.” It was already around 7 p.m., we were far from anywhere, and we had no other accommodation arranged. They claimed this rule was due to steep steps at the property and said it was noted on their website. We later found it buried in small print at the bottom of the page. We explained our baby cannot walk or crawl and asked if they could help us find somewhere else to stay. We were given no assistance at all. Eventually, they told us we would be refunded for four out of the five nights we had booked. We ended up driving for hours in the dark and finally found an expensive last-minute place in Lairg, arriving at 2 a.m. It has now been a month, and no refund has been sent. When we called to follow up, the owner was rude, spoke over my wife. She said “good luck with getting the refund,” told her they would not pay, and accused her of harassment. In a previous call, she had shouted, “This is business.” I understand that businesses can have policies, but leaving a family with a baby stranded at night, refusing to help, and then going back on a promised refund goes beyond business. If you are heading to this part of Scotland, I recommend looking elsewhere.

Very comfortable lodging surrounded by natural wonders. Red deer visit the house, with more of them and a badger seen on the road in. Phenomenal reflected evening light on the cliffs opposite while we were there. Situated just off the road leading to Coigach, it has an away-from-it-all feel, while also being ideally situated for the coastal, river and mountain attractions around Lochinver. Kirkaig Lodge is spotlessly clean, spacious and provides an excellent breakfast. We’d love to return.

Google maps got us right to the door, no problem, only to find the most amazing views of sea and hills. First household member we 'met' was a very excited, jumping pit bull. We never saw him outside. Jacqueline met us and showed us around. Nice room and facilities. Her breakfasts were great. One of the best parts was opening our curtains in the morning and seeing this: they were hanging out both mornings we were there. A delightful stay.

Hard to find with a very poor access road especially at night. The rooms are very nice, well-equipped and furnished to a high standard but the mattresses are poor and should be replaced. At breakfast, there are very good hard-boiled eggs but the orange juice came straight from the freezer and was still frozen, the croissants were poor and there was only one flavour of jam. Steve is extremely friendly and helpful. It's a pity he wasn't available every day. Jacqueline was there to welcome us and deal with breakfast. She would bring breakfast and then disappear. Thus we could not communicate, ask for refills, more toasts, more butter, advice on walks,etc. There was a bell that presumably was there to ring for her but to no avail. We had the unpleasant feeling that we were disturbing her. The point of going to a BandB is to be able to chat amicably with one's host. This was perfectly possible with Steve but not with Jacqueline. This is a pity because we feel we missed out on something.

Keine Empfehlung! Wir wurden bei der "Begrüßung" mit knappen Worten abgefertigt und bekamen so gleich zu Beginn den Eindruck vermittelt, dass Gäste hier nur ihr Geld lassen und ansonsten nicht stören sollen. Das haben wir sonst in keinem B&B erlebt, und wir waren auf zahlreichen Schottland-Reisen schon in sehr vielen. Aus dem Inhalt der Anmerkungen, die die Gastgeber zu den schlechteren Bewertungen hier hinterlassen, bekommt man schon einen guten Eindruck von der Stimmung in dieser Unterkunft. Dass es nur ein kontinentales Frühstück geben sollte, war uns bekannt - was wir aber nicht wussten war, dass es nicht etwa im Frühstücksraum serviert wird, sondern man nur einen Korb vor die Türe gestellt bekommt und sich den Tisch im Zimmer dann selbst decken darf. Das Haus ist extrem hellhörig und die Familie wohnt im Obergeschoss, während die Gästezimmer im Erdgeschoss sind - es war, insbesondere durch die herumrennenden Kinder, sehr laut. Absolut keine Empfehlung.

Incredible views coupled with comfortable, spacious rooms made for a great stay. A bit off the main path, but 100% worth it for a great experience. Well situated just south of Lochinver, Kirkaig Lodge is a must stop as part of your NC500 trip.