.jpg "Shore Cottage")
Shore Cottage is a lovely property located on the coast just a short distance from the small village of Leswalt near Stranraer in the Rhins of Galloway. This traditional property has an enviable position and benefits from having an enclosed two acre rugged garden and direct access to the sandy beach. The property is remote and would suit those guests wanting to sit and relax, and enjoy some quiet time enjoying the views of the sea and across to Ireland, and perhaps long walks along the beach. Due to the location of the property a 4 x 4 type vehicle is highly recommended to obtain access.
The property is situated all on the one level, and consists of a lounge with an inset wood burner, kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms, a double and a twin and a conservatory. The conservatory offers direct access to a small decked area with steps down to the garden area. Garden furniture is available for the use of guests and is an ideal spot on a dry day to enjoy a barbeque. The property is well equipped and has been tastefully decorated and furnished throughout.
The property is a short drive from the picturesque fishing village of Portpatrick and the largest town in the area Stranraer, which offers the usual facilities. Further along the coast you will find the P & O and Stenna terminals, both offer good connections to Belfast and Larne in Northern Ireland. Portpatrick is a pretty village centered around the harbour and has a small selection of shops and cafes, and a pottery situated at the lighthouse. For the walker the Southern Upland Way starts here, this 212 mile coast to coast route stretches from Portpatrick in the west to Cocksburnspath in the east. An ideal taster would be the 13.5 route from here to Castle Kennedy near Stranraer.
The Rhins of Galloway stretches twenty miles from north to south, and is home to various small villages and attractions, worthy of a mention are the Stranraer Museum, the Logan Botanic Garden, and the most southerly point in Scotland, the Mull of Galloway with it’s spectacular lighthouse and visitor centre, and the RSPB Nature Reserve. For the keen fly fisher, Dunskey Estate has two trout lochs not far from Portpatrick, and for the golfer there are good courses in Portpatrick and Stranraer. Riding and trekking can also be found at Lochnaw Home Farm. Further afield the small town of Wigtown, often referred to as “Scotland’s National Book Town” can be found, a mecca for second hand books and also home to Bladnoch, the most southerly distillery in Scotland.
Throughout the region guests will find various traditional pubs, cafes and restaurants, ideal for a quick lunch or evening meal.
If you are looking for a property in this area and Shore Cottage is booked, Beach Lodge is situated in the vicinity and also is pet friendly, we also now have Stable Cottage which is located closeby.
Shore Cottage is part of the Lochnaw Castle Estate and guests are free to explore.
Facilities
Included in the rent
Pets Welcome
Two pets are welcome at the property. We have been advised that the garden is enclosed, however due to the nature of the garden which is wild and large, this cannot be guaranteed.
Good Housekeeping Deposit
A Good Housekeeping Deposit of £75.00 is required at this property.
Access to the Property
Access to this property is by an unmade track, and is unsuitable for vehicles with low ground clearance. A 4 x 4 vehicle is therefore highly recommended. Please ask at the time of booking for more information and advice.
Best Features
Traditional cottage with uninterrupted sea view
Enclosed garden with direct access to beach
Ideally located just a short drive from the ferry ports of Cairnryan and Stranraer
STL Licence Application No: DG01474P EPC Rating: F
Guests rate Shore Cottage: Very Good from 72 reviews About Reviews
This is an ideal location for peace and quiet. The track is difficult and there was obvious signs that a vehicle had lost its oil on the track after hitting a rock. The cottage has been greatly improved since our last visit in 2019 and upgrades to heating has made the cottage more cosy. The majority of the cottage was clean and tidy but the kitchen let it down. The table, microwave, trays, fridge etc were pretty grim, with obvious food debris and hairs from previous occupants. Kitchen cupboard doors need a simple wash down. I didn't clean these items and literally just cleaned what we used and kept our food in plastic bags. The addition of a large heater in the conservatory means the layout becomes awkward and the sofa has no real place and therefore makes using the patio doors difficult. A shame when money has been spent on the decking and outside furniture. This is probably our 8th visit to this property but the kitchen cleanliness is an issue. Surprised to see the cottage not as heavily booked as previous years and I think this is due to the increased price and the substandard cleaning. The other issue is the phone ringing, we had several calls around 8am and no reply when we answered, this is annoying when you want a break. This was an issue and reported when we used the cottages in previous years. But to get away and for a doggy place it's an ideal location and I will always recommend it to people.
Wilderness Cottages Replied...
Thank you for taking the time to provide a review on your stay at Shore Cottage. As Wilderness Cottages are the booking agents, we have contacted the owners to discuss your feeback. As per the information emailed with the directions, it is important to the property owner, and to Wilderness Cottages, that guests enjoy their holiday, and every effort has been made to ensure this. However, in the unlikely event of dissatisfaction with the property or any subsequent problem, guests should immediately contact the owner/caretaker or Wilderness Cottages, so that the opportunity to rectify the problem is given. We and the owners would have welcomed your comments on your arrival so that any issues could have been remedied. Shore Cottage still has a landline phone as there is no mobile signal at that location and many guests do not want total isolation. The phone can be unplugged if that is the guests choice.
A wonderful winter bolthole - warm (new stove is excellent), clean, comfortable, well-equipped, and withstood the worst Storm Eowyn could throw at it. Our second visit and much enjoyed, except for mud/trail motorbikes tearing up and down on the beach on 3 out of 6 days, very noisy and aggressive. We would want to be sure the owners could stop this before we book again.
Wilderness Cottages Replied...
Thank you for leaving a review on your stay at Shore Cottage. As Wilderness Cottages are the booking agents,we contacted the owners to pass on your feedback. We are so pleased to hear you enjoyed your stay and that the cottage was cosy and comfortable as you weathered Storm Eowyn. We, and the owners were very surprised to hear about the trail bikes on the beach during your stay. This is something that has never been reported before or witnessed by the owners, thank you for making us/them aware. We are very sorry this occured during your stay. As the public can access the beach, the owners are unable to prevent people from attending, however, if made aware, they would attempt to dissuade this type of activity.
We stayed at the cottage for a week, was disappointed that we could not use the fire. The best thing was the location, the beach was great for our elderly dog. The cottage itself needs a good clean and some tlc. Whilst we had everything we needed the cottage is tired. On arrival there were a lot of flys and we found fly spray in the kitchen which we could not use because we had a dog. There were more house flys everyday. The garden was a gunnera cemetery where it had all been cut down and left not very nice. The sofas are finished and uncomfortable and need replacing. The shower was ok with great pressure. The blind in the bathroom was broken and unable to be used. The bed was comfortable.
Wilderness Cottages Replied...
Thank you for providing a review on your stay at Shore Cottage. As Wilderness Cottages are the booking agents, we have contacted the owners to discuss your feeback. They are very sorry to hear that you were disappointed with some aspects of your stay. They understand that the fire being unusable, due to safety concerns, was very unfortunate, this has now been replaced with an inset wood burner. They are investigating your report of flys. Exterior and interior maintenance to the cottage has now been completed, which includes decoration and a replacement sofa and an ongoing maintenance schedule is in place.
Firstly the location of the property was first class. It was remote as expected. These are the only positive comments I can make. The property is in a very poor condition and needs some serious work to get it up to the standard expected on your website. There are no pictures of the bathroom on the site and now I know the reason for this. It reminded me of my nans bathroom from the 1970,s complete with original fittings and black mould in the shower area. The main lounge area includes an open fire which is in a very dangerous state. There are loose bricks just above the main fireplace and when you light a fire smoke leaks out directly into the lounge. The cottage welcome instructions talk about an alternative wood burner for use in the conservatory but looking into that area there is only a hole in the wall for the chimney. The kitchen area is dated and in a very dirty state with used pots and pans put away in the cupboards. The cottage requires a deep clean and also refurbishment generally to bring the property back up to a safe lettable condition. Regarding the exterior of the property the garden furniture turned up on Wednesday which is a positive. The description of the property talks about a two acre garden but what it fails to mention is that 95% of the 2 acres is inaccessible due to the vegetation that has now taken over the area.
Wilderness Cottages Replied...
Update - November 2024 New fireplace has been installed and maintenance work has been completed. Thank you for taking the time to leave your review and feedback on Shore Cottage. As Wilderness Cottages are the booking agents, we contacted the owner to discuss your feedback at the earliest opportunity. The owners thank you for your comments and apologise that your stay at the cottage did not live up to your expectations. The fireplace is no longer in operation and a replacement has been sourced and will be installed soon. The other issues raised are being dealt with and the maintenace schedule has begun. As previously discussed, Wilderness Cottages are committed to providing quality holiday experiences for our guests and we hope you feel reassured that we, and the owner, have taken your feedback very seriously and are working to resolve the issues raised.
Travelled with hubby and adult daughter and her boyfriend. Plus my large breed dog star. Cottage was much bigger than expected and very comfy with everything you need for a week. Beach was fantastic at bottom of garden and hardly see anyone else there even tho it's school holidays. I know alot of views moan about the track but personally found it great fun to drive and loved not knowing if I was going to come across a hare , deer or sheep on the next bend. Best location I have ever stayed in. If I had a say one slightly thing that could improve it would be a larger bed is needed in main room...otherwise perfect and will deffo return. Also a side note to anyone who has older teens with them like I did was if you sit in conservatory right by the door you pick up good enough signal on 3 network to be able to use as personal hotspot so they can access the internet .
We love Shore Cottage - our third visit! Especially its total isolation with lovely beach a few yards away. Only point to watch is that the approach track is really tricky unless you have a high clearance car and/or you are used to farm tracks! Our advice is to go very slowly and carefully.
Shore Cottage
