South Lodge is located in a rural and secluded position and offers panoramic sea views across West Loch Tarbert and south to the Sound of Gigha. The cottage is located in the extensive grounds of the working Ardpatrick Estate which lies ten miles to the south west of the busy and popular village of Tarbert. The property has recently been renovated and now complete offers a perfect location for a relaxing holiday with birdlife, sealife and wildlife on your doorstep.
The main living area at the cottage is open plan with the sitting room, dining and kitchen being one. This room has triple aspect windows and superb views to the garden and over West Loch Tarbert. Tastefully furnished throughout and equipped to a high standard, this room has a stone fireplace with a multi fuel stove, smart TV, Blue Ray Dvd player and iPod dock, wifi internet access is also supplied.
The kitchen although compact has everything you will need for a stay including all the usual kitchen appliances including a dishwasher, washing machine and tumble dryer. Off the sitting room a small hall provides ample storage for outdoor gear and this leads to the bedroom with a large en-suite bathroom complete with a bath and large walk in shower. Outside the garden provides the perfect place to sit and relax and enjoy the views and pets are welcome.
Ardpatrick is a small, rural hamlet in Knapdale, on the southern west coast. The larger village of Tarbert is the urban centre of the region. Here, you can buy groceries from the Co-op or the Larder or have a delicious meal at one of the restaurants. Explore the ruins of the 13th century castle that commands views across the loch. Just north of the village is Shell Beach, which instead of sand, is made from fragments of scallop's shells. Tarbert is also the starting point for the Kintyre Way, a long-distance hiking route that passes Campbelltown on its journey to the remote Machrihanish.
Although remote today, the many inlets and lochs meant that the area was easily navigable by ship and it is rich in archaeological sites from many periods. One of the most impressive of these is the towering remains of Skipness Castle, which withstood a lengthy siege during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Along the edges of the castle grounds run the breathtaking white sands of Skipness Beach.
For fine dining that doesn’t break the bank, you can’t miss out on a meal at the Kilberry Inn. The chefs at the inn take pride in sourcing the freshest local ingredients, including scallops, venison and seaweed. They have been presented with a Michelin Bib Gourmand award for combining excellent quality with an affordable price. With bursting stomachs, take in the fresh air at the open exhibition of the Kilberry Structured Stones. These beautifully carved gravestones were retrieved from a local graveyard. They represent many different historical periods, with the oldest dating back to the 1300s!
In 2009, the Knapdale Forest was chosen to host some very special new residents. The Scottish Beaver Trial planned to reintroduce the adorable species that had been extinct in Scotland for 500 years. Now you can wander through Barnluasgan and try to spot the well-established colonies that inhabit the forest. The Argyll Beaver Centre leads guided tours and can provide information about these furry friends. If you love wildlife, but beavers are not for you, why not take a boat trip with Venture West? Keep your eyes peeled for sea eagles, porpoises and dolphins, as well as the dramatic Corrvreckan, the world’s third-largest whirlpool.
Facilities
Included in the rent
Other Facilities
Dogs Welcome
Two dogs are welcome however the garden is not fully enclosed. Please note no other pets are allowed. If in doubt about booking for pets, please contact our office direct to discuss.
Access to the Property
South Lodge is in a beautiful location which is accessed by a way of a dirt track road: cars can access the Lodge as long as care and time is taken. If you would like any more detailed information please discuss this at the time of booking.
Mobile Phone Reception
Good coverage for EE and Vodafone, please check if different provider.
Internet Access
Superfast broadband is now available.
Good Housekeeping Deposit
A Good Housekeeping Deposit of £75.00 is required at the property.
Best Features
STL Licence No: AR01326T EPC RATING: F
Guests rate South Lodge: Excellent from 38 reviews About Reviews
Watched 2 badgers playing in the garden last night, from around 9pm. Scatter some peanuts if you would like to see them.
Had a lovely week at South Lodge, location was as described and was lovely to wake up to those amazing views and have peace and quiet. Our greyhound love running round the garden so he's had a ball too. Lots to see on the west coast my favourite being Isle of Arran and just outside kilberry village seeing the seals at the waters edge was a treat. Only minor feedback the oven time is hard to follow as numbers don't fully show but still managed to cook with the well equipped kitchen! Thanks for a lovely holiday !
Had a wonderful week, in the perfect location to unwind and relax. Cottage has everything you need and was very comfortable. Lots of walking from the cottage and Tarbert is not too far away for any supplies and has a good range of local shops. Malachy and Heather were both very helpful with any queries.
This was our second visit and will definitely be back!
Such a lovely location.
Our stay was marred by the very uncomfortable bed which made getting a good night's sleep impossible.
We enjoyed the walks right from the door of the cottage, especially the one looking over to the mountains of Jura.
If you're going with your dog, do make sure that they're up to date with their tick treatment. We needed to remove several ticks each day from our dog, including sometimes even when she'd just been out in the garden.
We had one very still evening when we were bothered by midges in the evening, but were otherwise untroubled by them.
The neighbouring house was having building works done during our stay - hours of drilling, sawing, banging and hammering so close to the house meant that we had to go out, even though we wanted to just read in the garden and enjoy the view.
Wilderness Cottages Replied...
Thank you for taking the time to provide a review on your stay at South Lodge, we are sorry to hear that you experienced issues that caused you to leave a 2 star rating. As Wilderness Cottages are the booking agents, we have contacted the owners to discuss your feedback. It is very important to the property owner, and to Wilderness Cottages, that guests enjoy their holiday, and we do ask that in the event of dissatisfaction with the property or if any problems arise, guests please contact the owner or Wilderness Cottages during their stay, so that the issues can be addressed at that time. The neighbouring property is privately owned, and the owner of South Lodge is unable to control any renovations the neighbours are carrying out. He has spoken with the neighbours and they are currently building a shed and were sorry for the disruption it caused you on the 2 days of your stay, when they were there carrying out the work. The owner had not been aware of any issues with the bed before your review. He will assess the bed when the next guests leave and rectify the problem.
Absolutely stunning location! A peaceful week enjoying fantastic scenery and lots of wildlife! I visited this very house as a child when it was very basic! It is now a lovely, cosy cottage which we would live to return to. Ideal for nature lovers and anyone wanting to get away from it all!
Firstly, South Lodge is in a beautiful secluded location. It takes a 20 minute drive down a single lane road to get to, you really feel away from the hustle and bustle. We loved watching the birds, listening to the dawn chorus, and seeing the pheasants. And two friendly sheep called by our garden most mornings. If you take the path right out of the cottage you can discover a magical labyrinth too!
Unfortunately the serenity of this location was disrupted across the Monday/Tuesday of our stay, when extremely loud machinery started carrying out fencing work at the back edge of the garden. Some of the banging was so overwhelmingly loud it echoed throughout the cottage and you could feel the vibrations, causing distress to us and our dog. We were forced away from the property on Monday evening just to escape the noise.
As upsetting as this was, I knew that the work was taking place beyond South Lodge's property and therefore assumed it couldn't be helped. However, I was later disappointed to learn that that this work had been arranged by the owner of South Lodge himself, who lives on the extensive grounds surrounding the cottage. It took me a while to get into contact with him because the contact info found in the "Guest Information" folder is outdated and directed me to the previous owner. She kindly passed on the number of the new owner.
What upset me the most was that whilst the fencers themselves had been very kind, sympathetic, and profusely apologetic for the noise, the owner gave me a brief "sorry about that", then later told me that the surrounding land is a working farm and therefore "some farm action is inevitable" at times during the year.
I was quite taken aback at the lack of empathy.
Whilst I appreciate the necessities of farm work, at the very least could the owner not have had the courtesy to let us know that this would happen in advance? We had chosen South Lodge for my birthday retreat because it was advertised on their Facebook as a "secluded retreat" which "promises a tranquil stay". In reality, excessive noise like this will be "inevitable" at times during the year without warning? Perhaps the listing for this accommodation should be updated to include this information.
Thankfully our remaining days offered the peace we had hoped for. We would love to return to South Lodge sometime, but we would be hesitant as to what kind of work might be scheduled at the time of our stay.
Wilderness Cottages Replied...
Thank you for taking the time to provide a review on your stay at South Lodge. As Wilderness Cottages are the booking agents, we have contacted the owners to discuss your feeback. As per the information emailed with the directions this included the correct contact details of the owner but we are sorry to learn the 'Guest Information' booklet in the cottage was out of date. We have raised this with the owners and they have now updated the details and they apologise for the overisight. We have forwarded your comments regarding the disruption to the owners and they have asked that we pass on their sincere apologies, the work carried out on the farm estate was urgent and could not have been avoided, but accept that some prior notice may have been helped alleviate the situation.
