Old Pier Cottage - Isle of Harris

17/05/2022

🚨 JULY AVAILABILITY! 🚨

2-9 July now available - grab it before it’s gone! Book via Airbnb or contact us directly for a special rate 🥳

https://abnb.me/u5XDhqm16pb

28/04/2022

The bath at the end of the road is looking fresh!

17/04/2022

Some of our guests will be lucky enough to watch Harris Football Club play right outside the house! The season didn’t start the way we hoped but onwards and upwards! 🥳

Look the part and support the club by buying some merch in advance! https://teamwearscotland.com/product-category/elite-clubs/harris-f-c/

Harris 0 Athletic 4

(Apologies for the delay. Think of it as reading a match report in your Monday newspaper from Saturday’s game!)

And so the opener turned out not to be the start we were hoping for. But it’s the start, and somewhere to build from. Onwards and upwards.

Four goals in nine minutes just before half-time meant the second half was going to be damage-limitation, so we can take positives from that second goal-less forty-five, which eased the ennui of the punters on Old Pier Road.

Harris, without a few regular starters for various reasons, fielded probably one of their youngest ever starting line-ups. Aths also had many sylph-like fleet-footed youngsters, but also a backbone of experience, being able to boast of many league titles and Highland Amateur Cups. Perspective required.

A deserved victory then for Athletic and we wish them well for the rest of the season (apart from in the return fixture in Stornoway!)

First competitive outing for new kit so we can mention Sea Harris. Also, Woody's Express Parcels for the provision of match balls. (Our littoral location has cost us many footballs and did again last night, with a high spring tide. But – some good news - it wasn’t one of ours!)

17/04/2022

A rainy Sunday in Harris done right 😍

Book our final availability for 2022 now (end of September): https://abnb.me/LXKwRbdMipb

2023 dates are now filling up too 🗓

16/04/2022

We *love* dogs here! 🐾💫❤️

15/04/2022

Spring is springing in Harris! And we’ve got a new front gate courtesy of a man from Ness 😍

14/03/2022

Our latest availability - you can message directly to get the best rates or check out www.airbnb.com/h/oldpiercottage

07/03/2022

Due to a postponement of dates, 20-27th August is available!

October is filling up now, as is May 2023!

Updated availability and our best rates for booking directly!

05/03/2022

We were delighted when Rob McKinnon recently got in contact to say Old Pier Cottage belonged to his two aunts, Kate and Jessie. The cottage was built, he thinks, by their father Donald after WW1.
Kate (the taller lady) was the district nurse in Harris and I've no doubt many people will have fond memories of them both. We will treasure these pictures!

17/02/2022

Updated availability and our best rates for booking directly!

29/01/2022

31/12/2021

2021 was really good to us - we got Maggie, another rescue dog, as well as Old Pier Cottage in Harris!

We’ll be welcoming our first guests here in April but we’re looking forward to enjoying it ourselves a bit first! Special thanks to our parents and siblings who helped make our dream a reality!

Bliadhna Mhath Ùr to all our friends and followers - wishing you all a really healthy, fun and prosperous year.

Slàinte,

Yvonne, Amy, Douglas & Maggie 🐾🥂❤️

26/12/2021

Nollaig Chrìdheil! Hope you are all having a really special time. It’s not easy for everyone but chilling out in front of a fire can solve a lot! If this year was overwhelming, come and stay in Harris next year!
But for now, I spy some leftover goose in the fridge…. 🥳🎄🍾💫💃🏻🥂

https://abnb.me/Zz38kmsDimb

05/12/2021

Sunday bliss and a mention in The Guardian talking about the upcoming plans for an island based self catering booking system courtesy of Isle20 - Go island shopping!

28/11/2021

Even on the wildest of days you’ll find a glimpse of something lovely in Harris, even if it’s from the safety of your car 😅 Sundays here are a day of rest, something that’s universally appreciated across the island. And one way we like to rest is to allow other people to bake for us 😅 so thank goodness for The Temple, Northton, Isle of Harris and their opening hours. If you’re here on a Sunday, head to Northton and fill yourselves with their goodies!

26/11/2021

Our little entertainment corner with Yola on vinyl; a Dolly Parton colouring book; Elton John on the wall; a pile of records inc the very best Brandi Carlile; a little homemade letterpress tray table and plenty board games for you to play with! Have a great weekend everybody!

Get your Christmas present sorted with a holiday in Harris next year 😉

25/11/2021

Whether it’s scented candles, diffusers or soaps, one thing is guaranteed at Essence of Harris is pure, handcrafted quality. And the best thing of all is that their flagship store is a 5 minute walk/60 second drive from the cottage, so you can stock up before you leave! But in the mean time, you can enjoy the nicest smelling hands while you’re with us! Check out their new Christmas range - looks incredible 😍🧼🎄🕯

*
*
*

24/11/2021

Cosy vibes heading into the festive season 🪵📚🍷

*
*
*

22/11/2021

We love the fact the cottage has two wood burners - we know this means you’ll be so toasty and cosy here! Perfect even on a Summer’s night when the temperature dips and you’ve spent the day in the Atlantic!

*
*
*

21/11/2021

Sometimes you need a holiday after your holiday because you’ve been so busy trying to see and do everything in the space of a week or two. Take a leaf out of our book and assign at least one day to having a long lie (my English compatriot tells me that’s a lie-in); watching films; eating and drinking in the cottage! It’s a must! We like going to the shop and stocking up on goodies, then closing the door and hibernating - days like today are ideal for that and hopefully the cottage is the perfect sanctuary for you to decompress.

*
*
*

20/11/2021

Sunset at the loch which is about 80 metres away from the front door! The postman assures us that fish can be caught just by standing on the shore - with a fishing rod, not with your bare hands obviously 🤣 luckily we supply a wee rod for you to use so give it a go!
*
*
*

20/11/2021

The Scottish Gin Distillery of the Year is a 5 minute walk away from the cottage! Yep, you can get your Harris Gin Isle of Harris Distillers Ltd fix down the road from us, and throw in a tour and a shopping spree while you’re at it!

But their whisky - The Hearach - is what we’re all now waiting for and we’ll get it when it’s ready and not a drop sooner! This cask bears my surname and even my Gran’s old phone number in Ness but as far as I know, she isn’t a private cask owner….but you never know 😅

Check out the distillery’s gift sets for a Christmas taste of Harris 👌🏽

*
*
*

19/11/2021

19/11/2021

Friday’s here again! We’re going to be busy making Granny Bobby’s fruit loaf - as seen here - which is officially the best in the world (apologies to 😅) - it really is delicious…she’s still baking at 94!

Check out our stories for her duff aka clootie dumpling recipe, and you’ll find a copy tucked away in the kitchen for you to make yourself when you’re here if you truly want to feel like a Hebridean cailleach (old lady)

18/11/2021

Confession time: I got this Ordnance Survey map made on their website - and with the personalisation option I wanted something nice. But I panicked and couldn’t remember any Gaelic Harris songs (sorry) and so we ended up with a line from a song about………..Scalpay! The Scalpay folk I know would tell you it’s the best part of Harris anyway 😉 Scalpay is where you’ll find the North Harbour Bistro, Eilean Glas Rib Tours and Scalpay Shellfish. As well as the childhood home of my old Sunday School teacher but that’s probably not a tourist destination, yet….

2022 is filling up quickly so get your Harris holidays sorted ASAP 🏝🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

16/11/2021

Yay! We’re now on booking.com! We are also launching on something island-based, so keep your eyes peeled for that news 🤓

We keep our Instagram page flowing with nice pics of the cottage, island and fellow businesses along with some silly captions so give us a follow over there! www.instagram.com/oldpiercottage

13/11/2021

STAY HERE FOR £2!

Win a 4 night stay here by buying raffle tickets from Upper Barvas Playpark! The draw takes place on 17th December and all proceeds go to a new play park.

The more you donate, the more chance you have of winning, and you’re supporting a worthwhile island cause while you do it!

Contact their page directly to buy. Good luck!

11/11/2021

The impact of the wars in Harris and Lewis is still felt today. There wasn’t a village left unscarred by death. We will never forget them 🙏🏽

~ Chan fhàs iadsan sean

mar a tha sinne a tha air ar fàgail a' fàs sean,

Orrasan, cha tig sgìths, aois, no dìteadh linn.

Aig dol fodha na grèine agus aig àm dhi èirigh,

bidh sinn a' cuimhneachadh orra. ~

📸 John Maher Photography

09/11/2021

The kitchen is equipped with all that you might need to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner but we, of course, recommend scoffing the delicious food that’s available across the island if you can’t be bothered washing up!

However, we do provide fishing rods for you if you fancy catching something at the end of the pier! 🎣

09/11/2021

Like the majority of folk in Harris and Lewis, we’re bilingual, and that has given us a love of language and books. Our shelves are peppered with a bit of everything including classic literature and poetry from the Islands and Highlands in both Gaelic and English.

Even if you can’t read Gaelic, we wanted you to be a little more immersed in the culture than you might otherwise be. You’ll be all the richer for it!

(If Elton John and Claudia Winkleman are more your bag, we have those too 🤣)

08/11/2021

Who’d like to be diving head first into this bed right now? Another Monday is upon us and one way to look at it is, we’re all one step closer to a holiday somewhere, sometime!

Book a wee stay with us today to take away any Monday blues you might have 😉 Have a lovely day folks!

https://www.airbnb.com/h/oldpiercottage

07/11/2021

Chasing rainbows and dreams in Harris.

07/11/2021

When you come to Harris you HAVE to go to . It’s a gorgeous deli and bakery in Northton, further south in Harris and where you’ll also find weaving her tweeds!

If time is tight or you don’t make it to Northton, The Temple also do click and collect every Saturday - and it’s even open on a Sunday!

These Machair Buns are to die for and I hereby prescribe one on the hour, every hour, when you’re here staying with us 😉

Have a great day folks 🙏🏽

06/11/2021

I hate to break to you guys, but it doesn’t look like this tonight 😅 But a late October/early November trip to Harris is well worth considering - it was magical here last week. The rainbows were popping out every 5 seconds, the Northern Lights were in full force and the temperature was mild. But anyway, enjoy your evening whatever the weather - we’ll be watching Strictly like the rest of you….see, it’s not all Harris Tweed and Luskentyre in Harris 😉

06/11/2021

When the weather is a bit wild like it is today, there’s nowhere better than to be beside the log burner here in Harris. Come and see for yourselves!

05/11/2021

Happy Friday! Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

We’ve got a fine selection of records for you to listen to at OPC to get your holiday going with a swing, and this one by Brandi Carlile is a favourite here! We’ve also got lots of games - and even a Dolly Parton colouring book for adults….😅🤠

Bookings are now being taken for April 2022 onwards: https://abnb.me/uUaJg49tWkb

04/11/2021

We don’t have one wood burning stove - we have two! Think we’ll keep them both on today ☺️ Imagine how cosy you’ll be if you stay in the cottage next year - the northerly wind or the Atlantic is no match for these two bad boys! 🔥

*
*
*