With its own loch, rowing boat and a lochside hot tub, it’s no surprise that a luxury wooden lodge in the Highlands has been named as the UK’s best holiday let.
Located near to the popular village of Plockton, The Sheiling, a contemporary two-bedroom holiday let which features a grass-topped roof, impressed a panel of expert judges to be crowed the winner of the nationwide competition.
It was back in 2017 when Martin Matheson, who owns a building company, purchased Loch Lundie alongside his wife Mairi.
£10,000 prize
Spotting the opportunity to build a holiday let in this idyllic spot, the pair went on to design, build and decorate the property over a four-year period with the help of local craftsmen, finally opening its doors to holidaymakers in May of this year.
Ecstatic to win the accolade – and walk away with a £10,000 cash prize – Martin says it’s recognition of all the hard work they put into making their holiday let something extraordinary.
“We’ve put so much into The Sheiling to make it a success, and since opening back in May we’ve constantly received great feedback from our visitors, but an award like this really does mean a lot,” said Martin.
“Taking on the project to purchase and build on Loch Lundie was a big decision, but we are so proud of what we’ve achieved.”
Private pier
The Sheiling is a luxury wooden lodge in a secluded location on the edge of its own loch.
It has been carefully designed to seamlessly fit into its surroundings, with a circular grass-topped roof and a modern contemporary theme throughout.
The luxury holiday let also boasts a lochside hot tub, a large wrap-around deck, and a private pier where guests have access to a small rowing boat.
And despite only being up and running for the past six months, bookings for the holiday let have been through the roof.
“We were booked out over the past summer and 2022 is already filling up fast – with this award win likely to take our bookings to the next level,” said Martin.
“It’s fantastic that Sykes Holiday Cottages have taken the initiative to run a competition like this to showcase some of the best places to stay in the UK”
Best view
As well as winning the overall competition, The Sheiling also took the top spot in the Best View category.
From customer reviews and location to the facilities on offer, the expert panel of judges took into account a number factors when choosing the winner.
Graham Donoghue, the chief executive at Sykes Holiday Cottages, the company which organised the competition, was one of the judges alongside Carol Lewis, the deputy property editor of The Times and Sunday Times, and Elaine Watt from The Holiday Let Success podcaster.
“These awards don’t just showcase the very best of Britain’s holiday lets, they also highlight the hard work that goes into holiday letting across the UK to make Britain’s staycation market the success it is today,” said Graham.
“The Sheiling was certainly a worthy winner – it beat off tough competition, but it is clear to see that this holiday let is nothing short of first class.”
Winners of the other categories included a four-bedroom eco-property in Perthshire, which took home the award for Best Sustainable Holiday Let.
To find out more about The Sheiling visit www.lochlundie.com
