Testimonials 2023

What a beautiful place! We have had an amazing time exploring the area. Despite the weather being wet and windy, it hasn’t stopped us getting out and experiencing some wonderful new places. Highlights for us were the spectacular beaches at Sanna and Calgary (on Mull); the beach and walk at Tioram Castle – where we spotted otters in the wild. A day trip to Mull cannot be missed. The accommodation here at Brightwater has been absolutely fabulous. After a day out walking it is perfect to come back to real luxury and feel totally relaxed. You could sit for hours gazing out of the amazing picture windows enjoying the beautiful views. Our 11 year old Labrador, Lottie has had a fabulous time here – she’s had a new lease of life exploring all the new walks and interesting smells. Thank you so much Meryl and Budgie

A welcome return to Brightwater – tranquil as always. As it was my first time back in a couple of years it was a welcome reminder of many fond memories. No otters this year, but we did get to say hello to some seals by boat. Scout (the dog) says he much enjoys spending his twilight years asleep by the window. Hope to be back soon!

A really enjoyable and welcome visit to the gorgeous Brightwater. We fetched our 2 dogs, Milo the Labrador and Freddie the Cocker, who both fully embraced the freedom and all the new smells. Milo has visited before so he was right at home, but Freddie fully enjoyed all the new experiences. Lots of wildlife to be seen, Seals, Otters, Badgers, Pine Martens and Deer. We took a Gondola ride up ‘Aonach Mor’ mountain to check out the trails and of course ‘Ben Nevis’. The Gondola ride is dog friendly and wheelchair accessible. The highlight of our trip has got to be the amazing Northern Lights. They were not shy! They could be seen from the front door of the lodge but were much clearer from the other side of the hill past Camas nan Gaell beach. We will definitely be returning, even if its just for Christine’s lovely cake !!!

We have had a wonderful holiday here at Brightwater Lodge! A lovely mix of exploring Ardnamurchan and just relaxing in the lodge! From the RSPB walk to Ben Hiant, with a few others in between, I think we may have exhausted our little pooch! Quite a few things still closed at the moment, which is no issue for us, however, we did have a lovely bowl of soup and a sandwich at Café Tioram. Trips to Sanna Bay and the ferry to Mull did not disappoint, glad we packed for all seasons! Two favourite things, sitting looking out at Loch Sunart and making peanut butter sandwiches for Badger. Thank you for a lovely holiday!

Fantastic week’s stay, with stunning views across the loch. Wildlife tour on Mull and private boat tour of Loch Sunart gives you a great background to this area. Sanna Bay (at the end of a of long narrow road) is absolutely fabulous. The Badgers and Pine Martens are regular night time visitors. Lovely cottage with great all round appeal.

Very relaxing and peaceful stay – just having easy day trips, watching the wildlife and enjoying the views. Please do refer to the wildlife Nature Diary for more info on the resident Badgers, Pine Martens and other critters. At this time of year, with darkness coming later, then staying up late is necessary, but what a wonderful sight to see a badger the other side of the glass! Pine Martens come at all times of day and night, badgers between 11.45 to 1.30am! Would be earlier in winter. Badgers love jam and peanut butter sandwiches! Light lunch at Mingary Castle is a bargain – booking required. Sanna Bay and lighthouse (great café) also really good. Local distillery is good – nice high end single malts, different approach but still interesting. We will be back!

Our 6th time back at Brightwater Lodge and still as magical as our first. Many thanks to Christine for the lovely cake and jam, making us feel so welcome on our arrival. Pine Martens came every night for supper! We will be back. Thanks again

Fate smiled on us for sure when a late cancellation enabled us to be here at Brightwater for the week of our 40th wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful time, weather perfect and the lodge is first class in every respect. Many thanks for the carrot cake and other goodies – much appreciated. We have been lucky to see some spectacular wildlife and Ardnamurchan has had sight of Ed the dog – much photographed!! He enjoys the fuss. We hope to be back with some of the family next year – hopefully get two cottages nearby. Every good wish

We’ve been to Brightwater Lodge many times now, both with past owners and with Meryl – we will be back as it is a special place, good for the body and soul. We really appreciate the standard of presentation by Christine and Ian and all those lovely little extras for the humans and their furry companions ☺ Wonderful to sit and watch the wildlife all around us, even down to the little vole scurrying across the patio area. New for us this year was a trip on the boat ‘Mingary’ from Salen for a trip around Loch Sunart – stunning. Special dinner at Mingary Castle at Kilchoan for our wedding anniversary. Good to see this castle that we originally saw as a crumbling ruin, then covered up for restoration/conservation emerge like a swan that can provide jobs/business for the people of Ardnamurchan.

Just what we needed to totally relax and unwind. Perfect house as always and the weather didn’t disappoint! Thought we weren’t going to see an otter but saw 2 together in the bay! I think one maybe caught a Ray, it struggled to keep it out of the water for a while. Lovely day in the sea at BayMcNeil and another at Sanna. Trip to Tobermory for the best fish and chips from the silver hut on the long pier. Lighthouse trip and a couple of days just enjoying the lodge and peace and quiet. Do not want to leave! Thank you Christine and Ian for all the goodies and the amazing cake. Loved the highland cow welcome. Looking forward to next year

Amazing weather 20 – 28 degrees C. What a beautiful, very comfy cottage. Unfortunately Corran ferry out of action, so long drive, but so worth it! Salen ferry stores is a gem of info and fabulous fish/seafood van every Tuesday 12pm. (he doesn’t stay long). We had fresh langoustine tails (10), 2 smoked kippers and 2 crabs - £24. All delicious (cash only). Strontian is a lovely little hub and info centre. The drive to Sanna is spectacular as is to the lighthouse. Kilchoan is charming – everything in the road – cows, sheep, grouse, geese!! Sanna Bay is stunning, lighthouse is unique, do go inside, two families lived in it. The beautiful bay and beach at Camas nan Gaell, near Ben Hiant is very atmospheric and you can watch the Mull ferry gliding across…go at sunset ! Some fabulous mists hovering and rising over the loch early morning, magical ! Fabulous stars at night. Lovely journey to Fasacadale, Swordle and Ockle. Great views over the Isles and the Cullins. Amazing site at Swordle of buried Viking Ship found with warrior artefacts, and the most photographed telephone box on the UK mainland on the road to Fascadale! Trip to Castle Tioram – beautiful – enchanting, magical place. Ardtoe beach beautiful white sands and views over to Eigg. Café Tioram lovely in Acharacle and very nice artisan craft shop. Our last day and still hot ! All jumpers unworn, thanks for gorgeous cake and lovely soaps.

What a lovely lodge. It made the perfect location for a relaxing break in what was generally nice weather. The Pine Martens appeared regularly but often seemed to wait until we were not watching. No sign of Badgers at all but perhaps we did not stay up late enough? Lots of highlights, swimming at Bay McNeil, visiting Staffa on a beautiful sunny day, climbing Ben Hiant and going to the lighthouse, to name but a few. Although Mingary Castle was very nice the best food we had by far was at Café Fish in Tobemory.

Our 6th time at Brightwater. More wonderful each time! Relaxing and exploring made it a week to remember. We can’t wait to be back here again next year. The goodies were really welcomed especially the delicious cake and jam. So much wildlife, we have logged this in the Nature Diary Thank you Christine, Ian, Meryl and Budgie

Last minute visit and we so enjoyed the break. The wildlife was wonderful with lots of close encounters with the Pine Martens – super special. I put eggs out for them which they seemed to enjoy often taking them before the peanut butter. The weather wasn’t brilliant but the autumn colours were lovely especially when the sun put in a brief appearance.

We have had a wonderful week in Brightwater Lodge, this week has gone by so quickly. We have loved sitting in the armchairs looking at the stunning views and changing light. It was fascinating watching the Pine Martens in the evening – how special. Ardnamurchan is so beautiful and we definitely want to return hopefully in 2025. Thank you for the welcome goodies and for letting us stay in your beautiful lodge.

We have had another very relaxing stay. We have done a little bit of work whilst visiting, but most of all we have enjoyed the local walks with our 2 boys (dogs). One walk that we particularly enjoyed was Singing Sands, the beach was so beautiful. There are lots of shorter walks more local to the lodge that we also enjoyed. Lots of Pine Martens but no Badgers or Otters on this occasion, the northern lights also made an appearance. We are already planning our walks for our next trip in March. Thank you for the yummy cake and the gifts for the boys. See you soon Brightwater.

Fabulous stay with friends, loved Sanna beach, great for kite flying and otter spotting. The evenings spent together waiting for Pine Martens were worth it, they came every night, enjoying peanut butter and jam sandwiches. Didn’t see a badger but did love seeing a little vole desperate for food that managed to get up to the top of the logs. Wonderful accommodation, great facilities, Perfect !

We were so excited about coming to stay at Brightwater Lodge and on our arrival we weren’t disappointed! The view from the armchairs is simply stunning. We spent hours watching the climate and light changes. We were blessed with the most amazing winter sunshine. Highlights for us were the superb walks, the lighthouse, Tioram Castle and the white sandy beaches. The Ardnamurchan Distillery was a hit too! We were struck by how friendly everyone we met was including a lovely lady in Kilchoan who gave us milk. The location of the lodge is perfect and the amenities within excellent. It was great to find basic provisions provided and a huge surprise to find a delicious coffee and walnut cake hiding in the fridge! For us this was the perfect belated honeymoon. The peace and tranquillity is truly great for the body and soul. We leave with the fondest memories and hope to return again next year. Thank you for a fabulous stay!

Our fourth stay at Brightwater and just as incredible as always. We love coming here and thoroughly enjoyed the tranquillity once again. Thank you so much for our welcome gifts, we were over the moon to discover our favourite Victoria sponge cake which didn’t last long! The Singing Sands is still the best walk we have done and we were lucky enough to have glorious winter sunshine all day. We explored some new walks in Arundle and discovered a gem in the beach at Bay McNeil. We attempted Ben Hiant but didn’t make it all the way to the top – hopefully next time. Sitting in the chairs and watching the birds, changing weather and other wildlife is bliss and we could happily sit there all day. Thank you again for everything and sharing this magical place. The birds and pine martens enjoyed their treats too!

Another relaxing Christmas at Brightwater Lodge. The weather was not as kind this year but this did not limit our days out. The pine martens cam every night which was delightful to watch. We also managed to see an otter casually walking along the side of the road near Glenborrodale. The welcome goodies, including the beautiful Christmas Cake much appreciated – thank you. Stunning views from the warmth of the lodge as usual, we look forward to our return next year. Many thanks