With mountain views and set under starry skies, The Ferry Waiting Room is little gem built for quiet souls who are most at home in the wilderness.
After a four-mile, loch-skimming, single-track drive, past purple hedgerows and fields of shaggy Highland cattle, you’ll pull up to Monachyle Mhor – a boutique hotel owned and run by the Lewis family. Just a one-minute walk through the grounds and across a handmade bridge, you’ll find this highland hideout. No ferries to catch here, but we can’t think of a better place to while away the hours.
The bothy started as a simple project – developed and partially built by two architecture students. It centres around a big window and hearth and was designed to sit in splendid isolation. Taking too long to complete, it was abandoned and destined to be scrapped. The waiting room, also sadly on its way to the scrap heap, was once a Port Appin Ferry terminal. The Lewis family saw budding potential in both of them and with thoughtful crafting, the waiting room became a cosy bedroom, with a double bed and two bunks and the bothy took the form of a small kitchen – both with incredible views.
There are some phenomenal hikes from the bottom of the drive; you can climb Ben More at the end of the glen, go fishing in the loch or play petanque in the garden. And after a day in the fresh mountain air, curl up with a good book in the cabin, before a gourmet five-course dinner at the hotel. They have their own fishery, bakery and tea rooms, all of which can provide you with take away ingredients or eat-in supplies. You can use their luxury showers and loos, too.
