Oystershell Lodge

The lodge has everything you need and stays lovely and warm. It’s a bit dated, but the views are great and the staff are helpful.

Peaceful and restful, with a lovely view. It’s well equipped, and the extra electric heaters could come in handy. Just be aware the B road is 12 miles of winding single-track road if that bothers you.

AVOID AVOID AVOID The place is extremely dated and looks like it hasn’t been updated in decades. They didn’t leave enough basics for our stay, including dishwasher tablets, toilet paper and matches for the fire. There are no shops unless you drive for 30 minutes. The hot water wasn’t working when we arrived and took 72 hours to get fixed. With two small babies in our group, that was a nightmare. It also meant we couldn’t swim in the loch and then have a warm shower, which was pretty much the reason for going. The host first offered compensation, then backed out. Don’t book through airbnb. The host isn’t the owner, and communication becomes a pain when something goes wrong. We were blamed for breaking things without any description or details. The only thing we know was broken during our stay was an old plastic kitchen chair that was already cracked. We told the host while we were there. It had hurt my friend’s thigh, but instead of an apology, it was held against us. The path down to the house is dangerous, with a drop and no working outdoor light. My wife fell and hurt herself, and neither the host nor the owner said a word of apology or acknowledged it. There are much better places along the coast. I wish we’d stayed at a really nice airbnb in Gortein, also on the water.

We watched a red squirrel outside the lodge, such a lovely treat. The place has loads of space and is well set up, with just about everything you need in the kitchen and plenty of logs for the fire. We barely needed the fire because the lodge was well heated. We stayed for a week in April and loved the location and views over the loch. It’s remote if you’re using it as a base to tour the area: getting around the loch to Inverary takes about an hour. Otherwise, you can head south to the ferry to Tarbert.