This is a totally idyllic self-catering cottage on the lovely island of Arran - one of the most perfect Scottish holiday retreats you will find (and quickly accessed from the mainland!).

Banlicken is an outstanding location on the side of a heathery hill on the west coast of Arran and with fabulous views across the sea to Kintyre. The house successfully combines being in a wild and remote location whilst also being comfortable and contemporary. The renovation of the farmhouse and byre has sympathetically turned a Scottish croft into an extraordinary and peaceful haven. As you drive up the farm track to the house with every gate you go through you leave behind the outside world. The surrounding countryside is teeming with wildlife, and an easy climb up the hill will reward you with some breathtaking scenery, where you can see eagles and numerous species of birds or just sit and watch the sun setting over the sea.

The house and byre are in immaculate condition, decorated with shaker style furniture, kilims and wood panelling painted in colours influenced by the sea and countryside surrounding it. The accommodation consists of 5 lovely bedrooms all with a sea view and 2 bathrooms, a large kitchen/dining area and a comfortable and cosy sitting room with an open fire.

No Smoking inside

Pets considered

No wheelchair access

The following 2 websites best illustrate the house: http://www.aboutscotland.com/arran/banlicken.html http://www.scotland-holiday-cottage.com/argyll/isle-arran.htm

Nearest Railway Station: Glasgow city centre 40 minutes by train from Ardrossan station

Nearest Airport: Glasgow Airport 40 minutes from Ardrossan

The road to the house is a rough farm track and not suitable for low slung or heavily laden cars or nervous drivers! Suitable for 4X4 vehicles or adventurous drivers in normal cars who take it very slowly.

We thoroughly enjoyed our week on Arran. The house was cosy and well appointed and the location wonderfully remote in feel but accessible to the joys of mountain walking and sightseeing all the island. We had a misunderstanding about access to the smaller cottage which we would have appreciated when we had additional guests on the weekend. Apart from this all the arrangements worked well. We would highly recommend this house.

Ms Rosemary L- Australia (12 Jun 2014)

Just had a wonderful two weeks at Banlicken. It certainly lived up to its billing as a remote hideaway! It is a comfortable cosy family home, with all the equipment anyone could want for 12 people. It would be extremely suitable for a couple of families with school age children - the playbarn with the tennis table would be a boon. The description was accurate, though the photos glamorise the accomodation - shabby homely would be my overall description. But what would you look for in a cottage on a Scottish Island! The description of the track leading to the house is accurate - quite adventurous, through dips and a ford, and by the end of our two weeks the bracken and brambles were meeting on the windscreen in places. Our main concern (and this is not mentioned on the website) is that the responsibility of checking on the water tank every two days rests with the guests - the directions to find it were minimal, and did not mention climbing over a 3' fence and stumbling through clumps of heather and bracken with no obvious route. On our first week we were six seventy plus year olds, and quite worried. (We did leave a very detailed diagram behind!) Note also that in the main house there is only one bathroom downstairs to serve four bedrooms - this is in the description, and may not be a problem.

A bit more strimming generally would have helped. This may sound very negative - it is not intended to - we had a great time - but simply to help potential members decide.

Pat (13 Jul 2010)