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Silver Birch Lodge

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It is surrounded by stunning scenery with views across to the 5 Sisters of Kintail.

Silver Birch Lodge offers self catering accommodation (max occupancy 6 - 3 bedrooms) in the village of Ratagan on the shores of Loch Duich on the west coast of Scotland.

23/10/2026

7 days and 7 different views of the 5 Sisters of Kintail from my week at Silver Birch Lodge last week. Wasn’t the best of weather - but the light kept changing and there is never a bad view of the mountains (except when they are shrouded in cloud 🤣).

15/10/2026

I went in search of autumn colour today - found plenty at the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre at the top of the Pine Walk. The centre is between Ratagan and Invermoriston - about a 45 minute drive. There are 4 walks to do on varying terrain and for varying abilities, a shop and a great cafe. It is open all year round. Autumn colour in Scotland is amazing - my favourite time of year up here.

13/10/2026

I wasn’t going to post these photos as they aren’t great quality - but twice this week I have seen an otter playing in the water along the coastline near to Ratagan. Yesterday he/she was diving, resurfacing, fishing and generally having a great time in the water. I was just out walking Isla so didn’t have my wildlife camera with me - hence the fuzzy shots - but you can definitely see the otter in a variety of otter like poses. Such a joy to see.

11/10/2026

Sunrise and sunset in the same day!

11/10/2026

Happy Sunday! Back in Ratagan for a week and what a view to get up to on a Sunday morning - walked the dog to the loch side to get the photo but am currently sitting at the dining room table eating breakfast and watching the light keep changing on the loch - amazing!

20/08/2026

Between Inverinate and Dornie is a back road with 2 amazing viewpoints - one of Loch Duich and Loch Alsh and one above Eilean Donan Castle. Great light this morning for some amazing views and the heather in flower.

15/08/2026

We are in the car on the way up to Ratagan for the week - can’t wait to be back. Hoping for one dry day to do some outside painting on the house but we are looking forward to some cooler temperatures and some rain - it’s been a while since we have seen any of the wet stuff down south!

18/06/2026

We are up in Ratagan this week - it is good to be back!

We had a day out on Raasay on Tuesday. It’s an hour’s drive from Ratagan to the ferry port at Sconsor - just leave plenty of time for the journey - we were headed for the early 9:25 ferry but got stuck behind a truck and missed the ferry by 2 minutes - it was just pulling out as we arrived. The Noost cafe however is right next door to the ferry terminal - tea, coffee and a fabulous toasted sandwich in their lovely garden with great views helped us while away the hour until the next ferry to Raasay.

There is a lot to see and do on Raasay. We drove up the island to do the 3km walk to Inver Bay and back - a lovely secluded bay patrolled by a very noisy and persistent sandpiper! Further up the island we had a packed lunch by Brochel Castle. We then headed back down to Inverarish and walked the red route around the village and surrounding woodland - great views back to Skye from Temptation Hill.

After tea and a scone in the cafe at Raasay House we finished our walk and headed back to the ferry for the return journey to Sconsor.

Raasay has industrial heritage with the old ironstone mines, social heritage with Callum’s Road, historic landmarks (broch and Pictish stone) and good walks using the Raasay walk network (another good walk is to the summit of Dun Caan - the highest point on the island or the walk to Fladda from the end of Callum’s Road). It also boasts a new distillery in a very smartly designed building and the cafe/restaurant at Raasay House is a great stop for lunch. Wildlife, wild flowers and great views make Raasay the perfect island visit.

09/05/2026

The Waverley paddle steamer returns to Kyle of Lochalsh this week for some cruises up to Gairloch and around Skye as well as a Cuillins evening cruise. This time last year I went on The Waverley in fabulous weather for an afternoon cruise from Armadale to Loch Hourn and an evening cruise from Kyle into Loch Carron. She is such a beautiful ship - the last ocean going paddle steamer in the world. It’s such a privilege to be able to spend time on board and be taken back to a bygone era of steam. Here are some photos from last year. Have a good weekend!

27/03/2026

We have been up at Silver Birch Lodge in Ratagan this week getting the house shipshape for the forthcoming season. We have also had a bit of time to go out and explore. All sorts of weather this week - rain, hail, sleet, snow, wind - and the occasional glimpse of sun. When the sun has appeared the light has been spectacular. British Summer Time starts this weekend and we look forward to welcoming all of our guests over the warmer summer months. Here’s some photos from our trips this week.

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Kyle Of Lochalsh
IV408HR

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