Sometimes it's not easy to know where to start when talking about a beautiful property. Sometimes it's the graceful architecture, but it might as easily be the charming gardens, the wonderful location or the fascinating history of what's gone on within the walls.
In the case of Doune Bay Lodge, it's easy.
Look. At. That. View.
Quite something, isn't it? And in case you're worried that it's tiny, or needs a complete rebuild, or something else worrying, we really can't find a single bad thing to say about the place. Even the price of £395,000 seems hard to believe; there aren't many places where that sort of money would buy you five bedrooms, two acres and your own beach.
Doune Bay Lodge has a dream location in a cove all of its own on the Knoydart Peninsula, looking across the Sound of Sleat to the Isle of Skye.
The rest of the Knoydart Peninsula, in case you're wondering, is exactly as beautiful as you'd imagine. It's like living in Middle Earth.
This is Coire Dhorrcail, on the Knoydart Peninsula.
The house itself is laid out on the simplest of plans: it's a plain rectangle, with two storeys. Downstairs there's a large, open-plan living and dining room, with a separate kithchen area off to one side.
There are also are a pair of bedrooms — both en suite — with one accessed from a small hallway, and the other from the living space.
Above, there are three more bedrooms — again, all with en suite bathrooms, as you might expect of a place that has primarily been used as a holiday let.
Around the back of the house is a workshop and storehouse that has a separate little shower room, ideal for washing sand off after a day's walking in the hills or swimming in the bay.
And then there's the deck, as seen above, facing out towards the west to give you the greatest imaginable sunsets during the long, lazy days of summer.
If there is a caveat, that is what it is: Doune Bay Lodge really does feel like a summer house rather than a year-round home. The house is self-sufficient for energy and water, with both a solar power system with 28 panels and a 'micro hydro system' to produce water. Should Nature fail to keep you running, there's also a diesel generator.
The other caveat also happens to be one of the great selling points: the house is almost unbelievably remote. To get there you have to head to Mallaig, the town at the end of the main A830 road from Fort William, and then catch a ferry to Inverie.
Inverie is the dubbed the most remote village in the United Kingdom, yet it's a metropolis compared to Doune Bay.
Inverie is almost unique among mainland towns in Britain, in that it has roads, but none that are connected to the UK road network. Away from Inverie itself there are a few tracks that get you around the Knoydart Peninsula, one of which takes you towards Doune Bay.
The other alternative is to head straight there in your own boat, and the good news is that the property has a boathouse, with the boat available by separate negotiation. (The same goes for the owner's quad bike, apparently.)
If you're worried about being too isolated, the good news is that the lodge isn't the only building at Doune Bay. There's also a very small hotel, which as well as serving meals, means that there are a few people not too far away.
Doune Bay Lodge is for sale at £395,000 — see more details.
