Kinloch on the island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides (sometimes referred to as the Western Isles) stands on the shores of Loch Druidibeg, a National Nature Reserve run by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).

The house is set in an acre of mature wooded gardens, rare in the usually treeless South Uist, and has its own Loch frontage, offering fantastic views across the reserve to the hills on the East coast.

Both golden and sea eagles fly in sight of the garden, otters work the nearby lochs and brown trout rise at the bottom of the garden.

This is a wonderful place to come to fish, bird watch, play golf, horse ride, walk, paint or just relax in a compelling natural environment. There is a much wider range of activities on the island than is appreciated. See Other activities section for a fuller list.

Fly Fishing

South Uist truly offers some of the finest wild Brown Trout and Sea Trout fishing in Europe.

There is not a stocked rainbow on the island. Whether fishng from a boat on once of the Estate machair lochs for specimen Browns or Sea Trout; or walking the hills, fishing the literally 100s of lochs run by the local Angling Club, for smaller wild trout this will be a unique fishing experience.

Many of my guests come to stay with me and fish, and I have considerable fly fishing experience both on Uist and around the world and can help advise of the best package for each individual.

For full details about the fishing see the relevant section in this site: The fishing. This section also includes a full 6 year summary of catch returns.

By no means do all my guests come for the fishing, and general visitors are more than welcome. Many come to enjoy, or take part in one of the following.

Bird Watching / Wildlife

The bird watching is spectacular and even on Druidibeg raptors hunting over the Reserve include golden eagle, hen harrier, kestrel, peregrine, merlin, short-eared owl, even the occasional white-tailed eagle. There are many divers on the Loch and one can regularly hear the corncrakes calling on the machair side – actually sighting them is another matter.

Check out www.western-isles-wildlife.co.uk which provides a summary of recent sightings and can offer guided tours to view the birdlife.

Shooting / Stalking

Guests staying at Grogarry Lodge have first call on the keeper's time, and the shooting, so opportunities for my guests are very limited.

There is some excellent stalking available from August 12th and that can be organised for my guests by arrangement with the head keeper. This encompasses both culled stags and trophy heads.

Golf

Golfing opportunities are about to dramatically improve as the “Old Tom Morris” course at Askernish is developed.

Walking / Climbing

There is a very wide range of walking and climbing opportunities. The whole of the East coast side of the island is largely uninhabited and one can spend as many, or as few, hours as one chooses walking in wild places; with only deer and eagles for company.

Horseriding

There are 2 stables on the islands offering horse riding, and a range of rides on and off road, including the beach.

The west coast has 20 miles of silver sand beaches stretching from the Ardivachar headland to the southern tip of South Uist, broken only by one or two rocky headlands – OK maybe the weather is rarely suitable for sunbathing – but you may be surprised how few people you meet. You will however see the large flocks of waders, a wide range of ducks and gulls, lots of seals and even the occasional otter that all feed on or off the beach.

Cultural activities

There are a range of opportunities to get involved with Gaelic culture and a rather fine local museum at Kildonan. There are also a very wide range of archaelogical sites on the island including Neolithic dwellings, Viking round houses, chambered cairns, "brochs" and "duns".

Should the weather be absolutely appalling, or you just need to get out of the wind, the sitting room is available throughout the day for guests wanting to just relax and read a book in the warm.

I offer a Bed & Breakfast only service, Full Board, or a mix of the two.
Flexibility to suit you is the key.

I can accommodate a maximum of 5 guests, which allows for a “house party” atmosphere, and a very personal service.
It also allows me to arrange meal times to suit the best fishing or bird watching times, rather than the other way around.
2007 was a busy season and I had excellent reviews of the accommodation and importantly the food.

I am confident that you will have a memorable stay here, regardless of the weather or the number of fish you catch!

I look forward to hearing from you.

wegg@kinlochuist.com

Kinloch
Grogarry
Isle of South Uist
HS8 5RR
Outer Hebrides
United Kingdom

Tel: + 44 (0) 1870 620 316