Relocating To The Isle Of Skye
Isle Of Skye Relocation Reviews
Tir Alainn Hosts - Family Information
B&B Information
Tir Alainn is a family run concern and we pride ourselves on our hospitality. Should there be anything you need or wish to know just ask one of us. If we don't know the answer we'll do our best find out for you.
The Isle of Skye is roughly 50 miles long and 25 miles wide, but because of the lochs and inlets that bite into the island there is over 350 miles of rugged coastline. Incredibly this means that nowhere on Skye are you ever more than 5 miles from the sea.
Regularly seen from our lounge and bedroom windows are whales, basking sharks, seals, dolphins, otters, sea eagles, golden eagles, herons and snipes amongst many other forms of wildlife.
In spring and autumn the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) can often be seen from our windows, which are mainly north facing. The displays can be really spectacular at times.
The Davison Family
From left to right – Tracy, Roger, Eve and Jenny - one member of the family is a forensic psychologist, one is a writer, one is an ex-county darts player and one is an ex-county hockey player. Can you guess who's who?!
Our Story
We fell in love with Tir Alainn the first time we saw it, but it was a matter of pot luck that we ever came to be there in the first place.
'She's missed Scotland altogether' said one of the girls, as Eve stabbed the pin into the map. 'No, I've just clipped the Isle of Skye,' she announced after uncovering her eyes and peering at the pinhole.
As a family we were planning our next holiday. After a year of hard work we felt we deserved a break. With its fabulous scenery and so much to do it had been a unanimous decision to come to Scotland, but where exactly? Hence the blindfold, pin and map of Scotland.
After the fourth stop for petrol, comment was made about the impracticability of travelling in Roger's pride and joy, a vintage Jaguar XJS. With a 5.3 litre engine and small back seats that the girls came to call perches, perhaps in retrospect it wasn’t the most ideal form of transport.
'It's got a massive boot,' pleaded Roger in mitigation. 'Yes, but it's full of golf clubs,' came the reply from a chorus of ladies who had been denied the luxury of bringing anything more than basic hand luggage.
Nevertheless, everyone was in high spirits after travelling through the Great Glen and over the Skye Bridge. Already a red deer stag, an eagle, several buzzards and a piper with an incredibly big bum and bowed legs had been spotted - and this was only the second day of the holiday! The only concern on our otherwise carefree holiday was the fact that our transport looked more like a destroyer laying a smokescreen than a prized vintage car.
We had booked a couple of nights stay in Kildonan with Colin and Kathleen at Ashaig Bed and Breakfast - a lovely guesthouse owned by two lovely people. With the car now using more oil than petrol we decided to keep our excursions pretty local. After all, there is plenty to do in the area even within walking distance.
When Colin told us a neighbouring property was for sale we decided to check it out. The car limped up the 350 yard driveway, gave a big sigh, a final spectacular belch of blue black smoke and stopped, never to go again. After the terminal noises of the car engine faded the only discernable sound was the aerial chirrup of a skylark.
The mixture of sea and mountain air was something we had never experienced in industrialised South Yorkshire and the views – well just take a look at the photographs! Within 3 months we had moved in. What's more, we found the Skye people the most warm, welcoming and helpful we have ever come across.
It was handy to be able to drop the hire car off back in Doncaster. This made the rest of our journey worry free and although we were kept busy exploring the island, we realised at the end of our stay that we hadn't seen a fraction of what Skye has to offer.
'You pulled that blindfold so tight I could see through a gap in the bottom of it,' Eve later confessed. Now no one is suggesting the pin was deliberately aimed - but we later found out she had been to Skye before... Pot luck... What do you think?
For those visiting us, our house, Tir Alainn, Kildonan, is not to be confused with Tir Alainn, Broadford. Both are on the Isle of Skye, both are owned by families of the same name, both provide bed and breakfast, both were designed by the same architect and built by the same builder. Now there's a coincidence for you!
Tir Alain Bed and Breakfast [Skye BnB]
2a Kildonan, Edinbane
near Dunvegan, Isle of Skye
IV51 9PU
Tel: +44 [0] 1470 582335