Cottage of the week – Kath’s diary at The Waterfront
Our very own Kath Preston is currently enjoying a break at The Waterfront in Fort William, so we thought we’d make it our new Cottage of the Week and let her tell you all about it! Here’s part one…
Saturday 24th September 2011
We loaded up the car last night with lots of delicious food and wine for our week in Fort William and after a hearty breakfast we threw the case in the car and set off for what was undoubtedly going to be a long drive…
We had estimated 6 hours from our home in the Yorkshire Dales and our timings were just about right… we could probably have done it in less but we had our bikes strapped to the rack on the car so we took it easy. In fact the length of the journey was hardly noticeable as the scenery was so fantastic – even the M6 part of the journey up and over the very remote Shap area was a delight to look at. My highlight though was the winding road that seemed to take for ever around the vast and stunning Loch Lomond… the lyrics describing the bonnie banks being more than true to their word.
As we drew ever closer we took in the magnificent mountain range of Glencoe… huge, huge expanses of green with stunning waterfalls winding their way down to ground level lochs. At this stage we were running low of fuel and I was starting to worry that we would be stranded out in the remote countryside where garages seemed to be at a premium. All we seemed to see were remote farms and cottages and not much else. Then out of nowhere our salvation – a garage… sadly the fuel was at a premium price so if you do make this trip I recommend that you fill up around Glasgow so as not to get caught out.
We were now about an hour from Fort William and earlier within the week I had called the owner to arrange the key pick up. Even then I just knew she was going to be lovely…call me ‘Flora’ was welcoming and helpful even before we had arrived! True to her word she was waiting for us at the property with the kettle boiling!!
The apartment blew me away as soon as I walked in… bright, modern, immaculately clean and the fixtures and fitting are absolutely top notch. Smooth lime velvet fabrics mixed with tan and lime leather furniture, a glass and chrome coffee table and shabby chic bedroom furniture the centre point being the gold bed straight out of bedknobs and broomsticks! Flora had obviously put a lot of time and effort in to creating just the perfect look! She had also stocked the fridge with wine, yummy chocolate, milk, bread, butter and preserves. In the cupboard we found more essentials – tea and coffee, salt and pepper and oil. The bathroom also had base essentials – guest size shower caps, soaps and shower gels. We also have ample towels (tan and lime hue) of the most fantastic fluffy quality and his and hers robes in the wardrobe. Another lovely touch for the girlies amongst us… a hairdryer!
Flora left us after running through a few housekeeping points ( fuse box and emergency torch location) with the comforting words of if you need anything, and I mean anything at all don’t hesitate to call and I will be with you in 10 minutes…
After a cuppa we set to and unpacked the car then made ourselves at home… spag bol for supper with a lovely bottle of red and a chilled evening with the remote in front of the wall mounted top of the range TV… heaven. All before we flop in to that fabulous bed! Oh and I forgot to mention the apartment has broadband… perfect for keeping you all up to speed with our week in Bonnie Scotland!
If you’d like more info, or to make a booking, please visit the property’s listing on cottages4you. We’ll upload another installment from Kath tomorrow!