Heatherbank, Garelochhead

Heatherbank is a lovely cottage set in woodland about 15 minutes walk from Garelochead village The last 100 yards or so to access the cottage is along a forest road. The road is badly potholed in parts but drive slowly and you'll be fine. The cottage itself is very warm and cosy Both main rooms have dual aspect so are bright and airy The gardens and (large) decking area with hot tub are lovely and (being to one side of the cottage) are very secluded. Garelochead has two mini markets, a chinese takeaway, cafe and a pub (the Anchor Inn) which is a friendly pub with good food.There is a local bus service which runs ever half hour or so into Helensburgh (20 mins) We had a very relaxing stay and would highly reccomend the cottage

Heatherbank, is a nice well located quiet cottage, close enough to Garelochhead to pop to the shops, but far enough out to be a quiet tranquil retreat. Due to the nice thick external walls you only need minimum heating on to keep the living areas warm. Dougie is a very pleasant host, who provides a nice welcome pack on arrival. He is currently working on installing a hot tub on site, which should be very nice. The cottage is ideally suited for days out with Fort William, Edinburgh being a reasonable drive away, and Helensburgh, Glasgow and Balloch all within a short drive. There have been many comments about the drive way. It is clear that a lot of work has gone in to this driveway and it is perfectly drivable and I had no issues with it.

Nice cottage fitted to a high standard ideal for a couple. Dougie, the owner, very helpful and welcoming. Cannot fault the cottage. Location is excellent for touring the west and Argyll, the village has basic facilities but Helensburgh is a 15 min drive and has supermarkets, Boots etc and all you need. Train service from Helensburgh to Glasgow/Edinburgh every 30 mins and very convenient if you wish to go that way. The access track mentioned by others is a little narrow and steep in places but would only trouble you if you drive a 10 foot wide car so dont be concerned. One tip: The water pressure is high so if you turn the tap on too far you will need a change of clothes..:-) Nice play to stay...dont hesitate.

We booked this cottage for a week and were so pleased to have found it. It was the the jewel in the crown for us on our holiday touring Scotland. It was immaculately clean and warm on arrival and there was also a lovely welcome pack of local produce waiting for us. The cottage has been renovated to a very high standard with plenty of CDs, DVDs, books and games to use during your stay. It is located in a wonderfully quiet location and we were delighted when the deer came for a visit (unfortunately they were after the heathers that Dougie had planted). We met Dougie, the owner and he couldn't have been more helpful and is continually working to improve to garden area. If we ever return to Scotland, there's nowhere else we would choose to stay.

Having read other reviews of this cottage the only thing worrying me was the rough track leading up to the property as I was hiring a car but to my surprise the track has been recently re-done and was no problem getting up. The owner of the property, Dougie was also very nice and helpful, he has also done a lot of work on the garden which you cannot see in the pictures on the sykes website, it has a nice patio with table and chairs and pretty flower beds, a lovely place to sit and admire the view which is great. The cottage itself was very clean, comfortable and well equiped with a lovely welcome pack.

Perfect size and location! In beautiful greenery and up the hill, Heatherbank was a great fit! Thanks so much for everything!

Nestled up a winding steep track between waterfalls and woodland the cottage was a glorious little find. Well equipped and Dougie a very thoughtful host. We received a complimentary basket of local goods, milk, bread and wine. Well thought out in its facilities and very comfortable. We loved this little quiet retreat and will come back to explore further afield as we only got as far as along the loch side as we had a relaxed trip to visit family in nearby Dumbarton. Lots to see and do, with Glasgow a train ride away... We will be back and thank you Dougie. Can't wait to return to see what you have done with the garden as when is is sorted it will be perfect! So peaceful and relaxing.

A beautiful cottage with really nice fittings and equipment, lovely welcome pack and great selection of DVDs and books. The owner was really helpful and the location great. Would definitely recommend this place.

We felt the cottage was nice enough to be a permanent home and had a perfect holiday.

The cottage itself was immaculate and contemporary, plus on arrival a very welcome 'Welcome Pack' greeted us. The garden seems to be a work in progress but was natural and not manicured or landscaped which we felt would spoil its natural surroundings with woods climbing upwards at the back and views to the front to die for. With the sound of streams and bird song, for us it was a little piece of heaven! We didn't mind the short walk from where we parked to the cottage as it added to the experience which included passing over a small wooden bridge with a very loud but pretty stream rushing beneath it. As an added bonus we had beautiful sunshine for a few days too. So a big thank you to the owner from two very happy and now totally chilled out holiday makers!

We (three jolly fellows) arrived on Saturday afternoon to this cottage. Fist issue was that we did not dare to climb up the access road with rental Ford Focus Wagon - we were afraid it would get damaged - no grip when climbing slowly and with higher speed the bumps would most likely damage the car. So we parked the car in a small offroad place about half way to cottage. After couple of days neighbours (local people living close to cottage) knocked our door and complained about our parking saying it is dangerous and adviced to park in the end of Linn Walk. We did not find our parking dangerous, but decided not to disagree. We did park the car there every time after that. No problems after that. Access road does not have any lights so it is a good idea to have a flashlight or something with you when walking the access road. The cottage itself was nice. Modern equipment, tidy and clean, heating worked nicely, enough towels and bed linen. The WiFi connection worked fine and came in handy, because the mobile network is not great in these areas. In Garelochhead you can find basic things like shop, pub, post office etc. There is a big military naval base in Garelochhead, but that doesn't bother the stay. Location of cottage is very good when exploring the Loch Lomond area or other nice places in nearby, also Helensburgh is about 7 miles away and there are more shops & restaurants and supermarket like Waitrose. It takes around 45 minutes to drive to Glasgow and the way there is quite straightforward through Helensburgh. We travelled one day also to Oban and Fort William and back to cottage. Other day we travelled to Glenturret (Famous Grouse) and Blair Athol Whisky Distilleries.

The cottage was very well equipped. The welcome pack was much appreciated. It looks like the owner has plans for further enhancements. The approach road is rough, very rough and anything but a 4x4 will scrape the ground.

I am mildly torn in writing my review because I think this rental cottage has plenty of potential but, simultaneously, would fully understand why it would have difficulty achieving it. So... Pros: -- this cottage is reasonably well situated for visiting the scottish coast and highlands, though the A814 headed north from Garelochead is a scary road with oncoming busses and traffic and zero margin for error to either side of your vehicle. -- Modern and efficient facilities, re: electric heathers, hot water and shower, et cetera, wireless internet, a flatscreen TV w/some DVDs already there. -- Owner is responsive to questions (we defaulted to text messaging) and surprised us with a slew of goodies ready and waiting for us in the rental (fruit, crisps, tea, coffee, fresh bread, some rosé wine, etc.) Cons: -- No tumble drier to accompany the washer... and the weather outside was too unpredictable and there was no obvious clothesline on which to dry our stuff... it took DAYS to get anything dry. -- the drive up the end of Linn Walk to heatherbank was treacherous... a bit like driving over small jagged mountains that you dare not take at speed, and yet slick enough that you didn't have the traction necessary to climb the hill without speed. Our rental VW bottomed out a lot, but ultimately did survive the comings and goings. -- The photos don't show how close in proximity the neighbors are. They knocked on our door once to let us know they were having some trouble with a mutual plumbing system, which was kind, but they came and went frequently and this left I and my fiancee feeling a bit trapped indoors, sans privacy. Still, none of these cons really can lead to any blame, which is why I wish I didn't have to write about them. The cottage is comfortable, but small enough that a tumble drier might not fit anywhere easily... and the owner can't do anything about the local weather or presence of neighbors, to be sure... which, frankly, may also be why the driveway itself is so weather-worn and potentially to expensive to keep up without charging a whole lot more for the rental itself. So, I think, for the price paid, we got a lot... and I'd recommend this to others with the warning that the driveway is harrowing and you might want to bring a fan should you need to do laundry... because I think steady business is what it'll take to smooth over this property's few rough spots.

I was pleasantly surprised as to the spaciousness and cleanliness of the rental upon arrival, it was much larger than one might have guessed from the outside. Everything was rather new looking and clean and was easy to maintain and clean.