Ormidale House estate sits in 22 private acres surrounded by stunning scenery, on Scotland's gorgeous west coast. The Mill House at Ormidale has taken us two and a half years to restore, and was christened by its first guests as “the wow factory.” Hot tub, sauna, swimming pool and tennis court complement the high-end internal style and comfort.
With rooms on four levels, it will accommodate up to 14 adults, and up to 22 guests in total.
The main feature is the open plan 80m2 ground floor reception area which opens up from a fabulous kitchen, through the dining area with vaulted ceiling, into a generous living / lounging area with open fireplace. The dining and lounge areas feature the original exposed stone wall and light floods through a large glass archway incorporating the main house entrance into the courtyard.
It's a stunning room, and the natural communal gathering place for any parties. The two matching dining tables can be placed end to end to enable you to sit down and eat in one place as a party of 22. The contemporary staircase in the centre of the arch gives a natural focus and pulpit like performance space for speeches!
All the reception areas on ground and mezzanine levels are tiled in a natural riven slate which goes beautifully with the old stone walls and new white plaster walls, with underfloor heating throughout the house provided by an environmentally sustainable ground source heat pump. The stone fireplace features the saw bench from the original mill, as the mantelpiece.
With a private seven person hot tub, and private indoor sauna, and use of the indoor heated swimming pool, and tennis court, and football pitch and games cottage featuring table tennis and pool and darts - this is a spectacularly well-equipped house to use as a base for a holiday, or as a resort on its own...,
Further details
Any start date, any finish date, any length of stay. No smoking in any properties. Pets welcome downstairs only. Housekeeping deposit for single gender or corporate parties by arrangement, but usually £50 to £150 per person.
If your preferred dates are free, we ask for a 30% deposit to secure the booking by bank transfer.
Payment of your balance is due two months before you are, and we ask for a damage deposit of £500 two weeks before you arrive.
Further details indoors
There are nine bedrooms altogether, each offering double or twin accommodation. The bedroom layout makes the most of the available space to maximize the number of guests we can accommodate, so while none of the rooms are enormous, two of them have either additional bunks or fold-away beds to increase the overall capacity to 22 including children.
We market the house as for 14 adults plus up to 8 children.
The six main bedrooms all have stylish contemporary wash-handbasins. Two bedrooms feature raised platform beds with storage underneath. Seven bedrooms are suitable for permanent adult occupation and there are two box / bunk bedrooms in addition.
There are three stunning bathrooms, with wall to wall travertine marble walls and slate floors, two of which feature jacuzzi baths, and a separate sauna.
The large stylish contemporary kitchen area features a granite work surface throughout, twin stainless steel sinks and two dishwashers, two electric ovens, a large American style fridge freezer, and gadgets galore.
There's a kitchen table for eight – expandable to sit a comfortable 12 – and a breakfast bar for up to six. The separate utility room features washing machine and drier, an additional large fridge and freezer, and extra storage.
As well as the stunning main open plan reception area, the ground floor also features a utility room, a loo, and a separate TV room-cum-play room with 42 inch flat screen LCD TV with full Sky plus package; this room has its own access to the garden and to a sandstone terrace facing the river.
An additional South-facing sitting room on the mezzanine floor, again with slate floor and original exposed stone wall, gives access through a pair of French doors onto another terrace with hot tub, garden furniture and to the private rear garden, river and woods.
So, with two separate reception rooms as well as the large open plan communal area, the Mill House living accommodation is generous and flexible. Guests also have access to a separate games cottage with snooker, darts and table tennis.
A small addition cottage, the Garden Cottage, sits 5 meters away and can be taken in conjunction, for a party of more than 18 adults, or if any guests need proper ground floor wheelchair accessible, or separate accommodation.
Further details outdoors
The gardens are gorgeous – lovely to explore and relaxing to be in. At the same time as the Scottish architect Robert Lorimer started on the house at the end of the nineteenth century, the gardens and grounds were laid out and landscaped by Thomas Mawson of Kendal, a major figure in Victorian Landscape gardening.
Set amidst the 20 acres of woodland, and enjoying lovely views across the glen and up the mountain, the gardens he designed are mainly laid to lawn and terrace with hydrangeas, rhododendron and azalea, as well as reputedly the tallest Grecian fir in Scotland.
Our own woods feature numerous tree species and adjoin thousands of acres of forestry commission land through which guests are welcome to wander. One of our terraces features a Grade A listed sundial.
A tributary of the river Ruel runs through the gardens, from the Lochen that supplies Ormidale's private water supply. There is a lovely waterfall walk within the garden, and a rope-assisted climb down to a pool for outdoor bathing. It's a fabulous location for kids.
We've added a trampoline, croquet set and football goal to what nature has provided as a playground, and we've installed two midge machines to keep the other type of annoying wee bu$$ers at bay!!
