We are a brother and sister team, Eileen Simpson and Michael McKenna who have close ties to the village of Ardersier, on the Moray Firth, North Eastern Scotland. Our great Grandfather and Grandad, George and Alexander Johnstone, were the village bakers from early in the 20th century until the late 1960s. Our mum was brought up in Ardersier and we spent all our childhood holidays there with her, our big brother and our beloved Grandma. We have continued the tradition of holidays in the village into the next generation and the kids/grandkids/nieces/nephews have all grown up loving life by the sea.
We had been looking for a new project after completing a large renovation in Central Scotland when Sandakan, the house next door to our beloved highland bolt hole came on the market. This was most definitely a decision led by our hearts!
As the cottage had not been touched since an extension built around 1980, we decided to completely strip out and renovate Sandakan including new windows, insulation and an air-source heat pump to increase the efficiency of the house. We rejigged the layout to fit in a second bathroom and make a statement kitchen/living area with a huge gable window to make the most of the epic views.
We hope that you will love this corner of Scotland as much as we do, whether you are cosying up with a dram listening to the stormy sea, or out on your paddle board looking for seals and dolphins.
theweebluehouse 