Glenduron-by-Sea

Glenduron is an old fisherman's cottage at Holm, sitting right beside the pier with the sea more or less at the front door. Look out of the window and you've got the slipway, the jetty and the water straight ahead — the kind of close-up shore setting that's hard to find. Parking is at the house, and the welcome here is warm and personal, from owners Teresa and Malcolm.

Inside

Across two bedrooms the cottage sleeps four. It's a traditional, homely place — the bathroom we saw has a roomy corner shower enclosure and a bright window with a pair of little blue Orkney pots on the sill — and the entrance porch keeps the weather out in proper island fashion.

Where you'll sleep

Two bedrooms make space for four, with a family-friendly layout and the comforts you want after a day out on the islands.

Step outside

This is a property to take outside with you. From the window you look across to the pier and the open water of the bay, and at quiet times seals haul out and bob along the tideline just offshore — one photo catches a whole line of them in the shallows. There's a garden.

The setting

Holm is a sheltered parish on the south-east of the Mainland, looking towards Scapa Flow and the Churchill Barriers that link the southern isles. It's a peaceful, watery corner with easy road links to the rest of Orkney.

Perfect for

Sleeping four across two bedrooms, with parking, a garden and seals at the door, Glenduron suits a family or two couples who want to be right on the water in a genuine old island cottage.