Harbour Cottage

Harbour Cottage sits right by the water on Ferry Road, a neat single-storey cottage in white render with a hand-cut slate nameplate by the door. Pull up outside, step in off the street, and you're a stone's throw from the pier.

Inside

The living room is built for putting your feet up — two deep brown leather recliner sofas drawn around a coffee table, a flatscreen TV in the corner and a fireplace to take the edge off a cold evening. Nice touches give the room its character: framed harbour prints on the walls and a little shoal of painted wooden fish on the sill. A staircase leads up from here, so there's more space than the cottage's low front suggests. The kitchen is fully fitted for self-catering, with a washer on hand for longer stays.

Where you'll sleep

The double bedroom is calm and uncluttered — a proper double bed with crisp white linen, a lamp either side and soft wall lighting. The bathroom has a basin, WC and a separate shower, finished with a band of blue mosaic tile that suits a house this close to the sea.

The setting

You couldn't be more central. This stretch of Stromness is all flagstone streets, gable-end houses and working piers, with the ferry terminal, shops and cafes a short walk away. It's the kind of town you explore on foot, then wander home along the harbour.

Perfect for

Sleeping four, Harbour Cottage suits two couples or a small family who want to be in the thick of things — close to the boats, the shops and the ferry, with parking, wifi and a comfortable place to come back to.