Orkney Retreats 1 2 and 3 bedroom Island Farmhouses & Cottages

This is a collection of traditional island farmhouses and cottages on Sanday, one of Orkney's quieter northern isles, and the welcome is genuinely hands-on — it isn't unusual to be met at the door with the day's catch fresh from the water. Across the homes you'll find sleeping for up to 8 in 3 bedrooms, so it works whether you're a couple after a bolthole or a family taking a whole house.

Inside

The interiors lean comfortably traditional rather than showroom-modern. One cottage kitchen has a real lived-in charm — floral wallpaper, a Welsh dresser stacked with crockery, a sturdy table with a fruit bowl and a stoneware crock, and a window over the sink. It's the kind of room you end up sitting in long after the kettle's boiled.

Where you'll sleep

Bedrooms are soft and restful. One has a painted brass-and-iron bedstead dressed in white linen and muted pillows, a sheepskin-draped chair tucked in beside it, and a warm bedside lamp — a calm, pared-back room that makes the most of the light. With up to 3 bedrooms across the properties, there's room to spread out.

Step outside

Sanday is named for its sand, and the photos show exactly why — a wide, mirror-flat beach at sunset with dogs chasing along the tideline, the sky burning orange over low hills. This is properly big-sky, empty-beach country.

The setting

Sanday sits at the northern edge of Orkney, reached by a short ferry or flight from the Mainland. It's all white-shell beaches, seal haul-outs, archaeology and dark skies — a place for slowing right down rather than ticking off a list.

Perfect for

Sleeping 8 across 3 bedrooms and pet-friendly, this suits families and groups with dogs in tow. With parking, wifi, a full kitchen, a garden and a washer, plus that famous beach a stroll away, it's set up for a proper unhurried island holiday.