Birdwatcher's Cabin, Loch Fleet, Golspie

The vibe:

Quiet, coastal and wildly beautiful, a private, design-led cabin escape where the NC500 feels a world away. Expect minimalist luxury, big-sky views over Loch Fleet, the occasional osprey overhead, and the kind of stillness that makes you slow down – champagne optional, wood burner encouraged.

Welcome to The Birdwatcher’s Cabin

At The Birdwatcher’s Cabin in Balblair Woods on Loch Fleet, all is quiet.

The North Coast 500 might be right outside your door, but hidden on its own beach, the silence here is only interrupted by the whistling cry of an osprey taking flight over Loch Fleet’s endless stretch of sand dunes, mudflats, and 100-year-old Scots pinewoods.

The Birdwatchers is one of the most beautiful stays on the North Coast 500. It’s the kind of place that makes you instantly slow down.

Let’s check in…

The Birdwatcher’s Cabin: a little cabin on Loch Fleet

The details:

Location: Loch Fleet near Golspie
Sleeps: 2 (a cot can be provided)
Pet friendly? Yes
Parking? Yes
Best for? couples, solo reset, nature lovers
WiFi: Yes

Built by the residents of Balblair Wood, Lizzie, Boban, and their growing family, The Birdwatcher’s Cabin is the kind of place once discovered that you want to keep to yourself.

Inside, the cabin is a lesson in minimalist luxury.

a stunning rainfall shower in local Caithness slate
beautiful vintage furniture
stylish rugs and cosy blankets
and an incredibly comfy bed with really thick sheets

The sheer quality of the cabin will just blow you away.

If you need it, there is WiFi and satellite TV… but I promise you won’t want to turn it on once.

East Sutherland: the NC500 secret you didn’t know you needed

The region of Sutherland (or “the southlands”, as it was once called by the Vikings of Orkney) is one of Scotland’s most remote places, stretching over 2000 square miles, from the Moray Firth to the sandy beaches of Durness.

Mountains, coasts and deep fjords make up most of this land, and there is more wildlife than people. Sutherland’s population, temporary residents of the North Coast 500 aside, doesn’t top 13,000.

Despite the promotion of Scotland’s east coast delights, much of the traffic on the North Coast 500 still thunders north, bypassing Dornoch and powering through Golspie and Brora to Caithness… maybe with a quick stop along the way at the Instagram-friendly Dunrobin Castle.

But East Sutherland is little visited. This is their loss and your gain.

Balblair Woods & Loch Fleet: a National Nature Reserve full of rare wildlife

You won’t find Loch Fleet or Balblair Woods on many “things to do on the North Coast 500” lists, but this National Nature Reserve is home to some of Scotland’s rarest residents, ospreys, crossbills, pine martens and on the very rare occasion, red squirrels and Scottish wildcats.

For those lucky enough to live out here amongst all the wildlife, it’s a tiny piece of paradise.

And you can check in for your own private getaway.

Things to do at The Birdwatcher’s Cabin

Delay your road trip on the NC500, tear yourself away from that wood burner, put down the glass of champagne and walk away from the view… nearby there’s rather a lot to do.

Explore Loch Fleet & Balblair Woods

Just fancy a stroll?

Walk around Loch Fleet to Little Ferry and explore Balblair Woods. You might spot ospreys and crossbills in the trees.

You can also walk from the cabin through the woods and all the way along the coast to Dunrobin Castle.

Climb up the Big Burn to Ben Bhraggie

At Golspie, make sure you visit the beautiful waterfalls at the Big Burn.

If you’re feeling energetic, there are mountain bike trails on Ben Bhraggie — or you could climb to the top for a proper view.

Don’t miss dolphin watching

It’s estimated that around 130 bottlenose dolphins live in the waters off East Sutherland and Easter Ross.

The best place to see the dolphins mucking around is Chanonry Point on the Black Isle, north of Inverness. The best time to see dolphins is on an incoming/rising tide, which brings in the food.

You’ll also spot common and harbour seals, along with lots of birdlife in the loch right in front of your cabin.

Visit the strange Fyrish Monument

One of the NC500’s hidden gems, the view from the Fyrish Monument is well worth the 3 hour round trip walk for the views along the coast.

The monument was built in 1783 and paid for by Sir Hector Munro — the local laird. A navy commander, defeated by Dutch at the Battle of Negapatam in India during the Anglo-French Wars, Sir Hector returned to the Scottish Highlands during the clearances.

To help feed the hungry (food was only available in return for work) Sir Hector commissioned the monument, a replica to the gates of Negapatam.

Try the local whisky and brews

Dunrobin Highland Distillery is run by the cabin’s owners Boban and Lizzie.

The distillery is located at Dunrobin Castle and makes gin using spring water from the hills feeding the Golspie Burn, and botanicals from the castle’s surrounding woodland and gardens. You can pick up a bottle from their pop up shop at the castle.

Glenmorangie is one of Scotland’s most famous brands, and there is a visitor centre just outside Tain.

Other local whisky distilleries include Balblair Distillery, which has one of the oldest archive records of whisky in distilling, and Clynelish Distillery, who make most of the whisky for Johnnie Walker Gold.

If you prefer beer then make sure you stop at the Black Isle Brewery to pick up some craft ale — it goes down very well on the deck.

Explore the amazing Dunrobin Castle

A gorgeous stately home just outside Golspie and walkable along the coast from the cabin, Dunrobin Castle has lovely gardens, with the design copied from Versailles.

Dunrobin Castle is the historic family seat of the Earls of Sutherland, chiefs of Clan Sutherland, and is a popular spot for Instagrammers, the castle looks like it just fell out of a fairy tale.

There are also falconry displays every day. It is well worth timing your visit to hear the history of falconry in Scotland and around the world and watch just how fast the peregrine falcon will swoop over your head.

The castle is open from 11.00 until 4.00pm daily, with the falconry displays at 11.30 and 2.00pm.

Stay at The Birdwatcher’s Cabin

I can honestly say that The Birdwatcher’s Cabin is one of our favourite places we have ever stayed in Scotland.

It’s no hyperbole that we were really reluctant to leave The Birdwatcher’s Cabin at the end of our weekend.

If you are looking for somewhere to stay on the North Coast 500, or just for a romantic weekend away in Scotland, then I highly recommend you book The Birdwatcher’s Cabin.

We are itching to go back and watch that view some more.

Love, from Scotland x

> Book the Birdwatcher’s Cabin
> How to drive the North Coast 500
> More things to do at Golspie

Our stay at The Birdwatcher’s Cabin was complimentary. This post contains affiliate links, I may make a small commission from.

Kate - Love From Scotland

I’m Kate, the Scotland-based travel writer behind Love from Scotland. I share first-hand destination guides and accommodation recommendations across Scotland. Let me help you plan your best ever trip!