St Clair House

67 reviews

• J

  Julia

  GB · extended_group · Oct 2026

  8/10

  Very comfortable dog friendly home from home

  Location Close to ferry , shops and restaurant

• J

  John

  GB · family_with_children · Sep 2026

  10/10

  Everything you could Hope for

  Location was fantastic - centre of the small town - shops and restaurants in 5 mins walk, and the bay is almost across the road

  Nothing to add

• C

  Catherine

  GB · family_with_children · Sep 2026

  10/10

  A comfortable, spacious house a couple of minutes from the Gill's Bay ferry

  We stayed here for four nights and absolutely loved it. The house is in the heart of St Margaret's Hope, a small town adjacent to the ferry port serving the Gill's Bay - Orkney route. Thus it is perfectly located if - like us - you're catching the last ferry in/first ferry out (literally a 3 minute drive). This spacious accommodation was previously a family house, and has retained that solid, cosy feel. The kitchen is large and well equipped with a new range cooker (featuring oven, grill and hob) as well as a large fridge/freezer. If you don't feel like cooking, you can eat at the Murray Arms Hotel next door or visit Robertson's excellent Coffeehoose and Bar a couple of minutes stroll up the street. The three bedrooms are large with extremely comfortable beds. The living/dining area is large and comfortable with an open fire. The house has a laundry with a washing machine and a drying rack (but no tumble dryer). There's also a generously sized entrance hall where you can store your coats, dog leads, shoes and umbrellas - essential for Orkney's changeable weather. Our dog appreciated the opportunity to stretch her legs in the enclosed back garden. Parking is on the street outside. There is a small village shop/post office a couple of door down the street. However it carries limited stock so if you're self catering it would be advisable to go shopping in Kirkwall about half an hour's drive away where there's a brand new Lidl, a Tesco and a Co-op. Orkney is not a destination to be rushed, so I would urge you to consider spending several nights here to savour the pace of island life in this extraordinary place. We would love to return.

  We loved everything about this house. Other people have noted that the bathroom layout is a touch eccentric (with sections of raised floor which presumably conceal the plumbing). The host has installed lights in the raised sections to mitigate the risk of tripping.

• P

  Pam

  GB · family_with_children · Sep 2026

  8/10

  Beautiful house, great location. We had a dog so the enclosed garden was brilliant. Owner really helpful with questions prior to arrival.

• M

  MABEL

  GB · extended_group · Aug 2026

  7/10

  A comfortable clean property in an ideal location for the ferry terminal and exploring

  It was very roomy.

  Low shower pressure. The lighting in the lounge was not bright enough