INFORMATION FOR GUESTS COMING TO LAIG BEACH BOTHY
Many thanks for your booking. We are your hosts – Saira and George. We're looking forward to meeting you and hope you enjoy your holiday in Laig Beach Bothy.
To confirm your booking, we ask our guests to pay a 20% deposit by return. You can pay the balance anytime before your arrival.
If you have any questions, please email us at beachbothy@gmail.com
LAIG BEACH BOTHY
The bothy is at the end of a one mile track off the main road. The track is not suitable for cars, which is why we pick you up in our land rover on your arrival at Eigg pier.
Laig Beach Bothy has two bedrooms, bathroom and large living kitchen dining area. It is fully equipped with everything you might need for your holiday. As well as a welcome pack of freshly baked bread, eggs and seasonal vegetables from our garden, the Bothy has a basic supply of tea, coffee, a cupboard full of random herbs and spices, washing up liquid and cloths, oils, vinegar, salt and pepper. We also provide firelighters and firewood and the bathroom has toilet roll, shampoo, soap and body wash. Towels, tea-towels, hairdryer and bedding are provided.
Laig Beach Bothy is heated by a wood-burning stove and has underfloor heating in the bathroom.
There is no washing machine in Laig Beach Bothy, but we are happy to do washing for you on request.
The Bothy has wifi and a Bose speaker system, but no mobile signal.
The nearest point for mobile signal (depending on your network) is in the middle of the island, two miles away. Emergency calls can be made to and from our house.
The Bothy has a torch and OS Map of Eigg.
We will meet when you come off the ferry on Eigg and give you a lift to and from Laig Beach Bothy at the start and end of your holiday. If you would like to stop at the shop en route, that’s fine. There’s plenty of time.
Laig Beach Bothy is around an hour’s walk from the pier. If we’re going over, we can always give you a lift or pick up shopping for you. Otherwise you can enjoy the walk or stick out your thumb and ask for a lift. We also have two bikes at the Bothy for your use.
You can also hire additional bikes from Eigg Adventures. Bike hire is normally £15 per bike per day, but our partnership with Eigg Adventures means we can offer a reduced deal of £10 per bike per day - for bookings of three or more days only - if you book in advance. If you’d like to take up this offer, click here. Eigg Adventures also offer kayak hire and archery lessons, see their website for more information.
Selkie Explorer - Sail aboard yacht Selkie and explore the Isle of Eigg, the Small Isles and beyond on bespoke sea going adventures for a few hours or a day or more, with skipper Celia Bull. More information on their website www.selkie-explorers.co.uk
Charlie Galli runs a taxi service and can be reached on 01687 482 404. It’s £10 for the pier to Cleadale, where you can then walk down the track to the Bothy.
WHAT TO BRING
Walking shoes/boots or, especially in the winter, wellies!
Slippers for wearing indoors
Waterproofs,
Sunscreen & midge repellent in the summer
SHOPPING & PLACES TO EAT
You can pre-order your supplies from the The Isle of Eigg Shop and pick it up when you arrive off the ferry. During your holiday, if we’re going over to the shop we can pick anything you need up, or they will drop shopping off at the top of the road if you email them. The shop accepts cash, debit and credit cards.
The post office in the Shop has a cash point which is free to use.
Next door to the Shop is Galmisdale Bay Café & Restaurant which is open most days for breakfast, lunch & dinner in the summer months and on ferry days in the winter. It also doubles as a pub most evenings in the summer and occasionally in the winter months. It also accepts debit and credit cards.
Twenty minutes walk from Laig Beach Bothy is Lageorna. With quite possibly the finest views of any restaurant in Scotland, Lageorna offers a set price menu of great tasting food made with the finest local produce.
Eigg's outside caterer Eiggy Bread can provide very tasty, heat-up-at-home ready meals, such as Lamb Curry, Pheasant Pie and Spinach and Mushroom Lasagne, all made from island and other local produce. Email Saira in advance at beachbothy@gmail.com to order or for more information.
There are lots of lovely crafts to buy on Eigg. You can find most of them in the Isle of Eigg Craft Shop at the pier and some makers offer the opportunity to learn new skills while you're here. Have a look at A'Nead Hand Knitwear, All About Willow, and Libby Galli Felt Artist.
If you have any questions about your holiday on Eigg or Laig Beach Bothy, please do get in touch by email or phone us on 01687 482 412.
GETTING TO EIGG
There are two parts to getting to Eigg. First drive or get a train or bus to Mallaig or Arisaig. Then take the ferry to Eigg from Mallaig (all year) or Arisaig (summer only). See the current ferry timetables here.
In case there are any changes or possible cancellations to your ferry, it's useful if you can let us know how and when you're travelling to Mallaig or Arisaig before coming over to Eigg, along with a contact number so we can get in touch with you. You can do this by email or phone 01687 482 412.
By Car and car parking - The main road to Mallaig is the A82 from Glasgow, or Inverness, to Fort William, then the A830 to Mallaig. Allow at least four hours for your journey from Glasgow, five hours from Edinburgh, or three hours from Inverness.
You can park your car in the car park at the Mallaig & Morar Community Centre, the first building on your left as you come into Mallaig. The ferry terminal is five minutes’ walk from the car park, but you can drive to where the ferry leaves to deposit any luggage before you park.
Please note: no cars can be taken over to the Isle of Eigg.
By Train - The West Highland Line, which runs between Fort William and Mallaig, is a famously scenic train ride and is one of the Great Railway Journeys of the World. There are usually four trains a day Monday to Saturday and two trains on a Sunday. Check timetable details on the Scotrail website.
By Ferry - Calmac ferries run from Mallaig to Eigg all year round.
• The summer timetable, with ferries every day except Wednesday, runs from early April to mid October.
• The winter timetable, with ferries on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, runs from mid October to early April.
You don’t need to book for this ferry, but you can call 01687 462403 (option 2) for information, especially in case of possible bad weather. Check CalMac's Service Status webpage or get service status text alerts by texting ‘CALMAC 19’ to 60030. Or call Calmac office in Mallaig on 01687 462403, option 2.
Arisaig Marine’s Sheerwater ferry from Arisaig to Eigg from April to September only. Booking essential call 01687 450 224. The Sheerwater also visits Muck and Rum from Eigg – if you’re looking to bag another island while you’re here.
You can see the current ferry timetables for both services here.
Ferry Cancellations - Eigg is an exposed island with occasionally extreme weather, even in the summer. Please be aware that ferries are sometimes cancelled. We recommend you take out travel insurance, if you don’t already have it, to cover any costs incurred due to travel problems. For information on what CalMac does and does not cover in the event of ferry cancellation, see the information on their Disruptions FAQ webpage.
We do love our weather forecasts on Eigg! We look at them two or three days in advance to get an idea of what the weather is likely to be, but things can change really fast, so sadly there's no guarantees. However, here's a couple of our favourite weather websites if you want to keep up with our musings - XCWeather and MetOffice
Overnight accommodation in Mallaig or Arisaig - You may want to stay overnight in Mallaig or Arisaig before coming over to Eigg. For accommodation in Mallaig or Arisaig please see the Road to the Isles website. You can also stay in Fort William, just over an hour's drive from Mallaig and Arisaig, or get the 0830 train from Fort William, which connects with most ferries.