Beautiful rural apartment ten minutes from Dornoch beach. Private patio/heater

I was born in Manchester and discovered a love for hiking in my thirties, especially mountain walking. We climbed Ben Nevis three times (not on the same day), and Steve did the five sisters of Kintail and nearly didn't live to tell the tale, but that's another story. We eventually bought a B&B on the Isle of Skye as a lifestyle move, and in the ten years we lived there, we climbed one mountain, gained weight and got old. We built a five-star rated business, which was hugely successful but killing us. So we sold up and moved to the East Coast, which we love - no more horizontal rain and a supermarket that's only a few minutes away as opposed to an hour's round trip, including a ten-mile single-track road we had to drive on to get to Portree. We are semi-retired, so we only let one apartment and a static caravan, which allows us lots of time to walk and write novels.

We love the peace and tranquility. The nearest house is at the bottom of the field, so there's just us and the wildlife, although there's not much to tell us apart these days. There are walks from the doorstep, which is a bonus when you have a dog. There's lots of wildlife, deer, birds, red squirrels in the woods, and pheasants that squawk at you in the garden to prompt you to feed them. The beaches are stunning, and you can walk for miles. We're close to many golf courses, but as a non-golfer, I'm with Mark Twain - a good walk spoiled - but that's just me.