Skye Shepherd Huts

Shepherd hut with our two donkeys standing in front. Surrounded by green grass and bracken turned brown. Late summer, early morning, a shadow covers the foreground. A wooden garden seat covered with lichen stands by the side of the hut. There are trees in the background, which is filled with golden sunlight, with the side of a hill rising up.
Our original donkeys, Gilbert and George, standing by the hut Bothan Buidheag. Taken before the surrounding dog containment fencing was built.

Welcome

Welcome to Skye Shepherd Huts. We have been providing luxury pet friendly accommodation to adventurous guests since 2013. Our two shepherd huts share a paddock with our donkeys. Both huts have a comfy double bed with luxurious linen bedding, a wood-burning stove and additional instant heating. Electricity, water and multiple charging points are provided. Your modern, private bathroom is a short walk away. See also the Our Huts and the ‘Details’ pages for further information. The huts are called Bothan Buidheag and Bothan Beileag, fondly named after two of our cats. The communal guests’ kitchen and lounge is in the Big Shed cabin nearby.

While you are staying with us, if you should need anything or would like any help, advice or explanations, simply ask. Just send Janet a message on her mobile phone number. Janet is very knowledgeable about the area, activities and The Island’s culture.

Booking

For help with booking a stay, visit our “How to book” page. To check availability and make a booking, please visit our booking website.

Owner

Skye Shepherd Huts is owned and managed by Janet Ward. Having studied singing at the Royal Academy of Music, in the 1990s Janet sang, toured and recorded with several celebrated choirs. In 1999, she was given the position of general manager of Tosg Gaelic Theatre Company. In 2012 she decided to go self-employed and bought her two shepherd huts. Having grown up as a child with horses and donkeys, Janet brought two young donkeys from Wales. She has two cats, Thomas and Pangur Bán, and a small dog Liùsaidh.

Bring your pets - we are very dog friendly

Indeed, we are extremely pet friendly. Bring your pooch or puss with you. We have gone out of our way to help dog owners. Secure fencing surrounds each hut, so that you can exercise your dog in safety. Throws for use on furniture and beds are provided and there is an outdoor doggie shower if your dogs get muddy. We can advise on local establishments that allow dogs. We allow dogs in all areas, but please check that other guests are happy with this arrangement, thank you. See also FAQ: pet-friendly? for more details.

Facebook and Instagram

We have a page on Facebook where we regularly post pictures and news items about Skye Shepherd Huts and articles about Skye in general, as in a blog. We are also on Instagram, so for lots more pictures, follow us at @skyeshepherdess.

Autumn, winter and early spring months

Please do consider coming to stay with us during the months October to early April. We often have lower prices and special offers, sometimes with free extra nights. The Island is very quiet during these times. We often have surprisingly lovely weather. As an example, on there was bright sunshine and calm dry weather with us all day. In the autumn, at times you will see the deer coming down the bank from the high moors above through the paddock where our huts are. We take special care to make sure your shepherd hut and the Big Shed are warm and cosy before your arrival, and we make it easy for you to maintain the warmth. Hope to see you then.

Mossy, rocky bank with primroses and other spring flowers by the drive entrance to Skye Shepherd Huts.

Spring and summer

Early spring is a welcome arrival following the short days of winter. The banks and roadsides begin to come alive with snowdrops and daffodils in February and March, followed by weeks of the daintiest wild flowers including marsh orchids, common vetch and marsh marigolds, along with primroses painting the landscape yellow. By Easter their yellow hue begins to mingle with masses of bluebells all over the croft. The numerous rainbows will make you forgive the climate that moulds life and nature here in the Hebridean Islands of Scotland. This is a busy season for wildlife and many birds choose this area to raise their young. From the tiny wren to the mesmerising golden eagle, each brings delight when spotted. By day, the cuckoos can be heard challenging one another, and at night, owls are heard hooting from the trees behind the hut, where pipistrelle bats also make their home.

The island is such a treat for everyone interested in the natural world, with the amazing mountains and rock formations providing a magnificent backdrop to your holiday. After a day of sightseeing and walking, coming home to your shepherd hut in our peaceful setting will end the day perfectly. If the weather is fine, there is a fire-pit where you can barbecue dinner, or just light the fire and sit looking at the flames and the night sky.

Distant snowy mountains, with sunrise behind. Tree branches above.
Winter sunrise over the Mainland Mountains of Cnòideart with the mountain Ladhar Bheinn in the centre. The Linne Shléiteach, a part of the Atlantic, can just be seen separating Skye, in the foreground, from the Mainland. The photograph is taken by the Summerhouse at Skye Shepherd Huts, looking east.
Group of young deer on the bank above the two huts, having come down from the high moor.

Autumn and winter

Skye Shepherd Huts is open all year, and autumn and winter are the perfect times to spend quieter days visiting the spectacular scenery, enjoying the atmosphere and solitude of the mountains and the noisy grandeur of winter waterfalls in full spate. Bring your dogs, plus jumpers, wellies and waterproofs to keep you warm in the day, come back to your cosy hut in the evening, and cook up a hearty meal in the guests’ kitchen. Light your wood-burning stove and listen to the wind outside as you cuddle up, warm and happy after a day seeing the glorious Misty Isle. Perhaps the night skies will bring the same excitement. With dark skies, you can see the stars and the Milky Way, and maybe you will be lucky enough to see the Aurora Borealis.

Read our reviews

At the time of writing, and our reviews on Google Reviews and Freetobook were overwhelmingly five-stars: ***** average 5.0. Below are some of our reviews taken from Google Reviews and Freetobook.

  • Loved our stay in the shepherds hut with our dog. Beautiful area and super friendly host. The common areas were great too and I didn’t even expected to have a private bathroom!
  • Wir hatten eine wunderbare Zeit hier. Es ist ein toller Ort um zur Ruhe zu kommen. In der Hütte ist alles, was man benötigt. Man fährt ca. 12 Minuten bis nach Broadford, von da kann man die ganze Insel erkunden.
  • We hadden een heerlijk verblijf bij Janet. Romantisch ingerichte pipowagen met geweldig uitzicht en zo heerlijk stil. De omgeving is echt prachtig!
  • Lovely place with very well fitted out huts and common kitchen place. Janet was great host and very generous with her breakfast hamper (a must for all visitors). Bring carrots for her donkeys! Recommend 100%.
  • Absolut gemütlich eingerichtete Hütte mit allem was man sich wünscht auf dem kleinen Raum. Dazu gibt’s ein eigenes Bad und einen gemeinsamen Aufenthaltsraum mit perfekter Küche und einen kleinen Raum mit Glasfassade. Der Platz hat Charme!
  • We had an absolutely lovely time at the Shepherd Huts. Janet was exceptionally kind and accommodating including staying up until after midnight to welcome us after we got stuck behind an accident and missed our check in time. The spaces were lovely and clean. It is the perfect boho romantic stop. Perfect for folks who love waking up to tranquil farm mornings and stunning views.
  • Our stay at Skye Shepherd Huts was the absolute highlight of our trip. We liked the location - off the beaten track yet only ten minutes from Broadford with absolutely stunning views from the hut. The hut itself was cute and cozy, and we loved the wood-burning stove. The owner, Janet, was a delight and made sure we had everything we needed for a comfortable stay (she also recommended a place for lunch in Glencoe that was one of the best meals we had in Scotland). If you appreciate nature and enjoy peace and quiet, I highly recommend Skye Shepherd Huts.
  • I recently spent a couple of nights at the Skye Shepherd Huts with my wife for our honeymoon. Our host, Janet, is a wonderful person who we thoroughly enjoyed our chats with. She even left a bottle of wine for us to help us celebrate! The views are staggeringly beautiful. The huts are cosy, romantic, and utterly charming. Gilbert and George (the donkeys) are so very sweet (and enjoy a carrot or two!). Thomas (the farm cat) is a good boy, who joined us in the sun room as we ate dinner and watched the sun set. I cannot wait to stay here again. It was a highlight of our honeymoon.
  • Our stay with Janet was wonderful! As soon as we arrived we were taken aback at how beautiful the place was. Well kept, well laid out and stunning scenery in the background. We were given a very warm and friendly welcome by Janet. The shepherd’s hut was exactly what was needed for our stay - warm, comfy and easy on the eye. We knew when we booked that there would be donkeys and hens but we didn’t realise just how close they were. It was like having our own mini farm! Amazing! Would absolutely stay here again.
  • Our three-day stay at the Skye Shepherd Huts in Heast was nothing short of magical! Nestled in the serene beauty of the Isle of Skye, this place was the perfect retreat for us, and our dog was made to feel just as welcome as we were. The shepherd huts were beautifully crafted, cosy, and equipped with everything we needed for a comfortable stay. The attention to detail was evident, from the warm and inviting decor to the thoughtful amenities that made our stay effortless and enjoyable. Waking up to the stunning views each morning was a highlight, and the peace and tranquillity of the location made it the ideal escape from the hustle and bustle. What truly made our stay special was how dog friendly the property was. Our hut was in a closed-off area so our dog had plenty of space to roam and explore safely. The surrounding area was perfect for scenic walks, with breathtaking landscapes just steps away from the huts. The combination of the beautiful setting, comfortable accommodation, and warm hospitality made our stay unforgettable. If you're looking for a unique and dog friendly place to stay on the Isle of Skye, Skye Shepherd Huts is an absolute gem. Highly recommended!
  • Wow! Words can’t describe the stay we had at Skye Shepherds Huts! We stayed in the Bothan Buidheag and it was nothing short of amazing. The views were stunning, and we loved watching Gilbert and George the donkeys play in the mornings. Janet is so kind and accommodating, the facilities are superb and we are already planning our next stay!
  • We had a wonderful few days on Skye. It helped that the weather was stunning, but also that the Shepherd Huts were so much fun. It was really enjoyable to spend time in the quiet countryside with the donkeys and the cat. Sorry that we missed you when we left, Janet, but thanks for a super stay. When booking, I was a bit worried that the location may have been a bit restricting, but it was not. The single-track road was good quality and Heast is quite acceptable for driving around Skye, to Sleat and Elgol as well as Portree and the North. Broadford has a good supermarket, remarkably cheap petrol and is fine for breakfast/dinner. All in all, a brilliant stay, we would recommend it and look forward to returning one day.
  • Wonderful remote location on the island ! We enjoyed meeting our host Janet, her two donkeys and her really friendly cat. We were lucky to be visited by deer and to eat the eggs straight from the chickens. The hut is really cosy and the communal area functional and very comfortable. 10/10 would come back!
  • We had a very special and memorable stay with our dog. The hut (Bothan Buidheag) is sweet, comfortable and romantic. The views from it were amazing. So helpful having its own fenced small garden, so our dog could be off lead there without risk of her chasing the donkeys! The host is lovely and made us feel at ease. She has created a thoughtful and practical place to stay. Great shared kitchen to use for cooking breakfast and other meals. A beautiful and real place to stay for animal lovers.

Notes to the reviews

  • Occasionally, deer come down from the high moor above us to the west and they cross our field right by the stable, as shown in the picture. Very often they can be seen with binoculars from the Summerhouse below us by the lochans we see in the distance to the east.
  • Unfortunately, at the time of writing, , we don’t have any hens of our own, due to attacks by night-time predators. Instead, our free range eggs come from local suppliers.
  • The single-track road to Heasta now has a fair number of potholes, like many other roads all over the country.

Contact details

email: janet@skyeshepherdhuts.co.uk,
mobile: +44 7580559745.
Postal address: Skye Shepherd Huts, Heasta, Isle of Skye IV49 9BN