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History & Activities:The mill is well-placed for sport around the Kyle of Sutherland. Fishing and shooting can be organised; The owners are keen fishers and will happily advise. Good trout fishing is always to be found. Most local estates offer stalking, again as available. Dornoch is 20 minutes by car, and there are many less famous golf courses within 30 minutes drive. We would be happy to advise about your own interests and to arrange activities as we can. 
The north coast and Orkney Isles can be visited in a comfortable day trip. A list of local facilities is left in the building. There are excellent walks directly around the mill and throughout the local area. The building is let with linen and towels. Help with cleaning during the let can be arranged. Heating/lighting costs are included in the rent as are logs for the wood-burner. Pets by arrangement. Rates: From £330 low season to £750 high season. Weekend and short breaks also available. Normal bookings Saturday to Saturday. A Little History The Mill was built in around 1850 (exact date not clear) to serve the village of Gledfield. As such, it was a relatively small building. It consists of two parts. The grain was originally dried and malted on a floor, which now forms the main upstairs bedroom, and which was tiled with perforated cast iron tiles, approximately 1 square foot each in size, which covered the floor and allowed the heat and smoke from the kiln, now the kitchen, to rise upwards through the grain and exit via the cupola roof. The building contains the milling equipment, which was used from the time when the Mill was first built until the 1950s for grinding grain. There is a dual system of grinding such that the grain originally passed through the wheel and grinding system on the south side of the building, was then lifted up through a grain elevator and milled more finely in the second stone. The Mill was adapted in the early 20th Century when a water-driven wood cutting saw was fitted to the milling equipment. The shaft for this ran out of the river-facing north wall of the building in by the mill workings, where its exit point can still be seen on the north wall. The saw itself lay parallel to the building and was fixed to the concrete blocks which lie in the rhododendron garden over the fence. Part of the original saw mill equipment lies on the grass in the front garden. One of our friends who farms nearby recalls bringing grain up to the Mill with his father in the 1940s and the Mill closing in the 1950s. Later in the 20th Century, although the exact date is not known, the front concrete platform was built on the south wall of the building and led into a lean-to, which was used to store grain and fuel. To support this, earth and rubble was piled up against the building, covering the two windows which can now be seen on the downstairs wall facing south. Fishing, Shooting and Stalking Salmon beats Most of the salmon beats on the Oykel, Carron and Shin are let well in advance, as applies to most of the northern Scottish Rivers. There are, however, a number of good local waters where day tickets can be obtained (Kyle of Sutherland, Alness, Lower Shin for around £20 per day). The majority are let by the beat rather than by the rod and range in cost, depending of the time of season, from around £200.00 per rod week upwards. These fishings are usually let well in advance, however free weeks do occasionally come up. Again, if you are interested, please let us know when you book and we will ask around on your behalf. Trout There is a lot of good trout fishing around locally. For children, there are three small bait and fly water ponds at Dornoch (Dornoch Lochans), which is clearly signposted from the approach road to Dornoch, where you can rent rods by the hour. This is a pleasant setting to take young children for some light-hearted fishing. There is a well stocked freshwater loch immediately next to the Firth, approximately 2 miles away down the Tain road. Tickets can be purchased (and if necessary rods rented) at the Ardgay petrol station and fishing is by boat only. At the right time, some people have had bumper days if they have arrived close to stocking time! For the serious brown trout fisherman, Loch Craggie, is one of the best northern wild trout lochs. Outboards are not allowed and the winds can be strong, so be careful on blustery days, but both the setting and the fishing are excellent. On a gentler note, Loch Dola is managed by the same group (Sutherland Sporting Company in Lairg) and is a beautiful loch which is more protected. It can also be very productive. The estate has one trout lochan which is stocked with brown trout and may occasionally be available on a daily basis for guests. Please ask for the keeper at Gledfield Estate gamekeepers cottage just by the entrance gate. Sea Fishing There are a couple of small charter boats in Brora, which will organise day trips for people looking for some sea fishing. Shooting and Stalking Realistically, most shooting and stalking is organised well in advance. However, if you wish to try and organise some shooting please telephone us and we will see if anything can be arranged. We will happily try and organise things for future visits! Golf Scotland is well known for its golf courses and Dornoch links is only 20 minutes away by car. See "Links" for other golfing ephemera.
Dr. and Mrs. WSA
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