Ardtalla, Novar Estate
20
Sleeps 20 / From £9,600 per week
Ardtalla on the Novar Estate is available for your Hogmanay celebration! Ardtalla is only 30 minutes’ from Inverness Airport. Luxurious accommodation for up to 20 guests. Rate is £15,000 for a 7 night self-catered stay. The services of a cook / chef must be arranged; we can assist with recommendations. Ardtalla is an excellent base for exploring the north Highlands and its many golf courses, distilleries and dramatic coastlines. Fishing can also be organised on the River Alness. Please speak to us for more information. Ardtalla is an 18th century stable square beautifully converted into an elegant house located in a wonderful Highland setting of the 20,000 acre Novar Estate. Sport available during the season.
Ardtalla is located on the Novar Estate which was created by Sir Hector Munro in the 18th century and is still owned by his descendants. It is a traditional mixed highland estate extending to 20,000 acres between the Rivers Glass and Alness.
Novar Estate was once described as a “barren and treeless place”. Three hundred years later and under the stewardship of the same family, it is a thriving Highland estate extending to 20,000 acres and including farmland, forestry, hill, shooting, fishing and most recently alternative energy enterprises.
There is a tennis court and croquet in the walled garden. The estate offers high quality driven shooting, rough shooting, duck flighting, some stalking and grouse: walked-up or over pointers. You can fish for salmon, sea trout and trout on the River Alness or explore 150 miles of tracks on foot or by mountain bike.
Close by are whisky distilleries, castles, beaches and over 20 golf courses. Should you wish a full sporting or bespoke cultural itinerary to be devised for you or just to find a place to relax with friends or family, Ardtalla is an excellent choice.
Guests have the option to take fishing on the River Alness at a discounted rate and other sport and activities can be booked separately.
The main house has 9 well appointed ensuite bedrooms, plus the adjacent property, Larch Cottage has one further ensuite bedroom, plus two staff bedrooms for your chef and assistant.
Please note that as the kitchen is a professional commercial kitchen it is better suited to a professional chef / cook, and guests should employ a cook/chef and assistant, which we can assist with.
Daily Housekeeping included.
Rental 2025
High season: £11,850
Easter
Late May Bank Holiday
July – October
Low season: £9,600
Christmas & New Year: £15,000
Short Breaks available upon request during Low Season.
Dogs are welcome in kennels outside.
Accommodation
There are nine ensuite bedrooms. Each can be configured for double or twin beds. The beds are made up with crisp white Egyptian cotton sheets. The bathrooms all have large showers and free standing baths.
The drawing room and galleried hall provide sufficient space for groups to be together in front of roaring log fires or with french windows to fling open on those occasional warm sunny days. There is also a snug for time out to watch television, DVDs or for children to play with the selection of games.
The dining room seats up to twenty guests.
Upstairs there is a very popular games room with a snooker table and table tennis table. There is also an outdoor tennis court and croquet lawn.
Ground Floor
Large galleried hall, drawing room, sitting room, dining room, 2 double/twin bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, kitchen, drying room and secure gun room.
First Floor
Billiard room, 7 double/twin bedrooms each with an ensuite bathroom on the first floor.
Larch Cottage
Adjacent to the main property, Larch Cottage has one en suite bedroom on the ground floor.
There are two additional staff bedrooms on the first floor sharing a bathroom and finished to the same high standard as Ardtalla.
Dogs are not allowed in Ardtalla, although kennels are available if required.
Ardtalla: Short-term let licence number: Pending / EPC Rating: C
Larch Cottage: Short-term let licence number: HI-20064-F / EPC Rating: E
Activities
Golf
Ardtalla is an ideal base for groups of eight to eighteen golfers wishing to play some of the finest courses in the Highlands of Scotland including Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart, Tain, Fortrose and Nairn. Other notable courses in the area can be found at Brora, Golspie and Strathpeffer among others. There are more than 20 golf courses within an hours drive.
In the unlikely event that you return from a rainy day out, there are drying facilities to ensure your clothes and equipment are ready for the next day.
Mountain Biking
There are over 150 miles of tracks on Novar, accessible by mountain bike. There is the challenge of a ride to the Fyrish Monument or a cycle over the hill to a picnic prepared for you on the moor or beside the river.
The staff at Ardtalla will organise mountain bike hire for guests and have them awaiting your arrival. it is also possible to arrange a mountain bike guide for the more adventurous.
Falconry
A highlight for a visitor of any age is a falconry display in the walled garden. These usually take place in the early evening and are highly interactive. Children of all ages delight in donning the falconer’s glove and having the experience of handling these majestic birds.
Archery
The timeless sport of archery can be brought to the walled garden or to hidden glades on the hill. For most people a half day is an ideal introduction to the sport. A qualified instructor is on hand to make the experience enjoyable with high quality equipment.
Whisky Tasting
The waters of the River Alness and the malting barley grown on Novar are key ingredients in the fine local malts of the Highlands. A whisky tasting can be sampled at Ardtalla or at a local distillery. Glenmorangie and Balblair are all near by.
Other Activites
Table tennis and billiards are available, and tennis and croquet in the walled garden.
There is the opportunity to explore the North Highlands including the castles of Dunrobin and Cawdor and Dornoch Cathedral.
Sporting
Shooting
The estate offers a high quality driven partridge shoot. There is also driven pheasant, rough shooting, duck flighting, walked-up grouse and grouse shooting over pointers. Roe deer and limited red deer stalking is available.
Fishing
Salmon, sea trout and trout fishing is available on the River Alness and Loch Morie.
The Alness runs northeast of the estate and has good runs of salmon and grilse (young salmon on their first return to the river from the sea). The fishing season runs from March to October with annual rod catches of around 150-250 fish being caught in Novar waters.
The Novar fishings offer six rotating beats. The average length of each beat is about a mile with, typically, fifteen to twenty named pools. Both banks are included although most of the fishing is from the southern (right) bank.
There is a small spring run of salmon and sea trout from late April until early July. The first grilse return is usually expected in early July. The most productive part of the season runs from mid-July through to the end of October.
Further trout fishing is available on stocked lochs. Fly fishing instruction can be arranged on the estate.
Clay Pigeon Shooting
Clay pigeon shooting, archery and Falconry demonstrations are also available on the estate.
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