Splendid isolation

DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE getting away from it all?

No, really. Binning your Blackberry, heading to a quiet place where there's no telephone,
television, radio or cars, and where the nearest shops are not minutes,
but miles away. If so, may we suggest you pack a few books, take a train
from Fort William to Mallaig, then hop on the MV Western Isles to Tarbet Bay, before sailing in another, smaller boat. Upon landing, don stout boots and walk a final mile or so, eventually arriving at your destination – Kylesmorar.

This remote area hosts the holiday home of theatrical producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who, as a child, would vacation at his crofting aunt and uncle's cottage here. "If heaven is half as beautiful as this, then there really is something to look forward to," he once said, describing the views from here to the shores of Loch Nevis.

Although Mackintosh inherited the original stone cottage from his family in the late 1980s, it burned down in 2000. It was rebuilt, in a rustic style to suit the surroundings, in 2004.

Since then, the heavenly vistas have been viewed only by him, the area's crofting community, a few sheep, chickens and some Gloucester Old Spot pigs. However, after a 12-month project, local craftsmen have completed the renovation of three disused buildings (all less than two miles from Mackintosh's home) into holiday cottages, for those wishing to temporarily escape the rat race. One of these but'n'bens, originally the village school, has been transformed into a double-bedroomed retreat, The Schoolhouse. This is next door to The Bothy, which used to be an old dry-stone blackhouse (a traditional style of Highland cottage), but is now an airy, open-plan cottage with a twin-bedroom. A nearby crofthouse, once the post office for the remote Highland community, has a new life as a holiday home with one double bedroom and a twin, both with commanding views down Loch Nevis to the sun-dappled Cuillins of Skye.

"Sir Cameron Mackintosh has always been keen to see buildings put to use and for people to enjoy the atmosphere of this place in the same way that he does," says Andrew Aitchison of Strutt & Parker, the firm that manages the estate.

"He certainly has a passion for reversing years of dereliction – hence the decision to turn the buildings into holiday accommodation."

Attracting tourists to the area will, hopefully, help boost the local economy. And the same local tradesmen who rebuilt the I'll Do Anything star's house were employed for these recent projects.

"Norman MacKinnon, a stonemason, restored the existing stonework and rebuilt part of The Bothy using loose stone collected from the shore, including laying stone doors to complement the exposed walls," says Aitchison. "Douglas Fairbairn, a joiner from Moray, arrived with his toolbox and bench and set about constructing the interior and kitchen of The Bothy from wood delivered by landing craft. Everything is built from scratch, from the oak units in The Bothy kitchen to the shower units. You won't find much B&Q or Ikea in Kylesmorar."

And, if you're expecting the interior design to consist of chrome kitchens with Philippe Starck fittings, leather sofas overlooking plasma screens and four-poster beds, you're way off the mark. Under the exposed wooden beams, the beds are covered with cosy-looking patchwork quilts, some of which feature sweet, rosebud prints.

There are esoteric little shell ornaments scattered throughout the cottages, log-burning stoves in the living rooms, embroidered curtains throughout, heather-coloured upholstery and lots of wooden furniture. It's a rustic, Shaker-style look, with a soupçon of granny chic and a cosiness straight out of The Waltons. An antidote to soulless hotels, these rooms are more like the proverbial chicken soup for the soul.

So, how do you get this look? Well, no-one really knows, it's been a matter of collecting bits and pieces here and there. "While there are no priceless antiques, the furniture is hardly what you'd expect to find in a holiday cottage," says Aitchison.

"Each of the items has undoubtedly been picked to fit in, but ask Sir Cameron Mackintosh where he got the curtains, cushions and embroidered quilts and he probably wouldn't be able to say. Some will have been picked out by his housekeeper to reflect styles that have worked in his own house, while others will be old favourites collected over the years."

So, does the unpretentious interior style mean you're going to have to take cold showers and clean your clothes using a washboard in the nearby loch? Thankfully, Sir Cameron isn't short of a few bob, after decades of producing blockbusting West End musicals such as Cats and Miss Saigon, and he's stumped up to ensure there's no shortage of hot water, warm radiators and all the kitchen appliances you could need. And, while there is no mains electricity or public telephone in this area, an inverter has been installed to ensure 24-hour power, and a new-fangled digital telephone is provided so guests can contact the outside world in the event of an emergency.

Just don't expect your mobile to work – and don't give out the Kylesmorar phone number. After all, this castaway experience is all about peace, quiet and lots of relaxation.

"It is certainly unlike anywhere else you can think of," says Aitchison. "The scenery and sense of isolation are incredible. It's the kind of place where people want to get up late, have a long breakfast at the old wood kitchen table and walk out to the magnificent hills, before checking their creels or trawling the shore for fresh shellfish for dinner."

• For more details on the holiday lets, visit www.kylesmorar.com