November 2002 update: Ullinish Lodge Hotel is in the process of being sold, so the Mulfords will shortly no longer be the proprietors. At the moment I do not know if the hotel is being sold as a hotel or as a private residence, so much of the information below will shortly be out of date.
I intend to leave the page as it is as a sort of "in memoriam", a tribute to a fine hotel under the Mulfords' stewardship.
Ullinish, from the word Ullinish......meaning...er.....Ullinish....
Actually there must be a bit more to it than that. John Mulford suggests Ullinish may be from a Norse word meaning "wolf's head" from the shape of the Ullinish peninsula. MacCulloch's 1905 guide describes this part of Skye as follows:
"Between the loch and the road, in a hollow of the moor, stands Uilinish (sic) House, where Dr. Johnson passed two cheerful nights, discoursed on many things, decried Ossian, and found (a rarity in Skye then) "a plentiful garden and several trees." On this occasion too, Boswell caught a solitary "cuddy" in Loch Bracadale. The rising ground near the road is Knock Uilinish, and, like all place names in Knock, was an ancient seat of justice."
I wonder if the good Dr. Johnson buggered off without paying the bill? He usually did. I love Johnson and Boswell's modus operandi:- "We are awfully well thought of, so we will come and grace your presence and you can entertain us at your expense!" - a wonderfully cheap way to holiday, but sadly, it doesn't work for the average tourist any more.
MacCulloch's "Uilinish House" is in fact Ullinish Lodge Hotel, which Janet and I will vouch for as an excellent establishment.
It is a family hotel run by John and Claudia Mulford and their daughter Julia. The food is excellent and the hotel is very well appointed. There is a welcoming atmosphere and one could be forgiven for thinking that, like Johnson and Boswell, one was staying as a guest of the family in a country mansion.
The house is in a peaceful location amid spectacular scenery.
The hotel has extensive fishing and shooting rights. For sea fishermen, good sport is to be had on Bracadale point, approximately 1 mile south east of the hotel and opposite Ardtrek lighthouse
The Hotel's phone number is 01470 572214, e-mail to ullinish@theisleofskye.co.uk
Web link: www.theisleofskye.co.uk
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Copyright © Gareth Boote 2001