For many holidaymakers to Scotland, the lands north of Inverness have long been a mystery – but the growing popularity of the North Coast 500 tourist trail is changing all that, and those roads less travelled are now seeing a significant increase in through traffic.
So though you may not have heard of the Falls of Shin before, you will undoubtedly hear of them again, as the Sutherland beauty spot emerges as one of the must-see attractions north of Inverness, already drawing over 100,000 visitors per year.
From May to September every year, visitors to the Falls of Shin can see North Atlantic Salmon leaping – and with an eye on those increasing visitor numbers, a restaurant and shop was constructed adjacent to the salmon viewing platform in 2017.
The property has since won several awards for its modern ‘scandi’ design, with an open plan café and restaurant/bar area, that can seat approximately 60 inside, and a curving ‘tail’ of outdoor pavilion that can accommodate al fresco dining or market style retail.
Floor to ceiling windows facing south flood light into the building, which has a fitted commercial kitchen, as well as ladies, gents and disabled toilet facilities that can be accessed internally as well as externally.
There is a small office and pantry area, in addition to a retail shop premises within, which has latterly traded as a gift shop, plus associated stores and storage within the property.
All this is adjacent to landscaped grounds, and as well as the Falls themselves, nearby are extensive Forestry & Land Scotland managed woodland walks, a childrens’ play area, a large car park with EV and electric bike chargers, and motor home parking with waste disposal facilities, all free-to-access under community and public ownership.
Cornerstone are marketing the venue as an ‘outstanding tourist/leisure opportunity for a motivated buyer’, and inviting bids from £350,000 for its freehold.
The site itself is 16 miles along the A837 from the NC500 tourist route on the A9. The A837 itself is an important east to west tourist and commercial route in the Northern Highlands, connecting the well-established tourism destinations of Dornoch on the East Coast and Ullapool on the West Coast.
The subjects are close to the nearby towns and communities of Lairg, Invershin, Bonar Bridge and Ardgay, while Inverness and its airport are 44 and 50 miles away respectively.
Cornerstone added: “Sutherland is one of the most strikingly beautiful areas in Scotland and offers much in terms of tourism – with a restaurant and shop under new ownership this will only help manage the increase of tourism to the area, including a resurging cruise market from the Cromarty Firth.
“The availability of the subjects in turnkey condition offers motivated buyers the ability to open and trade nearly immediately. The facilities and public areas have benefited from a considerable capital expense in near past allowing operators solely to focus on offering guest/tourists and locals the best in term of service.
“The space lends itself perfectly to a number of different operations and trading styles,” said Cornerstone. “Prospective purchasers should also be aware and consider the quality of the recent build ensuring that significant capital spend on the property has been future proofed for some time.”
Historically, the site was once occupied by a retail and restaurant operation owned by Harrods tycoon Mohammed Al Fayed, Destroyed by fire in 2013, the grounds and property were rebuilt by a local charity – The Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust – with over £1 million of Lottery funding.
The Trust found commercial partners and tenants to assist with the running of the café/restaurant, but this arrangement was curtailed due to Covid, and the Trust has since struggled to find an operator willing to take on the tenancy.
