The Road Trip - house fourteen: THE one!

So, we're going to tease you into this one - because it's worth the build up!

We set off from our slightly random, but welcome hotel and made a leisurely and beautiful trip to Mallaig via Fort William. Calmac was still showing the 13:50 ferry as running and our fingers and toes were crossed they would let us board even though our tickets were for a different ferry. On the way we stopped for coffee at a lay-by by Saint Mary & Saint Finnan Church at Glenfinnan and chatted to the friendly owner of the coffee cart. His sister, Claire Gillies, had published a book 'On the edge' about someone giving up their life in the city and moving to a remote Scottish island for a fresh start. This must be a sign, we bought a copy.

The coffee cart guy recommended we slip off behind the church for a view, away from the tourists, and a breath of fresh air and peace. The door to the church was open and it was cool and quiet inside. I tried to get John to have a quick blast on the organ, but he declined.

With a little time to spare in Mallaig we picked up a gift for the owners of the next property as they were going out of their way to help us get from the port to their house and back. They'd also been flexible on times and were even offering some food as we'd not scheduled anything like that into our fluid plans!

Liz: John was looking forward to the boat ride, but I was like a kid at Christmas trying to contain the excitement at the anticipation of an island return and the chance for me to realise my ultimate dream of living on the Outer Hebrides, against all the odds and John's reluctance. The feeling of leaving the mainland for any Scottish island is truly magical and on this day, words just don't sum it up. Passing the small isles on one side (Rum, Eigg and Canna) and the Isle of Skye on the other, whilst watching cloud formations over the mainland mountain ranges is priceless.

I found myself unexpectedly welling up as we pulled into port, releasing all the mental and emotional burdens of the last few months, and creating in my heart exactly the sort of emotional connection I longed to feel for a location and a property, something would draw me into it so that I felt an unquenchable love that meant this place was intended just for me.

We spotted David, the home owner, from the deck and waved. He had very kindly agreed to collect us from the ferry port, despite it being further than we originally planned, and we had the most interesting journey with him in the car. We asked all our burning questions about living on an island and had a guided tour of their local community. As we glided by beautiful pools with the sun sparkling off the rich blue water, summer flowers waving in the breeze, scattered cottages and lots and lots of wild and rugged open grassland. David pointed out all the places that made up their close knit and friendly community, from the garage where they get their car serviced to the local Co-op to their neighbours who they all know by name.

After about 40 minutes of enjoying the spellbinding scenery and David's friendly and charming dialogue we found ourselves craning our necks to get a first glimpse of the house we were now convinced was our destiny! And, here it is: Oban Uaine, North Uist, offers over £280,000, on the eastern side of the island, at the end of a shallow inlet. Just look how perfectly clear the water is!

The estate agent's brochure sums up in one paragraph why I am so drawn to life on the Outer Hebrides.

Obain Uaine is an exceptional modern water-front house on the Isle of Grimsay, North Uist. Soak up the panoramic land- and seascapes from the lounge or bedroom, kayak from the house, or sit on the deck, while enjoying a glass of North Uist’s own Downpour gin. Or in winter wrap up and head outside to enjoy Uist’s truly Dark Skies.

The house (Obain Uaine is pronounced Oppan Oowanya – Gaelic for Green Bay) is located in the fishing and crofting community of Kallin on the Island of Grimsay. The original house was built in the 1930s and fully renovated in 2013-14 and two new architect-designed extensions added. The house is insulated to a high standard, ensuring a low level of energy use. An open-plan space combining living room, dining room and kitchen has full height triple glazing to the south and west making the most of the Hebridean light and views. A high-speed fibre-optic internet connection is available throughout the house and studio.

And this is the view from the deck at the back of the house, no filters applied. John took it, at 18:41 on a summers evening when it was genuinely roasting hot sitting outside. We sat out with David and his wife Jean, drinking tea and chatting and learning all about what life is really like in a small and remote community.

Light interior spaces in the house provide an armchair view of the landscape, frequently visited by otters, seals, white-tailed eagles, gannets, hen harriers, peregrines, divers and owls. Ease of access from the house to the sea enables kayaking, paddle-boarding, snorkelling and swimming. The private sheltered mooring provides a starting point for small-boat access to the myriad uninhabited islands and coves around Grimsay and North Uist. Creative work areas and spaces for vegetable and flower growing, complete the picture of a house with something to offer a wide variety of work and leisure pursuits.

On Uist, sand-yachting and horse-riding can be enjoyed on vast white-sand beaches, with surfing, wind surfing and fishing both off-shore, and on the inland lochs. For serious sailing enthusiasts there are deep water pontoons at Lochmaddy. There are nature reserves on both North and South Uist, and extensive areas of wild moorland and hills, of varying degrees of challenge, which can be explored on foot.

Uist and Grimsay are thriving communities, with activities to suit all interests. Within walking distance of the house there is a café at the fishing harbour, a local seafood shop, a community hub for coffee and lunches, a wool mill and a boat shed. On Benbecula, 15-20 minutes by car, there are butcher, baker, supermarkets, bank, swimming pool, library, airport and distillery. There are daily flights and ferries, within 30 minutes by car.

This is the one - we both felt it, we didn't have to say it because we could see it in each other's silly grins. You didn't have to sell this to us, it sells itself. But boy, did Jean and David sell it to us! Over homemade oatcakes and crab and smoked salmon they told us how we would be able to see the Aurora Borealis from time to time, watch the latest films on the Screen Machine lorry, join all the clubs available from wild swimmers to book clubs to volunteering at the local community centre. It really did sound amazing - we would never be bored here. I got the feeling that because it is a small community and it is harder to get things sometimes, that everyone pulls together, looks after each other and makes sure that everyone's skills are noted and put to good use.

We tried to tease information from them about how many viewings they had, what offers they had received, and what sort of people were interested. We found out that they had had several viewings, and received an 'uninspiring' offer of £310,000. So we had a rough idea of where we were aiming.

Jean had us eating our of her hand when she said that she would love to see us living in their home, and we thought maybe they considered us the sort of people that would fit in well here and respect the home that they had designed and built and loved. They even said that to facilitate our relocating, the furniture was also available if we wanted. It would not only save us (and them) the hassle of a big furniture move, but also meant that we could rent it out immediately to help us with cash flow until we ready to move in ourselves.

Jean did, however, let slip that she had baked gluten free biscuits for the people who were viewing the next day, so we knew they were playing the game with all their visitors to get the best possible offers on the house - smart!!

So after a couple of hours with them, we were taxied back to the hotel at Loch Boisdale where the ferry back to Mallaig was already berthed ready for a 9:20am sailing the following morning. Whilst we were checking in, John thankfully started talking about breakfast in the context of when we need to walk to the ferry: 'Say 8am so we could walk down at 8.30am?'

Well, not so fast sunshine. As we had changed ferry without changing the ferry booking we weren't getting text messages updating us with the service information. Tomorrow's ferry was already there and ready to go, but at 4am! No choice: next ferry after lunch would dump us somewhere where our car was not. After 3 hours of restless, overexcited sleep, we groggily waiting for the gangplank to open for our return journey. We were eager to see the last two properties and get through the weekend so that would put our offer in first thing Monday morning!

So lessons learnt here:

1. Taking ferries: plans change not just due to weather, but also due to technical (safety) issues with the (ageing) vessels. Download the Calmac app and make sure you have flexibility in your plans

2. Get frustrated, but if your ferry is cancelled and that costs you (we lost a nights accommodation on the Island and had to buy another on the mainland) you can get some compensation, and it's not too shabby (cost wise, we're probably about square)

3. If you're going to move to the islands, unless you're Richard Branson and have a private plane, you are reliant on ferries and planes, so you have to live with a degree of change - it's part of the deal

4. But most of all, if you want to live somewhere where the emotional pull is so strong you just need to be aware of the rationale/consequences, do lots of research and speak to people who live there for a realistic picture of what you're going to get