Our Altskeith Story

There it was on Rightmove, our potential dream home and new business. I made the appointment to view it and then broke the news to my husband. The house was located 100 miles from the area we had been looking, so he was less keen. So off we went to view, and as we drove up the drive, Yas became quiet, which meant something was giving him time to pause for thought, and maybe this place was something special! Although the location was stunning, overlooking Loch Ard with spectacular views towards Ben Lomond, it was very tired inside the house. On our second viewing, we took my parents, and as we walked along the beach, my father said to me, “well, if you want it, you had better get on and buy it before someone else does” with those words still ringing in my ears we did just that.

In September 2012, we became the proud owners of Altskeith, which we renamed Altskeith Country House on Loch Ard, or as our neighbours describe the house, “the altskea”.

There was very little business coming through for the new season in 2013, and we decided to continue trading and during the low season close the house down and complete a phase as part of the development and upgrades, then re-open for a period of time. We repeated this over and over again.

Over the last 10 years, with dogged determination and a crystal clear vision, we have transformed the house into a homely, cosy feel country house and enhanced the property with some upgrading to damp old stores to create a large function room space with floor-to-ceiling clear glass views showing off Ben Lomond. In addition, I have gathered classic pieces of furniture, lighting and mirrors to enhance the rooms.

We had always seen the potential for weddings, and with great passion, we developed this as part of the core business. Even under the clouds of plaster dust and our building site appearance that lay before a couple as they walked through the front doors, this did not put them off. They trusted us and our judgement and came back to book time and time again. So to each one of you, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We split our time between exclusive use weddings or operating as a small hotel with 11 bedrooms. We also run retreats, corporate events and private parties.

We hope you have the opportunity to visit this most stunning part of the world and share the joys we experience every day living here.

Alison & Yas Rios McCrone