Summer – Embo House Dornoch

A Coul new Top Class golf course for Embo/Dornoch!
Yesterday we heard some extremely exciting news regarding the future of golf at Embo House. No, it wasn’t that our reinstated golf practice area which includes a couple of water hazards and a lovely new bunker (replete with 10 tonnes of sand) – is working well, – though we do love that…. Even more excitingly, the Highland Council gave its permission for the new Coul Links Golf Course, just a mile or so down the road. Coul Links is a beautiful site, on the coast just a little to the north of Embo village. So this will be no ordinary development. It will be extremely sensitively managed to preserve and enhance environmental conservation and at the same time, the involvement of Mike Keiser of Bandon Dunes fame, and renowned golf architect Ben Crenshaw, ensures that once complete, our little village of Embo (300 souls according to Wikipedia) will host a world top-50 golf course. That means Embo House will be sit equidistant between two, amazing, championship golf courses, since the incomparable Royal Dornoch Golf Club lies a mile or two to the south. We believe the Embo’s new Coul Links Golf Course should be fully functional by 2020/21. Wow! Full credit to Todd Warnock, proprietor of The Links House Hotel in Dornoch and his team for coming up with this inspiring idea and painstakingly undertaking the huge amount of difficult work to shepherd it through the planning process.

Practice golf on Embo House pitching area – And Coul Links as it looks today.

Dornoch Firth Golf Tours at Embo House

So the Dornoch Firth area will be even more of a Mecca for lovers of links golf! Royal Dornoch is currently ranked no 5 in the Golf Digest world ranking, but if you haven’t played Golspie, Tain or Brora yet then you are also in for a golfing treat. An excellent way to do it is to use a Dornoch Firth Golf Pass which for £40 provides a 25% saving on visitor green fees for all five courses (including Royal Dornoch’s second ‘Stuie’ course) on the Dornoch Firth. www.dornochfirthgolf.co.uk. We highly recommend asking 8 good friends (and their partners) to create your own, bespoke Dornoch Firth Golf tour, based at Embo House.

And there are some excellent courses a little further afield/still easily accessible from Embo House. Castle Stuart – host of the Scottish Open – is just an hour away. There is also a lovely course at Rosemarkie (I saw dolphins when I last played there), whilst Stath Peffer boasts spectacular panoramic views across the Cromarty Firth.

Royal Dornoch Golf Course – near Embo House

Embo House: A great base for golfing trip

So Embo House is genuinely a great base for a golfing trip. With eight luxury double bedrooms, each with private bathroom, we can accommodate a decent sized group. In addition to the practice pitching area, we have indoor facilities that all golfers would expect, including a generous boot room, club store and drying facilities. After your round you can relax in the whisky bar, perhaps watching golf on Sky Sport! Though Embo House is for exclusive hire – rather than a hotel – we are happy to arrange for breakfasts or evening meals to be cooked and help with tee reservations. In addition, Embo House and Dornoch is really a super place for non-golfing partners to relax and enjoy all the Scottish Highlands has to offer. Please come and see for yourselves!

The Whisky Bar at Embo House

Jim.

We are really delighted that August 2018 (9th – 16th) will see the first painting course being held at Embo House. The tutor will be Jonathan Shearer, the well-known landscape painter based locally in the Scottish Highlands. Jonathan graduated from Grays school of Art in 1993. He currently has an exhibition at Inverness Castle Gallery “Journeys into the North-West Highlands, – A Bothy Too Far“, but we came across him last Hogmanay, when we went to his studio in search of a picture for our Dining Room at Embo House – and came away with a glorious painting of Dornoch beach! For more information on Jonathan, see his website: www.jonathanshearer.co.uk

The Course & Embo House

The course is suitable for all levels from beginners upwards, as Jonathan teaches on an individual basis and will identify each student’s needs. Students will be able to use whatever media they wish, but plein-air landscape painting will be encouraged, as will the use of sketch-books as source material. Students will bring their own materials and lots of advice is available on this beforehand. There will be 5 days of teaching, with a free day mid-week to give the option for local exploration.

Full use will be made of the stunning landscape around Embo House. The sea is a short walk away and we hope many of the students will find inspiration there, as Jonathan has done, many times!

…..Embo and Dornoch Beaches have many different moods!

In addition, the house is very close to the wonderful area of Loch Fleet (Site of Special Scientific Interest).

At Embo House, there is studio space adjoining the main house and the garden and grounds are full of interesting corners for artists, such as the Tree House, Terrace and Conservatory.

Course Arrangements

Clare Blois and Jane Weston are looking after the nuts and bolts of this course at Embo House, with most of the cooking done by Jane, who has a legendary reputation in the Highlands. Accommodation will be in the double bedrooms in the house. Non-painting partners are welcome; they can enjoy golfing, fishing, walking, birding etc – see “local” section of this website. Clare and Jane have run painting holidays together in the past and between them have many years experience of managing Scottish house parties.

Prices include 5 days painting tuition (one free day) and all meals and drinks. Arrive afternoon of Thursday, 9th August, leave morning of Thursday 16th August.

Single occupancy of double room with ensuite/private bathroom: £975

Per person sharing room with ensuite/private bathroom: £775 for a painter, £525 for a non-painter

(There are also possible spaces for non-resident painters – please enquire)

Embo House Course Booking and Questions

Please contact Clare at clare.blois@btinternet.com or 07913 033142

Future Recreational Courses at Embo House?

If anyone else out there would like to run a course at Embo House, we’d love to hear from you!