PICTURES: Two prime Loch Ness-side hospitality venues, the Whitebridge Hotel and Foyers Stores and Waterfall Café go on the market for almost £1 million and £500,000 respectively
Two popular commercial properties near Loch Ness that have enjoyed success amid booming tourist numbers are up for sale.
Whitebridge Hotel and The Waterfall Café and Foyers Stores, situated within five miles of one another above the loch’s southern shores, are being marketed at offers over £950,000 and £450,000 respectively.
With dedication and investment, the separately-owned premises have built strong reputations for serving the local community, as well as visitors flocking in search of Nessie, natural beauty and the famous Falls of Foyers.
Simon Hargreaves and wife Jan are seeking retirement after pouring all their energies since 2013 into running and improving the attractive shop and café at Upper Foyers.
Enjoying a prime location and stunning vista of Loch Ness just above the spectacular falls and pathways to its viewpoints, they have recently re-marketed the property.
Mr Hargreaves said: “I’m 70 this year and, really, running your own business is all-encompassing. I didn’t appreciate how much of your life it takes up.
“I was very naïve in that I’d previously been employed by the MoD, altogether very different.
“We’ve embraced it and enjoyed it greatly, but reluctantly we feel the time has come to hand the reins to someone new.”
During the Covid pandemic, Simon and Jan came into their own in going the extra mile for the local community, while also enjoying a surge in sales.
Visitor numbers, throughout their 11 years, have simply grown and grown.
The property currently operates all year round, enjoying strong demand from local residents throughout the year with the additional benefit of the influx of tourists during the main season.
The present layout allows for a relaxed café serving a wide range of beverages and snacks, together with additional gift shop sales. The village shop sells staple produce and provides Post Office services.
The café has a well-appointed kitchen and service area and seats 12 customers internally with a large, decked area providing extra seating.
The owners’ flat upstairs has 3/4 double bedrooms and described as “in excellent condition”.
The property sits within mature grounds with a variety of outbuildings with some development potential, subject to planning consents.
Mr Hargreaves added: “The community role is important and, actually, during Covid, we were very busy and had a very good year.
“Year on year, the tourist season is extending and it just gets busier every year. That reflects in shop take and the café take.”
The Lower Foyers Loch Ness Shores wigwams and campsite business has also boosted trade, with Simon and Jan also enjoying more than a few celebrity visits including everyone from rock star Jimmy Page to TV presenter John Craven.
At Whitebridge, co-owners Lesley Renton and Bella Kilgannon have lovingly transformed the Victorian-era hotel by upgrading facilities and introducing a host of modern, quirky and attractive interior themes and features.
The result is a 12-room boutique hotel, sympathetically modernised while retaining traditional features, set in stunning countryside between Stratherrick and Fort Augustus.
The property comes with separate, six-bedroom owners’ and/or staff accommodation, a cosy residents’ lounge, quirky café, and traditional bar frequented by locals and visitors.
In the shadows of nearby hills, the property sits on a prominent plot of land with parking, a large south facing beer garden to the side, and a front terrace.
Its selling agents describe it as “a very profitable business” and co-owner Lesley said: “We are hugely proud of what we have achieved at the Whitebridge Hotel. It’s not been an easy decision to bring it to the market.
“We have been very lucky to recruit and retain a fantastic team who are very much committed to, and driven by the success of the hotel.
“We have truly enjoyed our venture in the Scottish Highlands where we have become part of a supportive community and are very confident that the Whitebridge Hotel will continue to go from strength to strength under new ownership.”
