Through sheer chance, one woman secured nearly a month’s housesitting opportunity at an opulent Highland estate.

Nicole Miller, 56, from Newbury, Berkshire, found herself immersed in the breathtaking Scottish Highland scenery, complete with undulating hills and tranquil lochs, this February, enjoying a completely cost-free break. Her sole responsibility was monitoring a magnificent manor estate for approximately four weeks.

“I was speechless. I just felt like I was the luckiest person on the planet,” Nicole, a Scotland native, explained. “It was like somebody had just given me a £3,000 holiday.”

The expansive Highland estate comprised the manor house itself, which Nicole characterised as “stunning and massive”, alongside two cottages. Nicole occupied a luxurious single-storey dwelling featuring generous rooms and a “great big hall”.

With the manor house’s affluent proprietors absent, Nicole’s role was merely to guarantee “that their house was safe.”

She explained: “I mean, I didn’t have to do anything. I didn’t even have to go up there to check it out. That’s what I thought I would be originally doing, but they just wanted somebody’s presence there, a car at the front, lights on, if anybody did wander off the beaten track, they know someone was there.”

Whilst monitoring the property, Nicole dedicated her days to working from the grand dining room with views across the magnificent Glen, which she transformed into an office space, before settling down each evening with a good book at the remote Kinlochmoidart location. “I didn’t set my alarm; I was taking everything in my stride,” she said.

“I’d get up in the morning, I’d go, and I see the wild animals, there were squirrels, lovely birds, and I saw a massive herd of deer one day. I would have a little afternoon siesta, where I’d just lie down to read my book, and I’d potter about. It’s just the peace and the natural tranquillity and being so detached from the fast pace of life.”

Nicole swiftly settled into the property and even brought along her juice maker, a blender, a toastie maker, and a slow cooker for preparing soup, genuinely aiding her adjustment. However, reaching the supermarket from this peaceful retreat proved challenging, requiring an hour’s journey by car. Fortunately, a small shop sat just 20 minutes away.

During weekends, Nicole would venture into the surrounding area, embracing the stunning, wild landscapes and mountainous countryside of the Scottish Highlands. She also toured historic castles in the vicinity and made an excursion to Sanna Beach, boasting pristine white sands and crystal-clear turquoise waters.

Despite the incredibly isolated setting, with an extensive 2.5-mile driveway and scarcely another soul in sight, Nicole felt entirely comfortable. “I loved it, I didn’t want to go home. I felt like I was the only person on the planet,” she said.

“Don’t get me wrong. I did see the people who look after some of the estate and things; they come and go, but in general, there was just nobody there. The house didn’t even creak; there’s just no sound, just absolutely nothing. It’s really quite strange, but I loved it.

“I settled in really quickly, and I feel like I couldn’t have been safer staying there – it’s completely off the beaten track.”

Previously, housesitting for wealthy homeowners hadn’t particularly crossed Nicole’s mind. In fact, it was pure coincidence that Nicole spotted the advertisement appearing on LinkedIn.

“The post said ‘house sit Scottish estate’, and I just knew that’s for me. I’m a great believer in visualising and the laws of the universe,” Nicole, owner of Fast Response PFA Ltd, said.

“I’m always driving around with my job, and I love it when I’m out in the country, and I’m always visualising these cottages, how lovely they are. So when that came up, it was just perfect, I had to take it.”

Although Nicole was thrilled at the idea of travelling to the Scottish Highlands for a housesitting stint, she had never considered it a realistic possibility. She admitted: “I thought it was for people with pets, I never realised that people might just want you to sit in their house, just to protect their house.”

Yet the journey through HouseSit Match proved thoroughly worthwhile. Nicole revealed: “We live in such a fast world. I think it’s nice to slow down and enjoy the beauty of the planet. This house sit was in a part of the world that most people just don’t get to see. I was literally in the middle of nowhere, and the scenery is tremendous.

“I want to go back to Scotland and have a cottage in the middle of nowhere.”