Room/flat in Highlands, public trans to Inverness

A couple months ago, I received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to fund taking time off from other paid work so I can devote time to my newest novel. Part of this grant covers a research trip to Scotland to immerse myself into a smaller village, talk to people, find out about village life in the 1990s (that long past and historical era, aka my formative years), and buckle down into a self-guided writing retreat to finish the first draft of my novel. A CCA grant is hugely competitive and life-changing and I'm still kind of reeling from the excitement (and responsibility) of receiving one.

Now I need to find a place to stay while I'm researching and writing my book.

I ended up with a shortlist of Cromarty, Ullapool, Dornoch, Plockton, Strathpeffer, Avoch, Fortrose, Rosemarkie. But I am willing to consider any smaller villages/towns with public transport links to Inverness. Because I won't have a car, I need to be able to hop on a bus to travel, and walk to local pub and grocery stores.

I'm a non-smoker and though I will be living alone for much of the time, my wife or one of my sisters may occasionally visit during the five months I'm in Scotland.