Cottage Diary - Aspenwood self catering luxury Holiday Cottage overlooking Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland.

Just as we thought we were heading towards Spring along came the snow and covered up the struggling crocuses. The bitter wind came from the direction of Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness [north] and flurries of snow and white-out blizzards continued all day. The snow quickly lay around the cottage and on the mountains opposite and it was fascinating to watch from the warmth of inside the house. The cats were not so amused - they do not like this white stuff!
The forecast is -4 tonight [-12 in Aviemore] so we could be in for a touch of frost and ice tomorrow - rock salt at the ready !

The master bedroom has been tastefully decorated and now enjoys the luxury of a 28" widescreen TV with DVD player. Where else can you sit up in bed and watch television whilst looking over Loch Ness - that's what holidays are for. Stroll out onto the private decking and watch the various boating craft go by.....enjoy

Aspenwood holiday cottage now offers the facility of a computer with Broadband connection for guests to use - at no extra charge. This may be useful for emailing friends and family and for booking your next holiday with us online!

Drove to the small village of Dores at the southern end of Loch Ness, a short drive away from Aspenwood Holiday Cottage, and strolled along the pebbly beach. Espied several rather large birds sitting on the disused pier posts jutting out into the water. One of them had its wings outstretched to dry and we wondered what they were - never having seen anything like them close up before. After consulting an expert we can now announce they were cormorants. Apparently they often sit with their wings stretched out to dry as they are the only web-footed birds which do not put out a waterproofing oil for their feathers. They are strong underwater swimmers and therefore need to dry out on land.
Turning off from the beach we entered Torr Woods and followed one of the many footpaths. It felt like an autumn morning walking amongst the crunchy pine cones, chewed and discarded by the red squirrels, and the bronze faded bracken. Looking closely though we could see buds on the rhododendron bushes and yellow gorse in flower - signs that Spring was indeed on its way.