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

The wild primroses are now beginning to bloom in the hedgerows and grassy banks. They are later this year possibly due to the prolonged cold winter spell. They suddenly seem to be sprouting everywhere and really cheer you up with their sunny bright yellow appearance.
Glad you enjoyed the Applecross visit and thanks for your comment.

Going to Plodda Falls near Glen Affric soon so keep watching.

We reluctantly left the cosy welcoming hamlet of Applecross on the west coast and took the single hair raising track road over the mountains to Tornapress. At some height we drove over dramatic mountain scenery where snow still lay in crevasses and will continue to do so all year. Drove past the mountain of Beinn Bhan at 2938 feet almost a munro but not officially as they have to be over 3000 feet.Here we joined the 896 to Kirkton skirting Loch Carron and then onto the 890 to Achnasheen and back home on the 832 and 835. During the day we drove through rain sun cloud mist and hailstones and thoroughly enjoyed our day out. Could not wait to view the photos and have only picked a few of my favourites and hope you have enjoyed them too.
Would love to hear from anybody who has been on this same journey or has visited Applecross so please leave a comment for everybody to enjoy.

After driving for about 100miles from Aspenwood in the time frame of about 2 hours stopping for many photo shoots we arrived at the small coastal village of Applecross on the west coast with its huge sandy bay. After a rather bracing stroll along the sands we were warmly welcomed into The Applecross Inn with its log burning fire and the very appetizing menu.
From here we could look across to the Inner Hebrides lesser known Isle of Raasay in the foreground and the much larger and popular Isle of Skye in the background with its mountainous triangular peaks.
Watched some weird weather patterns coming in across The Inner Sound. Watched the rain arrive.
The final part of this journey will tell you about the scary return trip home over the mountain pass so keep watching.

Saw several herds of deer on the open moorlands.Suddenly a stag and his hind wandered casually across the single track in front of the car but were soon camouflaged by the bracken and young heather of the moorland.
Skirted the village of Torridon nestling under the Munro mountain of Liathach at 3456 feet and drove past the turning to Shieldaig .We continued on the West Coast Trail overlooking one of the many sea lochs on the west coast Loch Torridon.
Had a great picnic looking down onto the loch and watching the seagulls and other various seabirds nesting on the cliff tops and swooping around Gull Island in the loch.
Saw a wild goat and her kid scrambling down the scree to the shores of Loch Torridon. Also spotted an eagle soaring and circling overhead although you will just have to believe me here as getting an eagle on film is very difficult. In the next episode we arrive at the village of Applecross on the west coast of Scotland.

Went on a 215 mile round trip adventure across to the tiny but popular hamlet of Applecross on the west coast of Scotland a journey we have always been threatening to do.We drove into Inverness and took the road out to Beauly and Muir of Ord. We joined the A835 just before Contin but instead of going up to Ullapool on this road we turned left onto the 832 road at Gorstan heading towards Torridon.We drove past some stunningly beautiful dramatic scenery,numerous lochs engulfed by snow capped mountains,waterfalls cascading over rocky outlets,babbling burns and miles of wild open countryside. The scenery began to get more dramatic and we suddenly felt very small and insignificant.

Drove past some very imposing Munroe's, Fionn Bheinn at 3059 feet and Sgurr Mor at 3637 feet with their peaks entirely covered in snow. At Kinlochewe instead of heading up to Gairloch we turned left onto the 896 to Torridon. More to follow in part 2 of this journey when I show you some of the wildlife we saw. Watch this space.

Watched some young Highland cattle calves having fun in the sunshine and the mud. Going on a trip to Applecross on the west coast soon so keep looking on this page.

Wanted to explore somewhere we had never been before so set off in the car on an adventure. Looking at the map we decided to explore the east coast beyond Inverness and Nairn but somewhere off the beaten track. Kept driving on the A96 beyond Forres and then turned left at a signpost marked to Findhorn, passing RAF Kinloss on the right, a journey of about 22 miles from Inverness. Eventually arrived at Findhorn Bay car park amongst the sand dunes. Walked up to view the rolling white waves of the North Sea entering the mouth of the Moray Firth. Walked along the endless sandy beach of Burghead Bay with snow capped mountains in the distance. It was rather bracing so we did not stay long, just long enough to take a few photos. Got swiftly back in the car and decided to have lunch by the warm coal fire of the Cawdor Tavern signposted off the A96 road on the way back home.

The 360 degree Tours of the rooms are now on site and give a really good idea of being inside Aspenwood. Just click on a room to view. A small circle appears on the screen which changes to an arrow when you press the left button of the mouse. The arrow moves in the direction you guide it at the speed you choose. Great fun....have a go.

Took a pleasurable 50 mile car journey westwards along The Great Glen to the town of Fort William at the head of Loch Linnhe.The town is a thriving tourist centre overlooked by Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain and a munro at 4480 ft. A munro is the name given to mountains in Scotland over 3000 ft. There are currently 284 munro peaks and a popular sport is 'munro bagging' by climbing as many as you can. These peaks are covered in snow all year round.
Fort William lies at the start of both the Caledonian Canal and the 'road to the Isles' which ends at Mallaig, the ferry port for services to the Outer Isles.
We had a very enjoyable lunch at The Crannog Restaurant on the pier and watched rain and snow blowing in from the west and then sunshine. You can also catch 3 daily 90 mins boat trips along Loch Linnhe from here.
After a brisk walk down the high street and a wee bit of shopping we set off on the journey back home.

At Spean Bridge one mile away we passed The Commando Memorial. This spectacular memorial commemorates training in the area during World WarII.
A good day out.

It snowed yesterday morning and as we drove into Inverness we looked up at white hills and snow covered mountains opposite. We knew our guests in Aspenwood would be pleased as they really wanted to see snow. During the day the snow turned to rain and washed it all away on the lower levels although the tops of the mountains are still covered with a sprinkling of snow. It was a star studded night with the crescent moon reflected very brightly onto the water of Loch Ness. This morning we saw our 2 resident deer grazing on the grassy bank in front of the house. They have been around for some time now and you can get quite close to them before they take off. Possibly a mother with one of her young from last year. About this time of year you can hear the deer start to call to each other waiting for the fun to begin. The grass path leading down to the beach is on the left of the picture.