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

A bright crisp autumn day dawned so we drove to the Inverarney Stores for newspapers and bits of shopping. The leaves are really turning amazing colours now. It was quite misty on the tops of the higher hills. Passed a new herd of young Highland cattle with their thick shaggy woolly coats designed for winter weather.We have just read that the first snow has fallen overnight on the summit of Ben Nevis in the Glen Nevis range near Fort William which is much later than usual because of the mild October. This is the highest mountain in the British Isles, a Munro at 1344m. A Munro is a Scottish mountain over 914m. Took a turning right signposted to Garbole and stopped nearby to get out and stretch the legs at Loch Farr. This peaceful secluded stretch of water can easily be passed by in a car as it is well hidden by bushes and trees. Came back home via Dunlichity and passed the ancient walled graveyard. This has a small guard house at the front where apparently, in days gone by, a sentry was placed on duty to stop body snatchers. A grave error!!

After a rather damp and dismal week with the haar mist rolling in daily from the North Sea Sunday dawned alot brighter and we could actually see across to the other side of Loch Ness. Autumn is definitely here and the leaves are rapidly turning yellowy brown and the slightest breeze makes them whirl down to the ground. The weather has been unusually mild for this time of year and I rescued a tiny baby siskin that had flown into the glass of the window, a second late hatch this year. After getting its breath back it flew away and I just hope it survives the coming winter.
The remaining red rowan berries are still on the trees and they attracted a family of mistle thrushes in a feeding frenzy. Fascinating to watch. They are the largest of our native thrushes and they are called mistle thrushes as they are fond of the sticky berries of the mistletoe but will willingly eat other berries. They can withstand the winter weather and lay eggs in late February in exposed nests at the top of trees.

View The 'wee pond' in Farigaig Forest above Aspenwood Cottage. - Google Video to see a sneak preview of this movie before it is entered onto the Video Gallery page.This is only a short pleasurable walk from Aspenwood Cottage. Listen to the silence in the forest. You can almost smell the fresh air. Watch the eerie mist float across the surface of the water. Forget work and problems. Relax and enjoy.

The weather forecast was accurate about Sunday. After a very starry night on Saturday we woke up to a slightly misty morning but this soon disappeared down into the water of the loch and left us with a beautiful blue sky. There was a slight frost on the grass and by midday the temperature was only 8 degrees and chilly. We wrapped up warm and went up into Farigaig Forest for a bracing walk crunching on the grass as we went along and eventually reached the small peaceful loch near the summit. The correct name on the map for this loch is Lochan Torr an Tuill but the locals refer to it as the wee pond which is much easier to pronounce. Glad to see the forestry have now put a new bench with seats there as it is a lovely place to sit and rest after a strenuous uphill walk. The reflection of the trees in the tranquil water was breath-taking and there was a slight mist wafting over the surface of the water. We had to be very careful where we trod as there were plenty of frogs and toads trying to go about their business in the undergrowth. Walked up to the point at the top and looked down onto Urquhart Castle jutting out onto Loch Ness on the opposite bank. A beautiful and invigorating walk right on our doorstep.

After a day of non stop heavy rain and showers, as correctly promised on the weather forecast, the evening sky was a refreshing change. The sky slowly became eerily lighter than normal for the time of day. As we watched it changed from a pale blue green to different shades of pink as the sun disappeared behind the mountains opposite. The forecast for the next few days is quite good so we are going on the Loch Ness Express this morning into Inverness for a spot of lunch. Unfortunately this boat service closes for the winter at the end of October so we are making the most of it. Sunday is supposed to be bright sunshine all day but with a ground frost at night with zero degrees. We will wait with great anticipation and see if this weather forecast is correct. Will let you know.

For the last few days the weather has been very changeable with sunshine one minute and then sudden showers. Fortunately the rain does not last for long and the blue sky returns with a handful of threatening clouds. We have seen many rainbows, some appearing without actual rain but the moisture in the air is enough to cause this colourful arc. It has been quite mild for this time of the year because we had friends and family staying last October and we remembered that we lit a log fire every night. It can be a bit chilly first thing in the morning but Daisy is never far from a radiator or a friend. One clever cat.

Quite a pleasant day so we went for a walk along Dores beach and then turned right into Torr Woods. These woods skirt the shore line at the eastern end of Loch Ness and now and again there is a narrow path leading down to the waters edge to a small pier for launching various boating craft. On the far side is the small appropriately named village of Loch End and the start of the River Ness.Strolling through the woods on very spongy ground was a peaceful refreshing experience. We had time to listen to the birds singing and hear the leaves rustling and breath in the lovely fresh air. It was fascinating looking out for all the different fungi growing in the shade under the trees at this time of the year. We found an amazing variety of shapes and colours, some half eaten and others left alone. Some did look quite appetising but we resisted taking any home for breakfast. This one was our favourite and we really must buy a book on fungi and take it out with us next time.

Walked up to the top road to watch and cheer on the runners in the annual Loch Ness Marathon. This year there were 5,500 from 30 different countries as well as many locals running for various charities. They are bussed out to the village of Whitebridge from Inverness and then run the 26 miles alongside Loch Ness ending back in town. This run is very popular and is the second most popular marathon world wide. I stood with a local neighbour and friend and we tried to cheer and clap everybody who passed. Alot of the runners had their name on their tops and we had alot of fun encouraging them by name. We also encouraged them by saying that the end was round the next bend and not long to go now even though Inverfarigaig is only 8 miles into the run. There was a good turn out for a small village and one of the spectators had even bought her cat to watch.