Aspenwood Holiday Cottage

Tourist group meeting

Drove over to The Whitebridge Hotel for a meeting of the South Loch Ness Tourist Group. A very good turnout of members at the meeting with a lively discussion covering various topics followed by a warming lunch. The snow is still laying quite thickly amongst the autumn colours and clearly silhouetting the stag and his hinds in the nearby fields.

The scenery was spectacular and we all agreed that this is an amazing place to live and, more importantly, for people to visit.
Enjoy the slideshow...........

Labels: deer, snow

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

After a very cold night and a sky full of stars we woke to clear blue skies and snow laying all around the house. Went up to Aspenwood and found the guests had ventured out to enjoy the picturesque scenery. The cottage always seems to sit cosily in Farigaig Forest overlooked by the dramatic mountains opposite.

The numerous red squirrels are still regular visitors to all the nut feeders and hopefully they will continue to appear throughout the winter as they do not hibernate. Last Saturday we saw some squirrels digging in the grass behind the cottage and realised they had buried some nuts to enjoy later.The Nut Fund is going very well thanks to all guests who have 'bookmarked a squirrel'.

As I look down the loch towards Inverness a wall of white is heading this way and Urquhart Castle is disappearing in the approaching snow - beautiful.

Labels: deer, snow

Snow on tops.

The first heavy snowfall of the year fell overnight on ground above 1000 feet. We woke up to see the mountains opposite covered in snow. The forecast for tomorrow is for a chilly northerly wind with snow showers during the day laying at lower levels.......watch this space.

Labels: deer, snow

RNLI rescue update.

On Sunday 14th September we reported the following incident and subsequent rescue by the Loch Ness RLNI and RAF helicopter at Dores Bay.

Two off duty Lifeguards came to the rescue of a 21 year old woman who suffered a suspected spinal injury in a water ski accident on Loch Ness this afternoon . Loch Ness RNLI Lifeboat team launched and arrived on scene with an RAF rescue helicopter from Lossiemouth.The original incident was witnessed by the off-duty Lifeguards, Laura Munro and Mhairi Burns, who quickly recognised the need to immobilise the injured woman until emergency teams arrived.The three people in the water were sheltered by the quick thinking skipper of the fishing boat "Asbo".Ross Edwards, RNLI Loch Ness volunteer Helm, says."The two off-duty lifeguards and the skipper of the fishing boat did a magnificent job in providing vital stability and reassurance to the young woman." "The crews of the Jacobite tourist boats, understanding the seriousness of the incident, kept their boats at an absolute crawl, minimising the possibility of their wake disturbing the casualty, a highly commendable action."The young woman was placed in a Spinal Board by the lifeguards and RAF Winchman, Mark Dean and the Loch Ness RNLI crew, Howie Whyte and

Vivian Bailey. She was then airlifted to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness for further assessment and treatment.RNLI volunteer crewman, Howie Whyte heard about the incident when he was taking tourist passengers on a trip on the loch. He immediately brought the boat, "Nessie Hunter" back into harbour and ran to the lifeboat station. His surprised but supportive passengers were taken care of and given a complimentary trip out on the research vessel "Deepscan" skippered by John Minshull. This arrangement is typical of all loch users and boat owners keen to support the RNLI and the work of its volunteer crews.

We have received the above photo of two of the crew members involved in the incident-Howie Whyte a local crofter and Vivian Bailey a geography teacher along with an update from the Loch Ness RNLI. The good news is that the young woman involved is making good progress in her recovery.

Labels: RNLI

Enjoy Christmas at Aspenwood

Enjoy Christmas at Aspenwood.

Aspenwood Cottage is still available for the Christmas period.
We offer guests a 7 night stay for Christmas, arriving on Saturday 20th December and departing on Saturday 27th December 2008.
The cottage will be seasonally decorated throughout......just unlock the door, relax and enjoy your festivities.
Although we cannot guarantee snow it is extremely picturesque when it does occur.
The cottage sleeps 5 comfortably and we now welcome 2 well behaved dogs.
The 7 night break is priced at 820.00 pounds sterling.
To book the Christmas period please use our instant easy Booking page on this website.

Labels: aspenwood, christmas, snow

Tufty

The characteristic ear tufts of the native red squirrels are becoming more prominent as winter approaches. They moult their tufts once a year in late summer and grow them again in preparation for the cold weather. Unlike the grey squirrels the reds do not hibernate and so we will be keeping all nut feeders full throughout the cold winter months when the pine cones and hazel nuts have disappeared from the trees in the surrounding forest. The squirrels are still very much in abundance around the cottage and it is very amusing to watch their antics.

Labels: red, squirrel

River Oich walk

Yesterday was a fine crisp dry day so we decided to make the most of it and have a walk in Jenkins Park on the outskirts of Fort Augustus. We drove over the Struie and then downhill passing Loch Tarff on our right. On the TV the other evening there was a replay of the film 'Local Hero' set in Scotland. In one of the early scenes the two American oil guys had to park up because of the dense mist. In the morning the mist cleared and Loch Tarff was in front of them.

The stroll in the Jenkins Park forest at Fort Augustus was very refreshing, peaceful and colourful, about 4 miles at a very leisurely pace.

Part of the walk is beside the River Oich which is always beautiful and relaxing.

Just before we reached home we noticed two cormorants on the small boat jetty parallel with Inverfarigaig Pier no doubt stopping for a well earned breather.

Stag near Aspenwood

Guests staying in Aspenwood Cottage last week were walking casually up the driveway when they noticed a large stag on the path ahead. It was standing quite still and staring at the two strangers approaching. Steve realised he had not got his trusty camera with him and, although very excited, he managed to keep his cool and slowly turned round and went back to the cottage for the equipment.When he returned the stag had not moved a muscle and thus the evidence was produced.Only when Steve and Barbara tried to get even closer did the stag turn tail and run off into Farigaig Forest. Thanks for sharing your photos.

Labels: aspenwood, deer, stag

Maisie and the mouse.

Life is quite busy under the bird table with mice and voles popping out to forage for the food flicked off the top-usually by the backbirds who can be quite messy eaters. The robins and dunnocks prefer to feed on the ground and hop in and out of the plants.

Watched Maisie the other day as she waited like a statue for ages-she was almost as still as the rather large ornamental blue tit we placed at the base of the table. Her patience paid off and soon a little brown mouse appeared looking for its lunch.
If you can't see it just follow Maisie's eyes.
For those who like a happy ending- yes, the mouse quickly turned tail and ran away to live another day.

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

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Tourist group meeting

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Monday, October 27, 2008

Snow on tops.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

RNLI rescue update.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Enjoy Christmas at Aspenwood

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Tufty

Friday, October 17, 2008

River Oich walk

Monday, October 13, 2008

Stag near Aspenwood

Friday, October 03, 2008

Maisie and the mouse.

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