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

The coal tits have been seen collecting the cats fur for their nests and they must have the best lined nests in the forest. After giving the cats a good brushing we throw the fur on the brush near to the feeders to be collected later for a worthy cause.
We have spotted the osprey three times flying high above Loch Ness and will wait to see any youngsters flying with the parents in the next few months. April and May are very busy months for all birds whatever their size.

Labels: birds, siskin, siskins

Labels: lochness, primroses, south loch ness

The weather over the Easter weekend was glorious and we enjoyed sitting outside. The rest of the week was not so good and we have been experiencing a low cloud base and generally overcast weather. The good news is that the outlook for this coming Sunday and Monday is for wonderful long hours of sunshine and temperatures rising to 17C. This will no doubt please the lambs we drove past yesterday in the fields near Dores.

Labels: Dores, lambs

As much as we enjoy seeing the boats out on Loch Ness now there are some people in charge of boating craft who really ought to be more careful. In the past few days the Loch Ness Lifeboat has been called out to assist people who have got into difficulty. We are emailed any rescues on the loch and they read as follows.....

April 9th.....For the third time in 24 hours, Loch Ness RNLI volunteers were tasked this evening to search for two adults and a child reported out of a canoe and on the shoreline of Loch Ness. An RNLI team from Loch Ness were on the water training when a call came in from Aberdeen MRCC to search for the family group who had made contact by mobile phone to say they were exhausted and unable to continue on the water but stranded on a narrow shore below a sheer rock face. The eight year old girl and her parents were paddling the length of the Caledonian Canal but had been caught out by the sudden and severe change in conditions. The family were very well kitted out and had hoped to be able to camp on the shoreline, approx. 1 mile north of Urquhart Bay. Weather conditions changed rapidly and they made for safety before calling Aberdeen Coastguard, a number that they had stored on their mobile phone. As the RNLI team approached, the family used head torches to signal the crew and guide them to their location. The family were recovered by the crew, Ross Edwards, Sandra Delday and Joy Cameron, and recovered to the Loch Ness RNLI Lifeboat station and given tea and biscuits. One of the RNLI crew has provided the family with accommodation for the night and will help them on their way in the morning.
April 9th.....Lone sailor rescued from driving winds on Loch Ness.
A six metre, vintage sailing yacht with a lone sailor on board, was rescued when his vessel suffered engine failure with winds driving him onto the shore at Lochend, Loch Ness.Pagers alerted the Loch Ness RNLI volunteer crew at 15:29 to the plight of the sailor making his way from Lossiemouth to the West Coast of Ireland. Heading into the wind and a 1.5 metre swell, the engine failure meant the single male occupant was perilously close to being driven onto the rocky shoreline. Loch Ness crew Ross Edwards, Vivian Bailey and Martin Douglas were tasked by Aberdeen Coastguard to assess and assist the "Rona". The yacht was stabilised by the crew using the Atlantic 75 Lifeboat "Mercurius" and taken under tow, in very challenging conditions, to Urquhart Harbour, Drumnadrochit, where the skipper of the yacht was given a fresh brew and some advice. The yacht and it's skipper will continue the journey when conditions improve.
April 11th......Hypothermic canoeists rescued after capsizing on Loch Ness. RNLI Loch Ness volunteer lifeboat crew members helped with the rescue of two canoeists earlier this evening in challenging conditions.The severe weather conditions on Loch Ness again impacted on leisure craft as two canoeists were thrown into the water. Their plight was noticed by a passing motorist who was able to alert the emergency services and guide in help.Loch Ness RNLI volunteers were launched at 2pm this afternoon to a report of people in the water alongside an upturned canoe. An RNLI lifeboat on passage to Oban was in the area and rapidly responded to the emergency call from Aberdeen MRCC. The Oban lifeboat crew located one of the casualties and were able to remove him from the water and take him to Fort Augustus to meet an ambulance.The Loch Ness RNLI team located a casualty on the shoreline who was suffering from hypothermia and in need of medical attention. A crew member from Loch Ness was put ashore and he assisted the individual, along with a member of the Fort Augustus Coastguard team. The location required a difficult lift of the casualty to meet the ambulance on the roadside above.Loch Ness RNLI lifeboat was then tasked to locate a second canoe which had lost contact with the first. En route to this casualty, the crew found the upturned canoe and personal belongings from the individuals recovered earlier. The second group were found nearby after they too had a person washed overboard, but were able to take themselves to safety, although in an isolated place. They were informed of their friend s situation and advised not to proceed on the water in the current conditions. Joy Cameron, Loch Ness RNLI crew member says ...We encountered extremely difficult conditions with 2 metre waves and force 5-6 winds. The crew and lifeboat took quite a pounding so conditions in the open canoes must have been terrifying. We would like to remind all users of the loch and sea areas to keep a close eye on weather conditions, prepare and plan thoroughly and have up to date equipment with good means of communication.
April 12th......Second "Shout" to same vessel on Loch Ness.
Loch Ness RNLI lifeboat team were called to assist a yacht aground in Urquhart Bay this morning, Sunday 12th April at 0930. This was the second time in three days that the skipper of the yacht "Rona" needed the help of the RNLI volunteer team on the loch.After resting and taking stock in Urquhart Harbour for the last two days, the sailor "PJ" attempted to leave the harbour in his vintage sailing vessel but ran aground approx 50 metres beyond the harbour entrance and within sight of the lifeboat crew who were training with the relief lifeboat.The skipper was towed into open water and given firm advice about the weather conditions and suitability of the yacht for the planned journey, but the skipper immediately headed out into the loch proper. He is currently in open water but making extremely slow headway.

Loch Ness RNLI lifeboat station has been operating since April 2008.
Loch Ness is Scotland's only RNLI Inland Lifeboat.
To learn more about the lifeboat station go to Loch Ness RNLI website

Labels: lifeboat, Loch Ness, RNLI

The first few days of April began with a lovely clear blue sky and temperatures well into double figures and we really enjoyed sitting outside in the fresh air. All changed this past week with overcast skies and good south westerly breeze producing lots of white water on the loch although it did remain dry. It is good to see so many boats out on Loch Ness even though at times they were bouncing up and down and crashing into the oncoming waves. Great fun to watch.

April has heralded in some of our welcome returnees marking the beginning of another season. As we sat outside yesterday evening gazing over the loch and admiring the view we saw the unmistakable sight of Ollie, our resident osprey, soaring high up in the sky having flown in all the way from Africa for the breeding season. After mating and bringing their offspring into the world they build up their strength so that all the family can make it back to Africa in late August. On a much smaller note the colourful siskins are back and really enjoy the new sunflower heart feeder. Ray has cunningly adapted this feeder so that the precious food does not fall down to the ground for the mice but stays in the tray provided where it becomes another feeding station. Work has now been completed on the swing bridges over the Caledonian Canal, a process which made the entrance to Loch Ness inaccessible over the past few months. We have seen quite a collection of working boats, the sea lifeboat, pleasure cruisers and today 'The Lord of the Glens' liner glided along the loch from Urquhart Castle taking passengers on an Easter voyage.
The buds of the wild primroses are waiting to burst into flower but best of all the sun has returned to warm us all up at last and today we experienced a wonderful reflection on the waters of Loch Ness. Welcome April.

Labels: Loch Ness, osprey, sisins