Rebekka - what an enthusiast!

Aren't our guests the nicest people you can ever meet? It is a joy to rent out this cottage. Rebekka stayed with us in November just before the cold set in and we all iced up. The photo is of the Holly tree Hotel just a stroll up the road from us
Hello John!
We had a wonderful week thank you! We arrived about 6pm Monday evening and decided rather than trying to find a shop that we'd treat ourselves, so we headed to the Holly Tree for a bar meal :)Tuesday we ventured into Fort William, did a food shop, had a walk through the town, and then spent the afternoon back at the cottage watching movies on the sofa :) We then ventured back to Fort William in the evening to go out for a meal at a place called Loch Iall I think (I'll double check!!- it is Loch Eil -Ed).. On Wednesday we went up to LochNess for the afternoon.. we figured after travelling 400 miles, another 60 wasn't going to kill us!! Lovely afternoon!! We then went back to the HollyTree for dinner that evening, but ate in the restaurant this time.. Thursday, I spent the morning in doing some university work (so I'm not totally behind when I go back tomorrow!!), my partner went for a 16km walk around the local area.. We then went to the Ben Nevis pub in Fort William for lunch.
The weather was good to us.. It only rained when we were in the car! Tuesday night and Wednesday were VERY windy though. I meant to leave the cleaner a note to apologise for not leaving the bin out the front, but we'd have lost the bin it was that windy.. They were scattered everywhere!!
I'll send you all the photos I took when I find the camera cable! I took one of a gorgeous sunrise Friday morning, it was about an hour's drive from the cottage, but I'm still very chuffed with it!!
I've also decided to start a food blog about all the places I go for meals.. Me and my partner regularly go out and thought it would be fun to do, so once it's up, I'll link you to it - Scotland will be the first entries :)
Many thanks for letting us use the cottage. I had a super time!!!
Rebekka.
Links
New page in our site about driving on snow and ice
Masses of information about the area in our Site map
This is about Fort William
Appin is beautiful
Bed and breakfast and hotels from Oban to Fort William
Walks around our cottage
Autumn short breaks in Glencoe
Ben Nevis walking is a slog, but worth it
Cottage holidays Scotland in the Autumn, Winter, Spring
The highlands of Scotland
Find holiday cottages anywhere
Gorgeous photographs of Glencoe
Hill walks in Glencoe
Munroes in Glencoe
Port Appin
Barcaldine
Accommodation in Lochaber
Kentallen
Ballachulish
Onich
How to find cottage owners self catering websites
HISTORY PAGES.
The story they don't tell you about the Glencoe Massacre
History around the cottage in Appin
Did the Vikings stage a battle in Glencoe?
The Pictish broch in Lismore
West of Scotland millions of years ago
Robert the Bruce and the Ardchattan parliament
Robert the Bruce and the Knights Templar
The story of the MacDonalds of Glencoe
Ancient roads of the Highlands
Glencoe, the 4th Wonder of Scotland
Castles in the Glencoe area
GLENCOE OUTDOORS
The best walks in Glencoe
Ben Nevis, go climb it
Munros are over 3,000 feet
Some Munros are easy
Glencoe rock climbing
Skiing in Glencoe is excellent again
New cycle tracks around Glencoe
There are lovely beaches and bays around Glencoe
Accommodation Fort William
Golf on the West coast
Tour the Highlands
You can cruise the West coast
Driving around glencoe on snow and ice - Tips
BLOGS
Travellers Tales from the highlands of Scotland
Find your ideal holiday cottage anywhere
The most beautiful photographs of Glencoe
The achingly beautiful area of Appin, Scotland
Special offers for self catering in Scotland
COTTAGE ATTRACTIONS
Lochside cottage near Glencoe in the Highlands of Scotland
Last minute, late availability Glencoe, self catering cottage
20 brilliant walks around our cottage area
Easy hill walks in Glencoe
Why not walk up Ben Nevis one day?
Easier Munroe walks in Glencoe
Skiing Glencoe and Nevis range, cottage is midway between the two
Video. Skiing on Glencoe mountain
Weather in the West of Scotland
Rock and Ice climbing in Glencoe
Cycling and fishing Glencoe
Spectacular wild life around our cottage
Golf in the Highlands, Dragons tooth golf course, Glencoe
Cruising the islands, using Glencoe as a base
Safe, beautiful beaches and bays in Glencoe area
Touring the Highlands by car from Glencoe,
Spring breaks, March April May Glencoe
Winter breaks, Jan Feb March in the cottage
Autumn breaks November December in the cottage
Our new Appin blog site
FOR LASTMINUTE BOOKINGS
Short breaks in Scotland, Last minute cottage holidays Scotland, Autumn, Winter, Spring
Weather month by month Scotland summer
Weather month by month Scotland Autumn
Weather in Scotland Winter, month by month
Misunderstandings about Scotland's weather
Scotland's rain
Advice on driving in Scotland. Several Scotland driving pages are linked to this.
Honeymoon cottages in Scotland
Scotland for Christmas and New Year
The unofficial Scottish tourist Board
Cottages in Scotland permitting smoking
Cottages in Scotland welcoming pets
FOR WEST OF SCOTLAND SITE
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in the West of Scotland
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Oban
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Glencoe
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Fort William
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in the far West of Scotland
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Appin
Port Appin and Lismore B&Bs
Barcaldine B&Bs and hotels
Duror b&bs
Kentallen b&bs
Ballachulish b&bs
Onich b&bs
How to find cottage owners self catering websites
MISC
Misunderstandings about Scottish weather
Get off those speeding fines on Scottish roads

From one of GLENCOE'S FINEST PHOTOGRAPHERS

This email came from our recent guests at the cottage. They were top photographers. Thank you  Willie and Fred. You know photographers are amongst the nicest guests we ever have. easy to get on with, always so polite. These two chaps spring cleaned the cottage when they left - well, nearly. 

Hi John,

 

Hope all is well.

 

I meant to write to you, but when I got back I had a weeks worth of work to deal with, and am still trying to dig my way out.

 

We had a great time at the cottage, despite it raining 4 of the 7 days. Everything was fine at the cottage. We did not spend much time there during the day, as we were on the road a lot. We covered everywhere from Oban to Mallaig.

 

The house and the kitchen was well appointed - everything that we needed was there. We both had laptops - so we did not use the house computer, and had no trouble logging in. We vacuumed the house and washed the kitchen floor, and cleaned everything up - according to the check list. But we did leave the bedding (removed from the beds and folded) in the respective bedrooms.

 

Many thanks for providing a great location for our week of photography. Will forward on some photos when I can get a chance.

 

Best regards,

 

Willie and Fred

New page in our site about driving on snow and ice
Masses of information about the area in our Site map
This is about Fort William
Appin is beautiful
Bed and breakfast and hotels from Oban to Fort William
Walks around our cottage
Autumn short breaks in Glencoe
Ben Nevis walking is a slog, but worth it
Cottage holidays Scotland in the Autumn, Winter, Spring
The highlands of Scotland
Find holiday cottages anywhere
Gorgeous photographs of Glencoe
Hill walks in Glencoe
Munroes in Glencoe
Port Appin
Barcaldine
Accommodation in Lochaber
Kentallen
Ballachulish
Onich
How to find cottage owners self catering websites

Brilliant! Matt's word, not mine

The IceFactor wall at Kinlochleven

The following email came from our guest at the New Year. Thanks Matt. It was a pleasure having you stay.

Hi John

Brilliant.

Cottage was fantastic, walking and climbing were great and it didn't rain (that much!). We solved the boiler problem - Michelle was very helpful.

The Ice Factor was good - helpful staff and a good setup. Climbing wise we did Garadh Gully on Ben Nevis and went up and around the Three Sisters in Glencoe. The ice was starting to melt is places but there was plenty to go at still. We spent New Years eve in the Clachaig which was very, very busy, but the atmosphere made it a great night. We then spent New Years day walking from the cottage back to the Clachaig to pick up the car (we got a taxi back on New Years eve - it only cost £20, very reasonable). The walk was lovely, we set off early from the cottage, went up Glen Duror to its head and then up and over Sgorr a Choise before dropping down into Gleann Leac na Muidhe which eventually brought us out at the Signal Rock car park. It was then just a short walk to the pub. It took us about 5 and a half hours in total. It was great.

I'll collect some photos together for you and send on.

Matt
Driving on snow and ice
Information about the arear Site map
About Fort William
Appin beautiful
Accommodation from Oban to Fort William
Walks around cottage
Autumn breaks in Glencoe
Ben Nevis is a slog, but worth it
Holidays Scotland in the Autumn, Winter, Spring
The Highlands
Holiday cottages everywhere
Photographs of Glencoe
Hill walks Highlands
Munroes Glencoe
Port Appin, a glorious Highland village
Barcaldine little highland town with a castle
Accommodation Lochaber
Kentallen is our own hamlet
Ballachulish our nearest village
Onich lovely views from the hotels here
Find cottage owners self catering websites
HISTORY PAGES.
The story they don't tell you about the Glencoe Massacre
History around the cottage in Appin
Did the Vikings stage a battle in Glencoe?
The Pictish broch in Lismore
West of Scotland millions of years ago
Robert the Bruce and the Ardchattan parliament
Robert the Bruce and the Knights Templar
The story of the MacDonalds of Glencoe
Ancient roads of the Highlands
Glencoe, the 4th Wonder of Scotland
Castles in the Glencoe area
GLENCOE OUTDOORS
The best walks in Glencoe
Ben Nevis, go climb it
Munros are over 3,000 feet
Some Munros are easy
Glencoe rock climbing
Skiing in Glencoe is excellent again
New cycle tracks around Glencoe
There are lovely beaches and bays around Glencoe
Accommodation Fort William
Golf on the West coast
Tour the Highlands
You can cruise the West coast
Driving around glencoe on snow and ice - Tips
BLOGS
Travellers Tales from the highlands of Scotland
Find your ideal holiday cottage anywhere
The most beautiful photographs of Glencoe
The achingly beautiful area of Appin, Scotland
Special offers for self catering in Scotland
COTTAGE ATTRACTIONS
Lochside cottage near Glencoe in the Highlands of Scotland
Last minute, late availability Glencoe, self catering cottage
20 brilliant walks around our cottage area
Easy hill walks in Glencoe
Why not walk up Ben Nevis one day?
Easier Munroe walks in Glencoe
Skiing Glencoe and Nevis range, cottage is midway between the two
Video. Skiing on Glencoe mountain
Weather in the West of Scotland
Rock and Ice climbing in Glencoe
Cycling and fishing Glencoe
Spectacular wild life around our cottage
Golf in the Highlands, Dragons tooth golf course, Glencoe
Cruising the islands, using Glencoe as a base
Safe, beautiful beaches and bays in Glencoe area
Touring the Highlands by car from Glencoe,
Spring breaks, March April May Glencoe
Winter breaks, Jan Feb March in the cottage
Autumn breaks November December in the cottage
Our new Appin blog site
FOR LASTMINUTE BOOKINGS
Short breaks in Scotland, Last minute cottage holidays Scotland, Autumn, Winter, Spring
Weather month by month Scotland summer
Weather month by month Scotland Autumn
Weather in Scotland Winter, month by month
Misunderstandings about Scotland's weather
Scotland's rain
Advice on driving in Scotland. Several Scotland driving pages are linked to this.
Honeymoon cottages in Scotland
Scotland for Christmas and New Year
The unofficial Scottish tourist Board
Cottages in Scotland permitting smoking
Cottages in Scotland welcoming pets
FOR WEST OF SCOTLAND SITE
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in the West of Scotland
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Oban
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Glencoe
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Fort William
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in the far West of Scotland
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Appin
Port Appin and Lismore B&Bs
Barcaldine B&Bs and hotels
Duror b&bs
Kentallen b&bs
Ballachulish b&bs
Onich b&bs
How to find cottage owners self catering websites
MISC
Misunderstandings about Scottish weather
Get off those speeding fines on Scottish roads

VisitScotland should be put into a new network say Liberal Democrats.

According to the Aberdeen Press and Journal, the Liberal Democrats plan for some of Scotland’s biggest quangos to be scrapped and replaced with regional development banks run by business leaders. This would include Visit Scotland the controversial tourist agency.

The Lib Dems said they would replace VS with a new network to stimulate economic growth if the party won the Holyrood election in May.

VS said recently that the earnings from tourism in Scotland have been vastly underestimated so far.

John
Christmas in Glencoe, Scotland

Information about the Glencoe in our Site map
Fort William
Appin is a beautiful area
Bed and breakfast from Oban to Fort William
Walks around our cottage area near Glencoe
Autumn short breaks in cottage
Ben Nevis walking is it worth it
Cottage holidays Scotland off season
The Scottish Highlands
Find holidays anywhere
Wonderful photographs of Glencoe
Hill walks in the area
Munroes in Glencoe
Around Port Appin
Around Barcaldine
Around Lochaber
Around Kentallen
Around Ballachulish
Around Onich

You can get to Staffa and Iona from our cottage in Appin. Ask Nathalie.

Dear John and Gillian. The sun was shining almost every day! It was just fantastic. We even had the sun shining on our boat trip to the Isle of Staffa and Iona. That was my personal highlight of the holiday for we saw both basking sharks and dolphins on our way to Staffa. The island itself is so beautiful and kind of...scary, dont you think? My mother loved the Isle of Iona, especially the white beach. She also fell in love with Oban and our trips to that town were really really fun. We walked very much and visited both Fort William and Inverness and it was really great. Two weeks are way to little time to see everything we wanted to see but we both want to go back as soon as possible.            Nathalie and Beate

Cottage holidays Scotland in the Autumn, Winter, Spring
B&Bs and hotels in the West of Scotland
The highlands of Scotland
Holiday cottages anywhere
Gorgeous photographs of Glencoe
Beautiful Appin, Scotland
Walks around our cottage area in Glencoe
Hill walks in Glencoe
You can walk up Ben Nevis one day?
Munroes in Glencoe

Visitor numbers up in the Western Isles

According to the BBC, visitor numbers throughout the Western Isles are up by between 25% and 40% on the same time last year
Apparently the Scottish government's road equivalent tariff (RET) scheme, which offers lower ferry fares, has been a factor. The scheme was launched on Western Isles routes in 2008.
The subject of Island fares charged by Calmac has been the subject of local outrage for years. Oban has always been a main focus for grumbles. The cost of living on one of the Islands is horrendous, and all services from the mainland are very expensive. Imagine getting building work or contracting from the mainland if you live on Barra. Calmac do have a difficult job in profitably maintaining safe and up to date ships for traffic that peaks for just three months of the year.
But the tourists expect to pay the normal sort of holiday charges, and the accommodation providers are squeezed hard to cover costs.
So it just shows that when the ferry costs are reduced then this works for tourists.

The cost of services is a general problem in the Highlands as a whole. We may grumble about paying 32p for a 2nd class stamp, but this is based upon delivering letters to Birmingham. Can you imagine the costs of delivering even to Ardnamurchan? Or to Glencoe come to that? That is the hang up about privatising the Post Office. Whoever takes it on will be forced to charge the same rate for delivering everywhere. If they are allowed to charge differential rates then expect postal charges in the Highlands to go up to £1 for a 2nd class stamp. Ouch!

John
Local accommodation around our area
Lochside cottage near Glencoe in the Highlands of Scotland
Short breaks in Scotland, Last minute cottage holidays Scotland, Autumn, Winter, Spring
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in the West of Scotland
Travellers Tales from the highlands of Scotland
Find your ideal holiday cottage anywhere
The most beautiful photographs of Glencoe
The achingly beautiful area of Appin, Scotland
20 brilliant walks around our cottage area
Easy hill walks in Glencoe
Why not walk up Ben Nevis one day?
Easier Munroe walks in Glencoe
Port Appin and Lismore B&Bs
Barcaldine B&Bs and hotels
Duror b&bs
Kentallen b&bs
Ballachulish b&bs
Onich b&bs

FISHING AROUND GLENCOE MONSTER LANDED BY 13year old GIRL

Fishing off the old pier by tghe Stone holuse, Kentallen, Appin

Fishing story Glencoe, fishing Oban,  fishing West coast of Scotland,  fishing Loch Linnhe,  fishing Firth of Lornbe, fishing Mull
Eat your heart out fishermen of Glencoe. Bet you've never caught anything like this.

A 13-YEAR-OLD girl has landed a monster skate weighing 225.5lb on a charter boat from Oban – one of the largest caught by rod and line.

Fishing story Glencoe, fishing Oban,  fishing West coast of Scotland,  fishing Loch Linnhe,  fishing Firth of Lornbe, fishing Mull
Erin Cherry, who was on holiday with her family from Lennoxtown, near Glasgow, was fishing from the Gannet in the Firth of Lorn between eastern Mull and Easdale when she hooked the huge fish.

The female skate, caught using mackerel as bait on June 19, measured 91in from its snout to the tip of its tail and 70in across at its widest point. It was caught at a depth of 425ft.

Fishing story Glencoe, fishing Oban,  fishing West coast of Scotland,  fishing Loch Linnhe,  fishing Firth of Lornbe, fishing Mull
Adrian Lauder, owner of the Gannet, who comes from Barcaldine in Appin said: “She was very young to land a thing that size, 235lb is the biggest ever landed by a rod and line".

“I was telling her to let it run when it needed to, I didn’t want her to tire herself out. It was a good two-and-a-half hours she did landing it.

“The poor wee soul was exhausted, she staggered off the boat. Her legs must have been like rubber. Any well-built man would be doing well to land a thing that size. The pressure they put on the line, it’s like fighting a grand piano down there.”

Fishing story Glencoe, fishing Oban,  fishing West coast of Scotland,  fishing Loch Linnhe,  fishing Firth of Lornbe, fishing Mull
Erin said: “I knew it was going to be a real big fish by the tug and the gear I had to use as I’ve never used a harness to catch a fish before.

“Reeling it in was the best bit. When I saw the skate I thought, wow.

“It would be better to have more girls take up fishing,” she added.
Fishing story Glencoe, fishing Oban,  fishing West coast of Scotland,  fishing Loch Linnhe,  fishing Firth of Lornbe, fishing Mull
Mr Lauder has submitted all the information about the skate, which was released back to sea, to the Scottish Shark Tagging Programme and the Scottish Sea Anglers Conservation Network scheme

John
Lochside cottage near Glencoe in the Highlands of Scotland
Short breaks in Scotland, Last minute cottage holidays Scotland, Autumn, Winter, Spring
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in the West of Scotland
Travellers Tales from the highlands of Scotland
Find your ideal holiday cottage anywhere
The most beautiful photographs of Glencoe
The achingly beautiful area of Appin, Scotland
20 brilliant walks around our cottage area
Easy hill walks in Glencoe
Why not walk up Ben Nevis one day?
Easier Munroe walks in Glencoe