Glencoe cottage weeks available June 6th/June 27th/July 4th

In our little Glencoe cottage we still have a couple of dates available before the school Summer holidays start. June 6th/June 27th and July 4th are free. You get a £20 discount on the normal rates, too. Just click on the headline above and it takes you to our short breaks availability Glencoe website for details of rates etc.

We had this lovely e-mail recently.

Hi both of you, Thank you for sharing your lovely cottage with us for a week over Easter. Everything we needed was there, it was comfortable and cosy. It certainly is in a beautiful spot and we didn't have any of the driving rain over the loch but lots of bright sunshine so we could do all we wanted to do, including Ben Nevis (which I feel may be once in a lifetime for me - it wasn't easy!) We have photos galore, as screensavers, PC desktop etc etc, I 'm even turning one of the view from Kentallen into a cross stitch scene as a lasting momento! I'd wanted to take my children to the area for many years and it was well worth the wait, we hope to visit again some day. Debbie ....
We really do have nice guests. The cottage is available still for June 6/June 27th/July 4th/July 4th
John
Here are some useful links to the area.
Lochside cottage near Glencoe in the Highlands of Scotland
Last minute, late availability Glencoe, self catering cottage
Spring breaks, March April May Glencoe
Honeymoon cottages in Scotland
Weather in the mountains of Glencoe
The Viking battle in Glencoe
The true story of the Glencoe massacre
Weather month by month in the area
New website to help find holiday accommodation in the West Coast, Oban and Fort William areas
Tourist and visitor information, this is the biggest Glencoe information site, hotel and cottage accommodation
Events in Glencoe Appin Lochaber Oban and Ballachulish
Last minute, short breaks, in Scotland, owners sites direct
Find the best Scottish holiday cottages on the internet
Cut the costs of your holidays
Cheap travel in scotland
Scotlands weather misconceptions
Facts about self catering holidays
Short holiday breaks, special last minute deals, self catering Scotland
Special self catering offers in Scotland
Advice on driving in Scotland

We have early December available for a short break in Glencoe

Most e-mails we get are lovely, none are nasty, but some are exceptionally kind. Thanks, Phil, we did appreciate it.
For December, click on the heading to this blog and you will go through to the web site.
John

John/Gillian
What can I say but thanks? Sounds a little understated for having had such a fabulous week.
Cottage was lovely, everything you could ask for and in such a beautiful setting.
Weather was good, dry in the main, warm on occasions, odd shower and only one grey miserable day, but hey, when you are up there it really doesn't matter.

Found the Holly Tree to be lovely - good food, good atmosphere, friendly staff. Cafe at Stalker castle, just shaded it for the coffee and carrot cake in my book.

Week went so quick, needed anyother two at least to do what we wanted to do and we did plenty as it is. Had no problems all week, it really was superb By all means you can use the comments. I could have gone on for pages about it.

From as far back as I can recall, whilst I love holidays and travelling abroad, it is always nice to get back home. On this occasion, it felt like we were leaving a home. We've never felt so relaxed, comfortable and happy anywhere.

Perhaps it's released the deep hidden scottish/irish genes within me!!

Take care. Hope you are both okay

Many thanks and best wishes and you may not have heard the last of us......

Phil

Here are some useful links for you.
New website to help find holiday accommodation in the West Coast, Oban and Fort William areas

Last minute, short breaks, in Scotland, owners sites direct

Tourist and visitor information, this is the biggest Glencoe information site, hotel and cottage accommodation


Events in Glencoe Appin Lochaber Oban and Ballachulish

Find the best Scottish holiday cottages on the internet


Cut the costs of your holidays


Cheap travel in scotland


Scotlands weather misconceptions


Rain in scotland

Summer weather in Scotland

Autumn weather in Scotland

Winter weather in Scotland

Spring weather in Scotland

Facts about self catering holidays

Advice on driving in Scotland

The Anoch Eagach solo. The wrong way.

This is where Keith walked. The usual route is from East to West. This lovely photo was taken by Dougie. His photos of Scotland can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldnotbold/478270195/

Hi John,
We arrived back late on Saturday and I spent Sunday generally sorting out. School started on Monday, so I now feel as if I have been back ages!


The information, guidance and friendly help you gave prior to our visit and in the cottage was the very best we have ever experienced. No other host in any holiday cottage we have rented has been so keen to help and ensure we have a good time, know where to go, how to find the cottage etc etc. Your book in the house was read by us all; you really did work very hard on behalf of your guests and should be proud of yourself!!
We had an active holiday and the boys always had things to do. The weather was OK, not sunny, but also not pouring with rain.


What did we do? Firstly, we read all your information so we are grateful to you for your insight. We walked to the Hidden Valley, climbed Ben Nevis, walked to the waterfalls in Glen Nevis, the boys climbed at Kinlochleven Ice Factor (what a brilliant place!) they also ice climbed on our last day which was the first time for them. Kind instructors and very welcoming.


Keith walked a ridge which ended near the Clachaig which he just loved, but it sounded quite scary to me and I am glad the boys did not go too. It was foggy on top, so we had decided that Keith should trial it alone. He met people walking it with helmets and ropes, but he managed it and will talk about it for ages.



We ate at the Seafood Cafe whch was different and fun, but I think it fair to say we liked eating at the Clahaig most. It was lovely and informal, good food and not too expensive. (Haggis, tatties and neaps!) We enjoyed seeing deer outside the pub, just stood looking at us as we got into the car...beautiful. I very much wanted to go on the "whalewatching" trip from Arisaig to one of the islands, but was outvoted and due to lack of time (and will) we did not go. I regret that. Keith and my boys love to be active, to hike etc and did not want to spend a whole day on such a trip. We also kayaked (it was great to have the garage to lock the boats away) in the bay, to the bridge and to the Island of the Dead, off Glencoe.


So, the location/ area is stunning. Keith wanted to do far more hikes than we had time to do. The deer, the heather, the mountains were beautiful to say the least. I was fascinated by the history and read most of your history books! I had to stop by about Thursday as it seemed too gloomy, too unfair. I needed to read about something nice happening to someone. James of the Glen is rather stuck in my head at the moment! Where is the actual plaque on the site of the massacre? Is it just the cross in the village? I looked in "a field just beyond the Clahaig" as one guide book said, but "just beyond" gave me no direction or scale! Still I made myself not be too morbid about it all ...........


The cottage was lovely and clean. Bath is interesting, especially for Jim who is 6ft 5ins. He is of the generation who have never really done anything but shower, so I think he probably came home a bit dirty!!! (No harm in that)


Sally
Sally also had some very sharp things to say about the people who run the roads up here. She wants speed restrictions and better driving. She thinks the roads are dangerous, and we totally agree with her. The absolute worst bit of road is 10 miles south of the cottage on a sharp left bend. The signage and lack of speed restriction are a disgrace. Her remarks are going to the Village Council who also share her views, and now I'm going to do a separate blog and try and whip up a campaign about with. Good on you Sally. Thanks. Oban Times letters page, here we come, that will do for a start.

The pic is of the boys, Jim and Charlie, in the Hidden Valley. One of the reasons why the Glencoe MacDonalds were so hated by the other clans was because they carried out continual raids on other clans' cattle - an act punishable by death if caught at it - cattle thieving was the bank raid of the day. The other clans came in strength to the Glen to find the cattle and they never could. That's because the beasts were shoved up the steep track to the Hidden Valley, a feat which no one thought possible. Like most Scottish tales it is happy and sad at the same time. Sad if you are a Cameron or McLean or Campbell, but happy if you were a Glencoe MacDonald with food for the winter.

(Would the MacDonalds of Skye ever do such a thing? No, of course not. They'd nick the cattle out of the Dunvegan estate and ambush any McLeods who tried to get them back. Happy days.)

John

Lochside cottage near Glencoe in the Highlands of Scotland

Short Breaks Glencoe

Winter breaks hill walking in Glencoe

Travellers Tales from the Highlands of Scotland

how to find your ideal holiday home in scotland, advice for visitors

visitors information about Glencoe in Scotland

How to stop big burly Scotsmen in their tracks

This is Springtime in Scotland. the weather is gorgeous. This is the local megalithic stone near our cottage. How old? Well, let me see, would 3,000 years old impress you?

Imagine the scene. I have just been overtaken on a single carriageway road by that most lethal of drivers, a white van man from Glasgow, doing 60mph.

Coming the other way is a monster truck full of pine trees just harvested, at the same speed. Closing speed of the two vehicles 120mph.

Neither of these men would you want to make angry in a back street of the Gorbals on a Saturday night when they’ve had a couple of drams.

Both of them screech to almost a halt – 5mph, and pass within centimetres of each other, very gingerly.

Why?

There was a tiny lamb, sitting on the side of the road with its feet rubbing together on the white line, bathing its head in the sunshine. On the other side of the road is Mother sheep, blissfully unconcerned, munching away at the grass thinking “Got to get some sustenance, the little sod has been keeping me up all night.”

That’s how you stop even the most formidable Scotsmen in their tracks. They are just big softies.

John

Ps Mind you, I wonder what their speed would have been if I had been sat on the roadside myself instead of the lamb, with a sign around my neck saying “Sassenach”
(Google it, if you must)

www.bayviewkentallen.co.uk/touringscotland.html
www.bayviewkentallen.co.uk/shortbreakscotland.html
www.bayviewkentallen.co.uk/holidayhomelinks.html
http://holidayhomewebsupport.blogspot.com/

Kentallenite - the most amazing granite stone

This is the pier at Kentallen, 200 yards from the cottage. Best fsihing in the area.

Three young people took a week off and gathered at the cottage. This is what they said. "We really enjoyed our week, the scenery is amazing. We wandered about a lot and tried some fishing. We caught 30 fish in total but only four big ones."
"The neighbours and locals were friendly and helpful, and the cottge was great. We are going to come back and explore more.
The cottage was great."

A party of Japanese got out of a coach at the pier near the Hollytree up the road from here. They took out little hammers and began hammering at the rock. Strange behaviour? Well not if you are a geologist.

Our cottage at Bayview is built from local stone quarried from 300 yards away. In the world of geology this Kentallanite stone is famous.

Its particles look like this, but you would need quite a powerful microscope to see this.

The stone was formed about 400 million years ago and is very very tough. On different occasions it has apparently had six miles of ice on top of it. Hardy stuff! We could tell that by the language of the men who installed our double glazing. Fancy our cottage being 400 million years old!

John

www.bayviewkentallen.co.uk/fishing

www.holidayhomewebsupport.blogspot.com

www.bayviewkentallen.co.uk/holidayhomelinks.html