Glencoe Mountain set to save lives with its avalanche transceiver park

Nine permanently buried transceivers around the area will be linked to a new Glencoe Mountain control centre. When climbers fall, or skiers are buried if they can switch on their transceiver then Glencoe mountain can direct the rescue services to the precise spot. 

When a skier, snow-boarder or hill walker falls or is buried in the snow, the big problem is finding them immediately. When Glencoe Mountain picks up their distress call the problem will be solved.

However, last year, a woman in the Alps and her husband were caught in an avalanche. She was saved by the device, but he could not switch his on, and was lost.

A bit of training in their use is needed first, and we don't know the cost. They probably need to be rented, which will be too much effort for everyday holidaymakers.

Mind you there will be no saving the nerds who go up the mountain in sandals, starting at luncthime, with no safety gear, no spare food or spare clothing, no message left about where they are going. The idea of taking their mobile with them will be the most advanced they consider. Yeah, right.

John

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

Christmas at Kentallen. Lovely photographs by 18 year old Jake Bench

The were taken by one of our guests, 18 year old Jake Bench. Are they not wonderful?
The Bench family stayed at Bayview at Christmas. They had an up and down time. First the temperature was -11, then they found no water was running - oops bad news. Our Michelle got it sorted with a very gentle heating up towards the attic. Then the element in the heater went so no hot water, but Michelle's husband John got a part, went round there, fitted it and all was well again. Throughout the Bench family were as nice as you can imagine, you cannot get better guests. Thanks Michellle's family from Gillian and I. Above and beyond the call of duty.

This is the entry they posted for us in My Cottage Holiday.
John
We had our best Christmas ever in 3 Bayview cottage.It really is in an excellant location, next to a loch, close to the coast, Ben Nevis, Glencoe and stunning scenery which ever way you turn.We found the cottage very cosy and comfortable with all the facilities a family needs, very good kitchen appliances, comfy beds and everything we needed including Wi Fi.When we did have a problem (freezing pipes, it was -10 when we first arrived) both the owner and local housekeeper (and her family) were both very friendly and helpful and managed to resolve the problem even over the Christmas period.A special thank you to Michelle, John and Michelle's father for being so helpful.We would definitely recommend and hope to return.

Advice on driving on ice and in snow, Glencoe

Fatboy Don has some wonderful ice and snow shots on his flickr account, this is one of them
We've just put up a new page in our Website about Driving in and around glencoe in the snow and Ice.
From this page here are the tips, for the novice.



Four Don'ts
Don't allow the battery to run down. It is very vulnerable in the cold.
Don't use washing up liquid in the screen wash
Don't run on thin tyres
Don't overtake on snow and ice
Don't rev the engine or accelerate quickly


Ten Do's
Drive very slowly, particularly around corners
Avoid steep hills, particvularly those with bends
Go into corners slowly
Accelerate very slowly
Use 2nd gear if possible on ice
Keep the driving wheel as straight as possible
Leave a massive amount of room between you and the car in front
Fill the petrol tank more frequently than usual
Keep your mobile phone topped up
Use WD 40 to ease the door locks
Watch out for extra cold temperatures in low lying valleys, and on tree lined roads
Choose a coastal route if possible rather than an inland route.


Take 11 things with you
Old bits of carpet, clothes, or cardboard for getting the car out of snow
Wellington boots - carried inside the car
Shovel, to dig out the car
Emergency first aid kit
Spare clothes
Scarf
Hat covering the ears
Gloves
Chocolate and something to eat
Flask of hot drink
Charged mobile phone
St. Christophers charm, you never know.


John
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
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

They're all nuts these Munro obsessives. Especially Durham ones.

Great photo by Justin Cormack. This bloke could easily be from Durham. flickr justin cormack link


I asked Graeme what he did in the week he spent at the cottage in November. I tell you the weather was foul, and Graeme was on his own. Are the wiry tyros from Durham particularly obsessed? Yes, I speak from experience.
60 years ago my sport  was rock climbing - our heroes then were names like Joe Brown, Don Whillans, about five years older than me. And who were the little beggars who were out first, out in all conditions, bad weather, what weather? Pitons, what are pitons? Overhangs, why are they a problem? Nerves? Tell me about those. They all seemed to come from Durham University. Graeme lives in Durham, so he's got to be one of them.  
Graeme, if you get any more of your pals who want to go climbing in the winter, tell them to come to us. We give you £200 off, for skiers, photographers and climbers in the winter.
Here is Graeme's initial report. He only managed 7 Munros! Only! He got stuck in the snow - where? In the flattest, most low lying country in Europe. I tell you, nuttiness surrounds these lads. 

Hi John

Everything was great, only managed 7 munros due to conditions slowing the pace and some dubious conditions underfoot but all good. I have just returned from Holland after a 2 day business trip turned into 3 with a seventeen hour delay and a drive to Manchester in blizzard conditions and a drive back today in temps. down to –11!!! 

I have a Christmas doo to organize for a few of us in a bothy in the Pennines for tomorrow night, 4 mile walk with backs of logs and supplies however at the moment the A66 (our route there) is closed with the snow, we have about 18” here.

After this I am flat out until Christmas at work as we just about have the construction site held up. So I intend to pull something together for you but at the moment it isn’t very near the top of a substantial list! To be honest it will probably be over Christmas when I get chance.

Hope this is OK

Graeme, this is more than ok. Thanks. Send another when you have the time. You deserve to be famous - a lot of people read this blog.

John

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

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

It looks very good for Glencoe Mountain resort. £200 off our cottage for skiers.

Isn't this a lovely pic from Flickr?  Glencoe mountain photos on Flickr

We are very lucky in Glencoe in having this brilliant and energetic revival of the Skiing area on our doorstep. It has opened up the winter holiday period for everyone. That's why we are offering £200 off our low season rates for anyone who wants to take our cottage for a week. The cottage sleeps up to 4 and has a drying room and ski store. For details Email us

With heavy snow falling all over the country the Glencoe ski resort looks like it is on track to have it’s earliest ever opening.  For details about the opening date you can go to  the Glencoe ski resort

There is now a brand new beginner's area with a dedicated tow just for the snow sports school. that will make life easier for the learners.

A new terrain park is being created. This will have features for advanced riders and also a new beginner’s area making the park accessible to all levels of skier and snowboarder. The snow sports school will offer freestyle lessons every day.

Hiring gear is not a problem, you can hire skis or a snowboards, most of them brand new. Trespass ski suits also available.

Glencoe offers some of the best off piste opportunities in Scotland, and is famous for having Scotland's steepest black run. The beginners area is kindly as well.

It is all looking really good - I'm amazed at the energy of the management team. It is a lesson to us all in how to get a business going.
John
This is the page about skiing in our website
Skiing in Glencoe is excellent again

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

Oban's 4 star Queen's hotel

In one of the loveliest harbour locations in the world, the Queen's Hotel in Oban has been awarded the town's first 4star accolade by Visit Scotland. That's really nice, it has taken a long time for this lovely seafront to upgrade its hotels.  

Raymond and Susan Hymes have put in a huge amount of work since they bought it in a very run down state three years ago. The couple paid a handsome tribute to the work done by the local tradesmen. It is good to hear the whole team praised. Congratulations to them both.

But I have a little niggle. The Oban Times reported the claim that this was the "only 4star hotel between Glasgow and Inverness". It is a pity, because there are several much superior hotels in the area, such as the Airds in Port Appin, with its VisitScotland gold award, and its Relaix and Chateaux accreditation,  the Isle of Eriska hotel with its 5 star award, Inverlochy Castle and so on.

A slip of the tongue no doubt, but I'm surprised that the Oban Times printed it. "Best hotel in Oban" sounds good enough to me. The claim may be factually accurate for the moment, but expect it to be short lasting with other hotels set to come into play such as Barcaldine House, which is awaiting an award.

VisitScotland seem to be upgrading a lot of their properties these days. I'm sure it is merited, but I'm not convinced that they are not moving the target towards the arrow in many cases. Not in the case of the Queens Hotel, though, its accreditation is fully deserved I've no doubt.  You wouldn't bother to make a fuss over three stars would you?

John

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

BLOGS

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

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

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

October in Glencoe. Not enough water. Kaykers are strange.

 Gillian and I are here in Glencoe, now, and it is fabulous. The sun is streaming down, well, for to-day anyway, and the colours are in the early days of turning yellow, red, and brown.
We popped down Glen Etive yesterday, to see how the kayakers were getting on. Not all that well, actually, not enough water.
Kayaking is a bit strange when you think about it. When everyone else is gloomy about constant rain the kayakers whoop and head for the falls. They want to go down river, but not far, because they'll have to carry  their canoes on their backs uphill. Ideally they want a road nearby where they launch, then they fall down a few hundreds yards, and they want the road to be there again, preferably with a van on it containing their mother who has done nothing else except sit in it hoping they haven't broken their backs. Mothers are a bit like that.
Odd

It is our day for finding the little things wrong in the cottage, and sorting them out. Got to switch over tv to digital, next week, I think, got to buy a new back door, and get a gate built, light bulb, heater element for bathroom - the really big things. Luckily, Michelle's Dad has done some painting for us, and husband John has fixed the outside light at the back.

Funny thing. If we were living here ourselves these jobs would not get done for months. but because we have guests staying they all have to be done instantly.

The joys of self catering, but we just need to look in the visitors book comments to see it is all worth while.

John

Christmas cottage still availabile in Glencoe, Scotland

Information about Glencoe area in our Site map
Fort William
Appin the beautiful country
Accommodation from Oban to fort William
Walks around the Kentallen cottage
Short breaks in Glencoe
Ben Nevis is a slog, but probably worth it
Holidays Scotland in the Autumn, Winter, Spring
The Highlands
Holiday cottages = how to find them
Photographs of Glencoe
Hill walks Glencoe
Munroes around here
Port Appin is lovely
Barcaldine - two top hotels here
Accommodation
Kentallen the hamlet
Ballachulish looks nice these days
Onich -  pity about the main road there

Walking in Glencoe. Don't bother with the rain. Just do it.

Lovely email from Alistair, thank you A and for permission with the photos. You know, bothering about rain is a townie thing. True visitors don't bother too much about the weather - of course, it can get so awful day after day that you just get fed up. Yes, we've been there too. But look at this story. If you click on the title to this post then you can get Alistair's photos on Flickr, and they are lovely. I honestly do like pics with people in them. 


Hi John,
The weather was wet and wild after the first day, but cleared up towards the end of the week. It is definitely Autumn up there now! We still did plenty of walking and other things though.
While the weather was bad we managed to do the Hidden Valley walk in Glen Coe, the Pap of Glen Coe and then a low level walk up Glen Duror to James of the Glen's house that has now been converted to a bothy. A nice walk with an interesting destination to do on a wet or very windy day as it is nice and sheltered in the trees. On the final day the wind died down a bit and we did Bidean am Bienn which was really good fun.
Also while the wind picked up over the summits we went to the Ice Factor in Kinlochleven to have a go on their high wire and do some ice climbing. The staff there are brilliant, really friendly and offered us 2 for 1 ice climbing lessons after we had gone on their high wire. We drove down Oban to have a look around and do some whisky tasting.
We mostly cooked some cosy meals in for ourselves but had a few nice nights out at the Holly Tree restaurant which served very tasty local food. We also had to go to Fort William for our customary battered haggis and chips supper :-)
Thanks for a great week,
Alistair
Nop, thanks to you and your missus Alistair.


Our new web page needs a link to get Google to see it.


Christmas cottage in Glencoe, Scotland

Masses of information about the area in our Site map
This is about Fort William
Appin is beautiful
B&Bs 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
Holiday cottages anywhere
Gorgeous photographs of Glencoe
Hill walks in Glencoe
Munroes in Glencoe
Port Appin
Barcaldine
Accommodation in the area
Kentallen
Ballachulish
Onich

At long last...we have a marketing executive at the top of VisitScotland

Guinness Shadow
Originally uploaded by Steffe

From Guiness to VisitScotland - a good move at last by the country's tourist body. Malcom Roughbead, the marketing director has been promoted to Chief Executive.
The organisation has been in turmoil for a few years - there have been petitions to parliament about its website, questions asked about its strategy. Members have left in droves. We never belonged, thank goodness, but we benefit from the advertising operation. In return our one cottage alone produces about £100,000 a year for the Glencoe and Highland economy from visitors.
If you can run Guinness brands world-wide, as Malcolm Roughhead has done then you can run VisitScotland. I know Guiness, and I worked with them at senior level years ago. They have a good marketing operation everywhere around the world.
Already, the first move at VS has been to concentrate a lot of attention on the domestic market for visitors from England and the rest of the UK. Hoorah! That's where the money needs to go. Fish where the fish are, for heaven's sake. More than 80% of our visitors are from the UK, we must, must, must keep them sold.
Well done VS, Congratulations Mr. Roughhead. We don't know each other but since we are both Fellows of the Marketing Society, and of the Institute of Marketing we may well run across each other sometime. Doubt it, though. I can't be bothered to go to their shindigs each year, and I'll bet he doesn't either.
John

Information about the area in our Site map
About Fort William
Appin is gorgeous
B&Bs Oban to Fort William
October short breaks in Glencoe
Cottage holidays off peak Autumn, Winter, Spring
BEst way to find holiday cottages anywhere
Glencoe photographs
Walks around our cottage area in Glencoe
Hill walks in Glencoe
You can walk up Ben Nevis one day?
Munroes around Glencoe
Port Appin
Barcaldine
Accommodation in the area
Kentallen
Ballachulish
Onich
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