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Evergreen Newsletter - August 2011
Hello Everyone
We are slightly late with our newsletter this month but we have a very good excuse! Thursday 11th August saw the launch of the new South Loch Ness Trail and we wanted to be able to give you details of the big day. There was fantastic media coverage - TV, Radio and local and national press. Graeme did two interviews for Moray Firth Radio and also BBC radio Scotland and was also filmed for BBC Alba. He had a very busy day! We are sure that the trail will be a huge success and allow so many more walkers to experience the wonderful unspoilt scenery and fabulous views of Loch Ness from various points along the route. Check out more about the trail and the route for yourselves.
It really has been a very busy few days on Loch Ness. Yesterday saw almost 200 swimmers take part in the Loch Ness Monster Swim in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Research. A friend from Edinburgh was taking part in the Big Nessie event - a 1 mile swim - but there was also the Little Nessie event - a half mile swim - from Dores Beach. When we got up yesterday morning the Loch seemed pretty calm but by lunchtime and into the afternoon there was a fairly strong wind blowing and all the competitors had to battle through really choppy waters. The event was really well organised with the Red Cross providing safety vehicles for those who felt the conditions were too difficult. As you may know the average temperature of Loch Ness is only 5C so most of the competitors were in wet suits but there were a few hardy souls (all women I think!) who were just wearing their swimming costumes. I reckon they must be well used to swimming in similar temperatures and in similar events. Have a look at some of my photos on the Evergreen Facebook page.
I mentioned last month that we have a hedgehog in the garden. Well the good news is that he/she is still with us but also that he/she has a friend! Yes - we now have two hedgehogs who visit every evening to munch on the hedgehog food we put out for them. We think that they come from the top left side of the garden and are maybe even coming across from Hazelgrove. No idea if we have a male and a female but it would be excellent if we do.
We had a couple of nights away at the beginning of the month. We travelled up to Erbusaig, which is very close to the Skye Bridge and Plockton on the west coast on the Friday night and had an absolutely fantastic day exploring the Sleat peninsula on the southern end Skye on the Saturday. To say that we were lucky with the weather would be an understatement. When it is wet and misty on Skye it can be just miserable but when the sun shines it is simply undescribable. We stopped at a lot of the attractions including the Clan MacDonald Centre, had a look at the Gaelic College (Sabhal Mor Ostaig), watched the Mallaig Ferry come in to Armadale pier and had a great walk down at the Aird, the southern point of the pensinsula where you get great views of Eigg, Rum and Canna. Then we retraced our steps a little and took the loop road across to the west side of Sleat and we had the most fabulous panoramic views of the Cuillin Mountains. Before heading home on the Sunday we took a trip to the Kylerhea otter hide (where we are pretty sure we saw an otter as well as a number of seals) and then took the Kylerhea to Glenelg ferry back across to the mainland. We had been to Sleat before but I don't think we truly appreciated how wonderful a part of Skye it is. It is known as the Garden of Skye and it is a very apt description.
Finally this month, if you have some holiday time left or you know of any friends or family who would like a trip to Loch Ness, please pass on that our self catering cottage, Hazelgrove, still has a vacant week at the beginning of September - 3rd to 10th. We hate to see Hazelgrove empty so we are offering the cottage at a greatly reduced rate for the week. Check out the Hazelgrove Website for more details.
Till next month
Fiona and Graeme
Evergreen Newsletter - July 2011
Hello Everyone
Well, a lot has been happening at Evergreen over the past month but we have also been out and about quite a bit. To start with Evergreen, we have had quite a bit of wildlife activity. I mentioned last month that the male greater spotted woodpecker seemed to have a preference for Hazelgrove garden but I was delighted to spot (sic) a female in Evergreen back garden a couple of weeks ago. This is the first time we have had a female visit and very much hope that the male and female are a pair. There are a lot of young birds feeding at the moment including robins, blue tits and a couple of blackbirds. The young blackbirds have lovely markings and I managed to get a photo which I put up on the Evergreen facebook page.
But the more exciting piece of wildlife news is that we appear to have a hedgehog in residence at the moment. This is the first time in the 10 years we have been at Evergreen that we have seen a hedgehog in the area. I can recall seeing hedgehogs quite frequently in my childhood (OK - so that was quite a while ago!) but haven't really been aware of them for many years. Our visitor is making almost nightly appearances at the moment, snuffling around the grass in the back garden for worms and bugs but also coming down onto the decking and hoovering up any seeds the birds have scattered from the feeder. I hadn't realised how quickly hedgehogs can move - they actually have quite long legs! He/she made an appearance one afternoon and I managed to get some good shots which I again put up on our facebook page.
Our house name Evergreen is so apporpriate at this time of year, especially when we are enclosed by trees on 3 sides. I was out in the back garden trying to cut back some of the ferns as well as trim a small hazel tree and a sycamore and I'm pretty sure that most people wouldn't notice any difference at all. Despite the cutting which Graeme did earlier in the year We have already identified around seven trees that we think will have to come down over winter otherwise next year we will be completely engulfed by greenery! But we have been planting as well. A little late this year but at long last I managed to plant the planters in front of Evergreen and also the ones on the back decking. Graeme got a beautiful hanging basket with a wonderful fushia for the front porch and we also have fushias in the planters on the front decking. Just hoping now that the heavy rain we have had over the last week is past so that the flowers don't get ruined. And finally on the garden theme...I have to mention that Graeme is very proud of his new shed (must be a man thing!) which, for the time being is very neat and tidy. How long will this last??
So what else have we been up to? We were down in Fort William for a day catching up with Graeme's brother who had just completed the West Highland Way. We have mentioned the West Highland Way in the past - I walked part of it a couple of years ago but his brother completed the WHW race which is an ultra marathon running event covering the entire route from Milngavie near Glasgow to Fort William - 97 miles. Can you imagine running 97 miles is just under 23 hours?? I certainly can't but that is the time his brother took to complete the event. Fabulous but crazy.
After running 97 miles he was even able to go for a walk with us at Glen Roy which is near Spean Bridge, just north of Fort William. Glen Roy is famous for its parallel roads - apparantly the most spectacular example of a landscape formed in the last ice age to be found anywhere in Britain. The parallel roads or parallel "tracks" run along both sides of the glen at 3 different heights. Held in folklore to be hunting paths used by the Celtic warrior Fingal, they could equally be mistaken for forestry tracks. They are actually lines left by the shoreline of a vast loch that filled Glen Roy some 10,000 years ago, held in place by a dam of ice formed by the head of a glacier that advanced from the south west. As the glacier advanced, so the water it trapped in the glen deepened in stages, cutting shoreline ledges through wave action at each stage. When the glacier eventually retreated the water drained away, leaving the parallel roads seen today.
From the west of the country to the east...Last Sunday Graeme was invited by a running pal to go up to Brora for a 10K run. The weather was very hot for running but he came back happy having run a good time but also enthusing about Brora and the surrounding area. It was a while since he had last been up in the area and had forgotten how beautiful the coastal scenery is. Before the race he and his two frineds spent a pleasant hour down by the harbour gazing out over the beach to a calm, sparkling sea - the perfect way to chill out before a race. Brora is about a 11/2 hour drive north of Inverness and along with nearby Dornoch and Dunrobin Castle it is an area well worth a visit.
Jumping ahead to next month we will be able to bring you news about the official opening of the new South Loch Ness Trail. It has been generating quite a lot of interest and if any of you get a copy of the current TGO magazine, there is an article on the trail which hopefully you will enjoy reading.
Till next month
Fiona and Graeme
Evergreen Newsletter - June 2011
Hello Everyone
We are a bit later this month with our newsletter but we were waiting to hear about the Gold Star Awards for Green Tourism Businesses. We were really chuffed to have been shortlisted for these awards and to be in the top 3% of Green Businesses within the UK. The awards were presented as part of Green Tourism Week and the ceremony was held in London on Thursday. We didn't win one of the awards but we were Highly Commended which is just fantastic when you see the other excellent Green Businesses we were up against.
Last month we mentioned that Graeme was going to take part in the Nevis Range Trail Half Marathon at Aonach Mor near Fort William. This is the second year for the event and again there was a great turnout of runners of all ages. It is a touch course and wasn't helped this year by some really blustery conditions but Graeme finished the race in 1 hour 50 minutes (5 minutes faster than last year) and was third in his category so had a podium finish and received a medal for all his efforts. A pretty good event by all accounts.
But what has been happening around Evergreen and Loch Ness? As this is the time of year for outside tasks we have been working through our "to do" list. The little shed we had at the side of Evergreen has lasted 10 years but it was beginning to slip and not only the door, but the whole shed was at a very odd angle! Graeme has been busy doing some preparatory work for a new shed for all his "toys" By toys I mean his lawnmower, strimmer, power washer and not forgetting of course his chainsaw! I only hope he keeps it tidier than the last one!! But we have also been getting some outside work done on Hazelgrove. The ridge tiles on the roof were looking particularly dodgy. I must say that the roof is now looking a lot smarter and hopefully will last for many years to come.
We have to admit that it is quite difficult to spot any wildlife at this time of year because everything is so overgrown! We even have trouble seeing Coco in the back garden unless she sticks to the paths! However, a few red squirrels have been out and about and we saw one just this morning in the big larch directly in front of Evergreen. I have put a photo up on the Evergreen facebook page. We always have lots and lots of chafinches in the back garden but I also saw a green finch a couple of days ago. Our lesser spotted woodpecker appears to have a preference for Hazelgrove garden at the moment as guests a couple of weeks ago got some great photos.
Talking about Coco - she has had her friend Tabitha to stay for the last couple of weeks. Its a long story but they have in fact been together for a month now and will be together until nearly the end of June, either here at Evergreen or down with our friends Andy and Rosemary who own Tabitha. They have been getting on really well together but when they are both here there is no doubt that Coco is the boss, and likewise when they are at Tabithas house then the roles are reversed!
With regards the South Loch Ness Trail which, as many of you will be aware, Graeme has been working to complete for almost 2 years now, it is finally due to be launched at the end of July. As the saying goes, it has been a real 'learning curve' for Graeme but it's down to installing the way marking and interpretation now so the end is definitely in sight. Later today he is taking a couple of jornalists over sections of it and tomorrow I believe it is to get in a mention in the Guardian 'on line' version - both great ways to spread the word about this fantastic trail.
Rockness is in full swing at the moment and we might just head along this evening to Dores to take in some of the atmosphere around the ground and hopefully manage to catch a little of Paulo Nutini who is the headline act tonight.
Till next month
Graeme and Fiona
Evergreen Newsletter - May 2011
Hello Everyone
We are now well into May and everything is green, green, green! After such a hard winter it seems that all the trees and shrubs around Evergreen have come out of hibernation(!) and have just burst into bud and shot up in the last couple of weeks. Mind you, this has probably been helped by the fantastic spell of warm, sunny and dry weather we have had over the last fortnight. Only one slightly rainy day in that period which is excellent news although I did have to water the tubs in front of Evergreen and carefully look after the new heathers which I planted in the front border. I think I have lost one of them but all the others seem to be thriving which is great.
Graeme was recently visiting our friends and neighbours at Easter Boleskine and looking out on their pond which they created a couple of years ago as part of the Boleskine Wetlands Project when he saw a very proud duck taking her brood of 10 ducklings for their first paddle! She had nested this year amongst tall grass tussocks on the little island in the centre of the pond, safe from predators, and as we watched she marched her ducklings down to the water's edge and then started to shepherd them around the edges of the pond. A more tranquil and delightful wildlife sight at this time of the year would be hard to beat!
But more on the wildlife front - we thought we had had every wild animal in the area passing through our back garden over the years but Coco alerted us to something just the other night. At first we thought it might be a pine marten as this is around the tinme of year they have visited before but when we spotted what Coco was looking at we were astonished to see a very large hedgehog making its way up to the top corner! Have no idea which direction it came from and as it was very nearly dark we have no idea where it went but we will keep a look out in the hope that it will visit again.
There are a huge variety of events on around Loch Ness over the summer and you can check out a month by month list on the excellent Visitlochness website. If you are visiting us over the next few months why not have a look at the site so that you don't miss anything while you are here. Rockness is the next big event on the south side of the loch from 10 - 12 June and if you are a music fan then this might be just up your street. A new event just announced a couple of weeks ago is the Monster Swim - an open water swim of the Loch in August. This event takes place on 13 August and consists of two wild swims, the Wee Nessie and the Big Yin! More information on this one on their website.
Graeme is getting ready for a challenge of his own later this month when he takes part in the Nevis Range Trail Half Marathon at Aonach Mor near Fort William. It is a super event with great views from the trail to the Grey Corries of the Nevis Range, but with over 1000ft of ascent it is a tough run. Nevertheless, he still hopes to beat last year's time of 1hr 54mins! Will of course write a full report in June!
Till next month
Graeme and Fiona
Evergreen Newsletter - April 2011
Hello Everyone
We start this month with a link from the last piece of news in the March Newsletter. We mentioned that Graeme was in resting mode for the Inverness Half Marathon which took place on Sunday 13th March. Over the last few years this event has been run in pouring rain, sleet and strong winds and snow so I don't suppose it was too much of a surprise to waken up to snow on the morning of the race. But Scotsmen (and women) and Highlanders in particular are a hardy breed and most ran the race in shorts and a short sleeved shirt!! I'm told that when running the body generates enough body heat so as not to require layers of clothing. This was what was required, however, by the poor spectators lining the streets in the hope of cheering on their runner. The most difficult part was trying to keep my hands warm to get a photo in the few seconds as he sprinted past!
So, from snow in the middle of March to an anticipated 20 degrees C (68F) at Loch Ness and the Highlands tomorrow. This is according to a senior forecaster at MeteoGroup UK, the Press Association's weather division. We don't usually pay very much attention to what weather forecasters say as they usually announce a certain type of weather for Scotland as a whole and the weather can in fact vary enormously from east to west and north to south. However, I do like the sound of 20C tomorrow so will have to look out some t shirts in anticipation.
And if the weather is going to stay warm and sunny on Sunday as well, then we will hope for an excellent turnout of volunteers to take part in our annual South Loch Ness litter pick up. I am sure that I say this every year but it is so disappointing and disheartening to see a build up of litter along the roadside verges year on year. We are so proud to stay in such a wonderful part of the world but I just wish that others would respect the environment and not throw litter from cars or leave their litter at the laybys along the loch side. Surely it is not so difficult to just gather their litter and when they get home to put it in their own dustbin??
As many of you may know, Graeme is available to offer guided walks for our guests and he has had a request by a couple coming to stay later this month to take them to the fabled Fraser Yew. This yew tree is reputedly over 700 years old making it one of the oldest trees in Scotland (although not quite as old as the Fortingall Yew near Aberfeldy which is thought to be the oldest living tree in Europe at over 5000 years old!). Located in a very remote wild area of Loch Ness, just finding it is a major challenge but well worth it. It is an astonishing tree and to walk under its huge canopy feels like you're on a set from Lord of the Rings. If they are lucky enough they may also spot some wild goats as the tree is in an area where Graeme spotted some late last year.
As part of Graeme's other job with Destination Loch Ness he regularly appears in the local press, has been on both the local MFR (Moray Firth Radio) and on Radio Scotland as well as on BBC Scotland talking about the Loch Ness area. But he has now also moved into lther local radio as well! He had a small slot on Metro Radio's Night Owls show last week. Metro Radio, based in Newcastle were doing a series of live shows from Inverness last week and Graeme was asked to go in and talk about Boleskine House and Boleskine Graveyard, both of which are associated with Aleister Crowley, otherwise known as the "Beast of Boleskine" Apparantly this late night show - from 10.00 p.m. to 2.00 a.m. each night has something of a cult status and is Britain's most listened to talk show so he was very chuffed at having been asked to participate. I just have to ask ..... What next?
Till next month
Graeme and Fiona
Evergreen Newsletter - March 2011
Hello Everyone
February is such a short month it has come and gone before you know it but winter has passed and the good news is that we are officially into spring. Wonderful! The sun has been shining on Evergreen, the first time since late November! Located as we are on the south side of the loch, the trees round Evergreen are now so tall and the sun is too low in the sky to allow us any direct sunshine over the winter months so the early spring sunshine is most welcome! Our guests over the weekend took advantage of the sunshine and enjoyed a lovely long walk, stopping at the picnic bench at Lochan Tor an Tuill and following the blue route across to Foyers. They also spent some time watching the wildlife on and around the pond at Easter Boleskine. The owners of Easter Boleskine started work a few years ago on a project to reintroduce an area of wetland close to their cottage. The project has created ponds and marshland to encouage biodiversity and there is an amazing variety of wildlife in the area already. Graeme and I spotted two ducks when we were up there recently.
Talking of wildlife - this morning I had an excellent start to the day watching four red squirrels in the back garden. It is the breeding season and they are certainly full of energy, chasing each other up and down the large tree in the corner of the garden, across the grass, stopping occasionally to have a feed from the bird feeders. Hopefully we will see some baby squirrels in April or May. But we have had another visitor as well - a beautiful male pheasant has been strutting his stuff and exploring all around Evergreen. I have put out some wheat for him to try and encourge him to stay around. But I rather think that is unlikey as Coco, our little black cat - probably about half the size of the pheasant - has chased him and he has had to take flight over the house twice already!!
We were delighted to find out recently that Evergreen has been shortlisted for one of the Green Tourism Business Scheme 10 GOLDSTAR awards to be presented during Green Tourism Week 6th – 13th June 2011. Apparently, we are one of the top 40 highest scoring Green Tourism businesses from a total of 400 GOLD businesses graded during 2010! It is particularly pleasing because our enviromental commitment has always been important to us here at Evergreen and we have been Green Tourism Gold standard since we started the B&B in 2002. Here's hoping we reach the next stage and are selected as a finalist!
Since we last wrote about the new South Loch Ness Trail a couple of months ago, there has been lots of progress. The great news is that the trail is really beginning to take shape and most of the new paths and a new bridge have now been built to link up with existing lengths of trail along the route which will run from Loch Tarff, just north of Fort Augustus all the way to the outskirts of Inverness. Graeme is now busy liaising with local communities on the interpretation boards which will be put up along the route and also starting to formulate plans for an official opening, probably around June this year. So if you re lucky enough to be coming to join us here at Evergreen you can be one of the first to walk on the new trail once it is officially opened.
But if you want to explore Inverness as well, then there is no better way than in an open top bus (weather permitting of course!!) Citysightseeing Inverness Ltd will be starting a new service from next month. They have two shiny red buses and they have been out and about, testing the new route and checking for low branches! Check out their facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/citysightseeinginverness?v=wall Similar to citysightseeing in a number of other cities, this will be a hop on - hop off service and will take in a number of Inverness attractions.
And finally this month - Graeme is in "resting" mode for the half marathon on Sunday 13th - this just means that he doesn't do very much running over the next few days so as not to tire himself out before the big event!!
Until next month
Graeme and Fiona
Evergreen Newsletter - February 2011
Hello Everyone
Little by little the days are getting longer and we have had some lovely clear winter days here. All the snow is gone which is not good news for Graeme as his new snowshoes are still in the box they arrived in! As you know, Graeme really enjoys running in the hills close to Evergreen but last year when there was so much snow on the ground it was really difficult for him to get out and about. Hence this year, on the recommendation of his brother in Canada, he got a pair of snowshoes which are specially designed for running. If it doesn't snow again this year (and I'm not holding my breath!!) at least he will have them all ready for next year. Still on the subject of running, the first running event of the year in Inverness takes place on Sunday 13th March. This is the Inverness half marathon and there is also a 5k fun run. So if you fancy stretching your legs then please join us here at Evergreen!
We have three great pieces of local news for you this month. If you are a golfer then I am sure you have heard that The Scottish Open Championship which for the last 15 years has been held at Loch Lomond will be coming to the new Castle Stuart Golf Course, just 3 miles to the east of Inverness this year. The new links course was voted as Best New Course for 2009 by Golf Magazine USA and it has been said that “Castle Stuart might be the most perfectly conceived and executed design ever built.”. The advantage of Castle Stuart is that it will give the top players the opportunity to practice on a links course just a week before the 140th Open Championship at Royal St George's in Kent. A number of big names such as Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington as well as Phil Mickelson have already agreed to attend from 7 - 10 July. It is fabulous that such a prestige event will be held in the Highlands and that golf fans from around the world will be able to experience the scenery and hospitality of the area.
The second local good news story for you this month - RockNess, the music festival which has been held at Dores on the banks of Loch Ness for the last 4 years, has been nominated for an award at this year's Shock-waves NME Awards. RockNess has been nominated in the Best Small Festival (50,000 capacity or lower) category and the winners will be announced at the Awards ceremony in London later this month. This is a great achievement as there are so many music festivals across the UK but I think RockNess is really special - it has a fabulous friendly atmosphere and of course you can't get a much better backdrop to the festival than Loch Ness.
The third piece of good news is that the UHI Millennium Institute was finally awarded University status last week and becomes the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI). This is really important for the Highlands and Islands and especially for young people who no longer have to leave the region if they want to go to university. And of course students from across Scotland, the rest of the UK and abroad will be able to study at UHI as well. UHI in fact comprises thirteen colleges, specialist institutions and research centerers spread across the Highlands and Islands including Skye, the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland and the North Highlands It uses the most up to date information technologies to link together students and staff and allows access to higher education to dispersed communities. The achievement of university title by UHI is the realisation of a long-time ambition for the region to have its own university to support not only economic development but also to help sustain rural and island communities which have for so long been suffering from depopulation, especially by the young.
If you have already been to Evergreen then you will know that the house is surrounded by trees - hence the name Evergreen! But some are now so large they are actually too close to the house for comfort. Graeme was busy on Saturday morning and with the help of a friend cut down a huge horse chestnut in the back garden. It is amazing how much more space and light we have gained, even at this time of year The woodshed in our self catering cottage next door is now very well stocked as a result and once the wood has properly dried out it should provide a great supply for the woodburning stove in Hazelgrove next year
So, not a bad start to the new Year - hopefully we can bring you more good news stories over the next months. Fingers crossed!
Till next month
Fiona and Graeme
Evergreen Newsletter - January 2011
Hello Everyone
And a very belated happy New Year! Although we have been back "at work" since Tuesday 4th when we welcomed our first guests of 2011, we still seem to be catching up from the time we had off over Christmas and New Year. Mind you, we did have a holiday in Florida and New York before Christmas so I shouldn't complain about having to catch up after essentially a four week holiday!
Well, we are still in the middle of winter with some snow on the ground and pretty low termperatures. But that shouldn't dissuade you from joining us here on Loch Ness for a winter break. Because Evergreen is at Loch level we generally don't get the same volume of snow as those living a few miles "inland" from the loch where the change in elevation can make a big difference. We also benefit from the fact that our little single track road is a bus route and the gritter lorry comes out our way every morning so that the early bus can take the senior schoolkids into Inverness. I guess that the Highlands in general are more geared up for snowy conditions. The guests who stayed at Hazelgrove, our self catering cottage next to Evergreen, over the Christmas and New Year period managed to do a fair bit of exploring and were astonished to see mini snowploughs clearing the pavements in Inverness! I guess that doesn't happen in many places in the UK???
So what can you see and do on a winter break to Loch Ness? Well, if you like the outdoors, the walks can be as fabulous in winter as at any other time of the year. In fact, with clear skies and wonderful winter light the scenery can be simply breathtaking. Graeme and I were out last weekend and really enjoyed a fairly short 3 mile circular route from the Falls of Foyers, down to the lochside then round the south part of the village, coming back to the falls again. We also managed a quick walk on Chrismas morning on part of the new South Loch Ness Trail which we have mentioned in previous newsletters. The first part of the trail from Loch Tarff up to Suidhe viewpoint is almost complete and has been really well constructed so that the "climb" from Suidhe is now on a reasonably gentle gradient. The views all around are fantastic on a clear day and we managed to pinpoint Ben Nevis away to the south west. Also, if you want to try some skiing or snowboarding then both the Nevis Range at Fort William and the Cairngorms ski area at Aviemore are both only a little over an hour's drive away. Because we got such an early snowfall last year, both centres are fully up and running and visitors are enjoying wonderful snowy conditions
Evergreen Newsletter - November 2010
Hello Everyone
Another month has slipped by, the clocks have changed and there is a very late autumnal feel to the weather. We have had some wonderfully bright days of late with blue skies and sunshine which have shown the autumn colours at their very best. The larch trees are a beautiful gold colour and as they have begun to shed their needles we now have a lovely carpet of gold on both the drive and the parking area in front of Evergreen. The bright and sunny days have been interspersed with a lot of rain and as you would expect at this time of year, there is snow on the higher ground. Graeme went for a run earlier this week up Ben Vurich in the Monadhliath Mountains behind us here at Evergreen and experienced freezing temperatures and a few inches of snow!
A great peice of news that I saw in the press this week is that The Great Glen Shipping Co has begun using a barge to transport timber from Loch Etive, near Oban on the West Coast, throught the various lochs and the Caledonian Canal to Inverness. This is the first time that the Caledonian Canal will have been used for freight transportation since World War I! Over the trial six month period more than 15,000 lorry trips will be taken off the A82 Inverness-Fort William road, saving 4,140 miles of road transport. Transporting timber through the canal, and of course through Loch Ness, will also help cut carbon emissions as shipping is about four times more carbon-effective than road transport. There are plans to take a shipment through the canal every five days and in the future it is hoped that there will be up to three vessels transporting a range of cargo, including waste, salt and fishfeed. I will have to keep my eyes open and try and get a photo as the barge passes though Loch Ness
And there has been more news about the Caledonian Canal of late. An historic ice-breaking tug named Scot II is to be returned to the Caledonian Canal so that it can be restored to its former glory and put back into service on the waterway. The tug is thought to be the oldest ice-breaking tug in Britain. As well as ice-breaking work, the tug pulled barges, assisted with the removal of lock gates for maintenance and operated canal cruises. In its latter years it became a bar and restuarant and was moored at Laggan for a number of years. The new owner hopes to rebuild the tug so it can return to ice-breaking duties to keep the waterway open during the winter. The canal was closed for three weeks at the beginning of 2010 because of the big freeze and vessels such as fishing boats and yachts were unable to take the shortcut across the Highlands during that time. But as well as being used for icebreaking, the tug, which is expected to be able to carry up to 70 passengers would also resume duties as a bar and restaurant and be used for events such as weddings, and act as a floating museum. Isn't it amazing, that with a little bit of foresight (and of course a lot of determinations and funds) how things from the past can be restored and given a new lease of life.
As I mentioned last month, Graeme was planning to go out to collect blackthorn berries so that he could make his annual batch of sloe gin. Pleased to be able to report that he came back with a huge amount which he carefully added to gin and sugar, gave a shake and put in the cupboard to allow it to ferment and mature and it should be ready around Christmas. Not only has the sloe gin been made, there were extra berries so, not wanting them to go to waste I got out the jelly pan again and made some sloe and apple jelly which has already been tasted!
Talking about Christmas,and ideas for presents, you might be interested in a new version of the popular Board game - Monopoly. The brand new Monopoly: Highlands and Islands Edition was launched at Loch Ness last month. The loch was chosen as the venue as it grabbed the square for the top property, which is usually occupied by Mayfair. The number two Park Lane position has been given to Cairngorm Mountain closely followed by Townhouse Inverness. But while Cairngorm Mountain has been given a top spot, Scotland's, and indeed Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis is at the other end of the scale, replacing lowly Old Kent Road! And Inverness Caley Thistle football fans may also be surprised to see their SPL side valued at less than local rivals Ross County - who play in the division below them. There are some other valuation quirks on the board as well as Inverness College appears as one of the most valuable properties on the board, taking the place of Oxford Street, while the city's Eastgate shopping centre is supposedly worth the same as the islands of Skye and Mull combined!! Dare I say that the final decision on valuations might have been made by someone with little knowledge of the Highlands??
Till our Christmas newsletter next month
Fiona and Graeme
Evergreen Newsletter - October 2010
Hello Everyone
Well, another Baxter's Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running - to give it its full title - passed very successfully last weekend. Over all the events - the marathon itself, the River Ness 10k and the 5k Fun Run, there were in excess of 8000 competitors taking part. Unfortunately Sunday morning was rather unseasonal - in actual fact it was very very wet. Not what we are used to for Marathon weekend - it is usually blue skies, sunshine and little wind. However, the weather did improve in the middle of the day and that was exactly what the runners enjoyed as they made their way round the respective courses. As we mentioned in last month's newsletter, Graeme was giving the marathon a miss this year - he reckoned that 6 years in a row was quite enough and he opted for the much much shorter 10k race. And race it was. I suggested in the September Newsletter that he aimed to complete the distance in under 45 minutes and he duly raced home in 44 minutes 22 seconds.
In many respects I suppose the marathon represents the beginning of autumn proper as far as we are concerned. The days are noticeably shorter and the weather more changeable and Graeme can no longer enjoy long evening runs - it's back into the gym!. However, with autumn comes the beautiful autumn colours and an even greater peace and tranquillity descends on the area. If this is what you want from a short break then this is most certainly the time to visit the area and the chance to see a lot of wildlife out and about. Just the other night when I was serving dinner to guests, Coco jumped onto the sideboard - not encouraged (!) - and was very intently watching the driveway. Out of the trees on the left hand side of the drive came a small sika deer which slowly meandered across the drive. Coco didn't move and was still looking out the window and low and behold, a second sika appeared and followed its partner into the trees in front of Hazelgrove. I don't know what alerted her to the fact that the deer were close by but she certainly had some sense of their presence.
Another feature of autumn is of course the profusion of wild berries that abound from the bright red rowan berries to brambles and blackthorne berries used in the making of sloe gin. The brambles around Inverfarigaig have been fantastic this year, particularly on the old pier, and I have made a really successful batch of bramble and apple jelly. The apples were windfall apples from Hazelgrove garden so very local ingredients! Graeme has not yet had time to collect the blackthorne berries but his sloe gin has been going down well with guests so I think he will be out this weekend up by the remains of Castle Kitchie a few miles from Evergreen where blackthorne bushes grow in profusion.
Recent guests managed a trip north to
Evergreen newsletter - September 2010
Hello Everyone
How time flies - August is over, the schools are back and as we say in Scotland - 'the nights are fair drawing in' (i.e. the days are getting shorter!). That said, we have enjoyed some late summer sun over the past few weeks and we have painted all the exterior woodwork of Evergreen and although I say so myself, the house is looking very smart!!
Late August and September is when the heather on the hillsides is at its very best - they are a swathe of purple and lend an almost surreal colour to our landscape. And after the heather fades, we begin to see the true colours of autumn. The trees will begin to change colour and lose their leaves and it will soon be time for me to try and capture some of the wonderul shades of gold, orange and red which will be on display. If you are thinking about a short break then there is really no better time to visit Loch Ness as the summer crowds have gone and you can really enjoy the peace and tranquility of autumn.
On the wildlife front, as summer comes to an end our furry friends the red squirrels are becoming every more active preparing for winter. Looking out our dining room window, almost every morning we are fortunate to see these wonderful animals dancing from branch to branch on the hazel trees and collecting the hazelnuts which they store at various points round the garden. These food stores can sustain them for 40 - 50 days and can support them over cold periods or through periods of food shortage - not that they are ever short of peanuts from the bird feeders at Evergreen!
Also around Evergreen at night there has been a lot of noise lately from a barn owl. This owl (approximately 35cm in height) with a monkey like face, lets out an eerie screech that sounds as if someone is being throttled! It's quite surprising for us to hear it because, as it's name suggests, it likes to nest in old buildings and barns although it does also nest in holes in trees. The noise of this barn owl tends to drown out the more dulcet tones of our resident long-eared owl who regularly serenades us at night with it's long drawn out oo-oo-oo. It nests deep in the conifer woods around Evergreen.
So much for the wildlife - this time of year is also excellent for seeing the many different types of wild mushrooms that grow profusely amongst the woodland and roadside verges. I have taken photos of many of these and I have put some up on the Evergreen Facebook page. I would stress that we only look at them but don't pick or eat them. Many of the varieties are very poisonous and you really have to be an expert to be sure what is edible and what is not. For example, one of the most attractive and common mushrooms we see at this time of year is the Fly Agaric. This striking fungus often depicted in 'fairy tale' illustrations is found mostly around birch trees but also in pine and spruce woodland. It was traditionally used as fly killer (hence the name) and is poisonous but rarely fatal if consumed (or so the books tell us!)
Finally, on Sunday 3rd October, the south side of Loch Ness will again host the annual Loch Ness Marathon, voted by runners as the second best marathon in the UK behind only the London marathon. But, for the first time in 6 years, Graeme will not be taking part. As you may know from previous newsletters, he has turned his attention to hill running of late and generally has been avoiding road running. But he has been doing some speed training and this year's challenge is to run the 10K race, which is part of the marathon festival of running. He aims to complete the course in under 45 minutes - you can work it out - 6 miles in 45 minutes equates to a pretty speedy 7.5 minutes per mile!! We will of course report back in next month's newsletter.
Till next month
Graeme and Fiona
Evergreen newsletter - August 2010
Hello everyone
Well, the summer holidays are in full swing and we are certainly into our busiest period. There is a noticeable increase in the number of people visiting the area, even since last month. But if you have still to join us here at Evergreen, don't worry, the south side of Loch Ness is still quiet and unspoilt. And we have seen many more people exploring the south side by bike this year. Some are obviously on a cycling holiday with bikes and panniers fully loaded but others are simply enjoying a day trip along the loch side and enjoying the fabulous views of the loch from the numerous laybys along the roadside.
You may recall a couple of months ago that I flagged up that a group of six ladies from Serpentine Swimming Club in London were training hard in preparation for a sponsored swim of the length of Loch Ness. Well, this intrepid group were on the loch last week and they made really good progress. The conditions were pretty good with very little wind so as a result the Loch was pretty calm. They started at the south end of the Loch at Fort Augustus at 5.00 a.m. and finished at the north end at 6.30 p.m. What a wonderful achievement.
We also mentioned at the beginning of the year that Graeme was really chuffed to learn that Destination Loch Ness had been given final approval by funders to support the creation of a South Loch Ness Trail. Over the last few months discussions have progressed well and all necessary agreements are now in place so that construction will start at Loch Tarff in the middle of this month. On the basis that everything progresses smoothly, it is expected that construction will be finished around the second week in October. Following construction the next phase of work is the signage and interpretation which will take place over the winter months. And talking about signage, a big thank you to all our guests over the last few months who have contributed to the Loch Ness Voluntary Payback Scheme. This is a scheme where guests and visitors alike make a small voluntary contribution and all monies collected is put towards specific aspects of major projects around the loch. The first tranche of monies collected is going towards the signage on the South Loch Ness Trail. Already, several hundred pounds have been collected which is a fabulous sum.
Summer is the most wonderful time for soft fruit in Scotland. I love making up fresh fruit salad with a selection of fresh fruit but always with raspberries and strawberries. There are a few soft fruit farms close to Inverness and as it is now getting towards the end of the season, Graeme and I went to the Black Isle Berry farm a couple of weeks ago and picked up some strawberries for jam making. Unfortunately because of the really wet weather throughout a lot of July, the raspberries were not so good this year so I gave them a miss. My strawbery jam turned out reasonably well - not perfect but nonetheless still quite tasty - but our sole blackcurrant bush at Evergreen has again yielded a really good crop and I think my blackcurrant jelly has turned out tops!
And finally, we are really excited to report that we have had a very special return visitor to Evergreen.... Mr P is back!! For those of you not acquainted with Mr P, this is the name given by one of our guests to the Pine Marten who was seen on quite a few occassions on the back decking last year. He became quite a regular visitor and carefully (without cracking it) picked up the raw egg we left out for him every night. We think it was a young pine marten we saw just the other night. They are nocturnal animals and it was almost dark when Graeme spotted it on the decking. It had a good look around the bird feeder, then jumped on top of the wall before going up the steps and disappearing in the back garden. We have left an egg out for him, but as yet, he hasn't returned to pick up his evening meal. We will keep you posted!
Till next month
Graeme and Fiona
Evergreen News - July 2010
Hello Everyone,
Apologies that we are a bit behind with the newsletter this month but it is July and it's all a bit hectic. The summer season is in full swing and as well as Evergreen we of course have our self catering property next door to keep running smoothly. The only problem is the garden at Hazelgrove which at this time of year resembles more of a jungle which has to be slashed back and controlled every week by Graeme. Two hours every Saturday morning with the strimmer and lawnmower followed by cutting back trees which overnight seem to grow new branches! Of course deep down Graeme really enjoys doing it because it is outdoors and it is physical work. Now some of you may say, what about the midges - do you not get bitten alive? Well let me just make this clear to all those worried by them - first, they are only bad when the weather is warm and muggy and secondly buy and spray on Avon Skin So Soft! Avon in our experience beats any other repellant by a mile. It also makes you smell rather nice rather than slapping poisonous chemicals over your skin. Avon will allow you to enjoy walking in the evening much more, in Farigaig Forest behind us here at Evergreen.
With light still in the sky on a good evening until 11pm, it offers great opportunities to see wildlife such as badgers, pine marten and deer (although you can see them around Loch Ness at any time of the day!) Go four miles 'in land' from Evergreen and there are areas where, with patience, you will see wild goats, mountain hares, osprey and if you are really lucky a golden eagle. And of course most mornings you are still be able to see our 'resident' red squirrels feeding from the bird feeder in our back garden.
Of course the wildlife is just one of the attractions at this time of year. Around Loch Ness there are numerous events which provide something for everyone. On July 24th we have the Inverness Highland Games and running continuously between 12th July - 16th August we have The Caledonian Canal Ceilidh Trail. For over a month talented young musicians play traditional music mixed with song and dance at over 45 different events around Loch Ness Inverness and the Caledonian Canal. Then coming up near Loch Ness we have Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival on 6th and 7th August. My favourite, with an amazing mix of music of all genres, theatre, comedy, poetry reading - you name it, this festival has something for all ages!
Finally this month a fantastic little booklet has just been published by the South Loch Ness Heritage Group which tells the story of the area through wonderful photographs, old and new. Graeme, with his interest in heritage made a small contribution to the booklet specifically relating to Inverfarigaig and we are selling the book on behalf of the Heritage Group for £3. So, if you have stayed with us and would like a copy, please just let us know and we would be delighted to send it on to you.
Until next month
Graeme & Fiona
Evergreen News - June 2010
Hello Everyone
Loch Ness is just full of colour! The yellow broom and the gorse are out, the bluebells are out as are the purple rhododendrons and the lilac. Everything in the garden has been sprouting profusely over the last month and it is just wonderful. Here are some photographs from around Evergreen and next door at Hazelgrove. Also, couldn't resist putting in another photo of Coco who is now having fun exploring the great outdoors.
I am really chuffed to be able to report that my West Highland Way walk was great fun and a great success! In the main the weather was very good - only one day with quite heavy rain for a few hours. We didn't manage to get to the graveyard at the Blackwater Reservoir but had a really good view of the reservoir from the WHW track. I put a selection of photos onto the Evergreen facebook page so if you would like to see some of the scenery along the way just follow the link.
Graeme has been doing more hill running and found a challenging route last week around Loch Ashie down to the shores of Loch Ness and then back up the hill again - mad but he enjoys it! On this run he came back particularily filthy due, he says, to an unavoidable detour through a boggy area. If you ask me he took a short cut through the loch!
Our friends and neighbours at Easter Boleskine, which is easily accessed from the forestry track beside Evergreen have called in the Army this weekend! About two years ago Frank and Katy began work on excavating a barren piece of former farmland close to their house to create a bio-diversity and educational project called Boleskine Wetlands. The project has been very successful and we were part of a group of local volunteers who last year helped lay a disabled access path, plant a range of native trees and also build a bird hide. Both primary schools in the area, Foyers and Stratherrick, have visited the site for pond dipping and monitoring the arrival of the different life forms on the pond. The building of a jetty will enable the children and others to be over the water for pond dipping without disturbing the pond edges. It will have a ridge at the edges which will also a
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