Freezing fog.....

Could not see anything out of the windows yesterday morning except a very thick fog which stayed for most of the day. Could just make out the trees in front of the house but no sign of Loch Ness and we felt really cut off. The whole of the east coast had it very bad and Inverness airport was closed for a while due to the extreme foggy weather. At 5pm a mountain rescue team were called out to an area known as the Lost Valley in the Three Sisters in Glencoe in the Highlands to assist two climbers who had foolishly ventured out in these atrocious conditions. Unfortunately one of the climbers had died after falling in the mountainous area and the other is now recovering in Fort William Hospital. Today the fog has lifted slightly and we can see a little more of the loch and Urquhart Castle looming eerily out of the mist on the opposite shore. It will be below freezing all day and promises of -4C tonight. The log fire beckons.

Scottish Highlander Barge

Whatever the weather certain passenger cruise craft have to carry out their business and entertain their guests. During an interval in the recent misty weather we saw the Scottish Highlander barge go up to Urquhart Castle in the afternoon on one of its 7 day cruises.The 117ft long craft travels from Inverness to Fort Augustus on the first day of its cruise where it docks for the night and the entertainment begins. The following day it journeys back up Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle allowing passengers to view the ancient structure at close hand from the loch whilst enjoying drinkies and lunch prepared and cooked by a master chef . By the time the barge returned to Fort Augustus, passing our house en route, the night was beginning to close in and it looked quite magnificent lit up in the darkness. The Scottish Highlander barge caters luxuriously for 8 passengers and cruises along the Great Glen from Inverness to Fort William stopping for day trips to various sites of scenic or historic relevance along the way.

'Ness Express' success..

The Ness Express boat service which started in April 2009 has been a great success with the general public as well as our own guests. It can seat 12 people and travels at the exhilarating speed of 30 knots. It leaves Fort Augustus four times during the day and goes up to Urquhart Castle jutting out on Loch Ness and back, a trip of about 90 minutes. We do enjoy waving to the passengers as they zoom past the house often accompanied by loud shrieks of excitement. This trip is now included in the new Trips by Boat folder in Aspenwood. This also includes the dolphin trip from Chanonry Point on the east coast, the seal trip from Plockton on the west coast and several trips on Loch Ness as well as other local trips of interest.

New in 2009..''Ness Express' on Loch Ness.

 The Ness Express is a RIB ..Rigid Inflatable Boat.. and is a new boat service operating on Loch Ness. It departs from Fort Augustus at 10am, 12 noon, 2pm and 4pm weather permitting of course and takes you on a 90 minute journey to Urquhart Castle and back. It holds 12 pasengers and operates from April to September and looks a very exciting service. Guests staying at Aspenwood have been on it and really enjoyed the thrill. It is 10m long and powered by a 315hp Yannmar diesel engine and can cruise at 30knots. Find out more. See it in action.

Barnacle geese over Loch Ness.

The weather over the weekend has been absolutely gorgeous with clear blue skies and temperatures of 26C . Sitting quietly outside with a cup of tea in the early morning gazing over Loch Ness we heard the familiar increasingly louder cries of a skein of Barnacle geese. They came from the north over Urquhart Castle and flew above us before strangely returning towards the castle possibly to collect any stragglers to join the group. After a short while they came back towards us and continued noisily to the outer Hebrides, usually Islay, where they will stay for the summer before returning to Greenland or Norway.

Sun shines over Loch Ness.

Enjoyed a relaxing Sunday lunch at the Cawdor Tavern near Cawdor Castle yesterday, about 30 miles from Aspenwood towards the seaside village of Nairn. Cawdor Tavern is a traditional country pub in a building which was originally the old castle workshop. It was quite busy and many people were sitting outside at the tables having a drink and soaking up the welcome sunshine. A lovely sunset over the loch in the late evening was followed by a rather chilly night. Today dawned with a blue sky and the odd stubborn wee cloud - there is always one.
The reflection on the water was a beautiful sight after all the dull days we have recently experienced and the temperature is well into double figures now so we now going to sit outside and raise our glasses to something-any excuse!

Loch Torr an Tuill

Managed to fit a long walk in recently after the strong winds and rain had subsided. Walked into Farigaig Forest and up the hill to Loch Torr an Tuill or 'the wee pond' as it is affectionately known by locals. The reflection of the surrounding trees in the loch was amazing and we were pleased to find two new picnic benches had been installed there. It really is a very peaceful wee loch and a beautiful place for a picnic or just a breather after the uphill climb.

Continued on our uphill walk to the view point at the very top where we found another welcome bench. The forestry had recently been at work clearing alot of the tall pine tees allowing for a much better view of Loch Ness.Through the haze we could just make out Urquhart Castle on the opposite shore.