Buildings ....new and old.

Good news.....the new Tesco has opened on time and is extremely useful for us and for our guests staying at Aspenwood Cottage. It is the nearest big store, about 16 miles away from the cottage, and is situated at the end of the Dores Road at the first roundabout. Although it is not as big as the Tesco 24 hour store at the Inverness Retail Park on the outskirts of the city it is very handy for essential shopping as well as for petrol.
On the way to this Tesco you will drive through the village of Dores, about 8 miles from the cottage. This village is situated at the eastern end of Loch Ness and has a long crescent beach and the much frequented Dores Inn - a popular restaurant for guests.

The latest news is that the lease holders have unveiled plans to build a major new tourist development in the adjacent car park. Although the historic Inn is in need of repair it will not be pulled down but possibly adapted for residential use. They have plans to construct a new restaurant, pub and a shop selling local meat, preserves and souvenirs as well as community essentials in a single storey stone building with archways at the front overlooking Loch Ness. The planning application is not expected to be lodged until later this year so do not worry - Dores Inn is still open for good food and drink.
Between Dores Inn and the new Tesco you drive past the long winding entrance to Aldourie Castle on the left. The original building dates back to the 15th Century but there have been many alterations and additions over the years. It was purchased in 2004 by new owners and they have just completed a £10million restoration of the 57 room castle.It is now open for business as a destination for holidays,house parties and corporate functions and rents out at about £21,000 [+VAT] per week.
Needless to say that Aspenwood Cottage is slightly cheaper.

Summer arrives.

We have been experiencing a glorious week at Loch Ness with high temperatures and beautiful blue sky days. After working flat out at Lower Birchwood - sanding and staining the window frames and sills - we have escaped and enjoyed a more relaxing time on the beach,sitting on the seats and watching life go by with something refreshing to cool us down ..... just great. 

Red squirrels aplenty.

This has been a very good year for seeing the red squirrels up close. Guests can sit in the lounge of Aspenwood Cottage and look out of the large 9ft picture window to watch the red squirrels run from surrounding Farigaig Forest, along the platform fence to the various feeders opposite the window. Open the windows to get some good photos....if they are hungry they will not run away. We do leave extra food in the laundry shed out the back as the feeders will need topping up during the week with peanuts,sunflower hearts,peanut granules and suet balls. The squirrels do have to share this bounty of food with all the various birds and pheasants and they all seem to tolerate each other politely. The bird bath is used by all the creatures and is washed thoroughly every week to keep all the wildlife healthy. The 'Nut Fund' is going well so thanks to all guests who have contributed by taking home a bookmark. We also have regular visitors who come down to our feeders outside Lower Birchwood House and between the two properties I think we are keeping the species thriving.

Trip round Loch Ness.

Although the weather looked rather ominous we decided to take a journey round Loch Ness, something we had not done for some time. Driving over the mountains and down to Loch Tarff the clouds began to look quite angry.

This is the scene featured in the film 'Local Hero' where they had to stop the car for the night as it was too misty to see the road.

The rain was falling in Fort Augustus but that did not deter the tourists and it was very busy. Drove through Invermoriston and soon we could see our house opposite with Aspenwood Cottage nestling above it in Farigaig Forest. This photo shows just how easy it is to walk down to the Loch Ness beach below.

We soon passed Urquart Castle jutting out onto the loch and then drove through the bustling village of Drumnadrochit with the various Loch Ness Exhibition Centres with overflowing car parks. The rest of the journey along the loch shore and through Inverness was very pleasant and it was about a 70 mile trip from door to door. A good day out.

The 19th Hole

After a wet weekend the weather has now improved and it feels more like summer at last. It was a very unfortunate period for the Scottish Open Golf Championship held for the first time at Castle Stuart just outside Inverness as the play had to be delayed and even stopped due to thunderstorms. They were eventually able to finish the golf on Sunday and it was won by Luke Donald. Castle Stuart is holding this event for the next two years so fingers crossed for more positive climatic conditions in future years so the world over can appreciate the true beauty of the Scottish Highlands.
Since the golf finished the weather has improved and we have been enjoying blue sky days and sitting outside watching wonderful sunsets in the evening with a wee dram.

STOP PRESS

Due to a late cancellation there is now a week available this coming August.

The week of Saturday 6th August to Saturday 13th August 2011 is now available at the price of £980.

This amount will have to be paid in full due to the proximity of the booking.

This week can be booked via our booking system on this website and paid by Direct Bank Transfer or cheque. Alternatively please feel free to phone us [ 01456 486415 ] and we will do the booking for you and give you any more information if needed.

A wonderful chance to enjoy the magic of the Scottish Highlands and the'Aspenwood Experience'.

New Tesco Store opening soon.

 The new Tesco store on the Dores Road at Drumblair is very near completion and is due to open on Monday 18th July. We drove past it today and were amazed at the speed things have been progressing. This store and petrol station will be so handy for us and our guests as it now the nearest one to Aspenwood.

Trip to Culbin Sands.

The weather was fine last week so we packed a picnic and drove to the coastal town of Nairn on the Moray Firth, a journey of about 38 miles and took one and a half hours at a leisurely pace. We drove just beyond the town and headed for Culbin Sands. This is a RSPB Nature Reserve owned by the Forestry Commission and contains a variety of habitats - a long stretch of sandy beach covered in shells,sand dunes,tidal sands, pools,salt marsh,mud flats and Culbin Forest. This area is ideal for different species of wading birds all year round and we saw a mixed collection on the sandy spits and several grey herons.
After a peaceful walk across the marshland, through the dunes and along the long unspoilt and empty beach we drove back to the seaside town of Nairn and enjoyed a picnic on a bench looking out to sea. The weather was terrific and there were many brave swimmers in the water and a huge ocean cruise liner drifted by in the distance.