NEWS FROM KILCAMB COTTAGES.

WINTER 2009/2010

Well! We usually expect the winter on the peninsula to be pretty wet most of the time but this has been the driest, sunniest and coldest in recent memory, and oh how everyone has loved it. Snow at sea level has been limited to about three inches but has been with us for most of the past two months because of the cold. Skiers and snow-boarders have had wonderful conditions as have the winter hill-walkers and climbers. In fact, who needs the Alps? Fortunately, our position on the western seaboard means that we have managed to avoid some of the very deep snow conditions which seem to have caused such travel chaos in many parts of the country.

Although the wild life is not so much in evidence at this time of year we were fortunate enough to see a Pine Marten darting across the driveway last week. We can only assume he has taken a break from the hibernation. The curlews are also making their usual calls across the loch, and of course the ducks seem to need more food than they can find for themselves as the pond and loch banks are iced up, so they remind us of that every morning.

Summer 2009

After a typically mixed year so far, August has unfortunately been wetter than any in recent memory. Guests are ever resourseful, however, and most have arranged their activities to suit, with perhaps fewer beach days and outdoor pursuits being undertaken. Whatever the weather, the west Highlands always offers so much to see and do, so most have still left us promising to return soon.

Broadband Internet

We are delighted to announce that we have entered the 21st century here at Kilcamb! We have installed broadband internet connections in each of the cottages so those guests who cannot bear to be parted from their lap-tops can plug in and stay in contact with the outside world.

Spring 2009

Mixed weather so far this spring. some very good weeks and one or two not so good, with the first week in May being particularly wet. However, it was encouraging that the guests said on leaving that "The weather tried but failed to spoil a great week" We had one very interesting house visitor in April who was neither keen to pay nor very keen to leave!! A pine marten had taken up residence in the attic but when he was out shopping for food one day we sealed off all possible access routes. It's not that we grudged him some shelter but his incessant moving about at night tended to keep guests awake.

Strontian Hotel (Update)

What a difference! It has gone from being one of the worst hotel/pubs in the highlands (Or anywhere else) to one of the best. New owners Michelle and her aunt, Marilyn and their team are doing a superb job of giving the village a hostelry to be proud of. Our thanks and best wishes go to them for a long and rewarding association with Strontian

The Strontian Hotel

The great news for both visitors and Strontian residents alike is that after two years of being one of the most inhospitable and poorly run establishments in the Highlands, The Strontian Hotel has this week changed hands. It was frustrating being unable to recommend the hotel to our guests these past two years but, whilst it will no doubt take the new owners time to turn the business round, it can only get better,and the only negative aspect of a holiday in Strontian will be a thing of the past.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OUR GUESTS

It is so gratifying to read the many appreciative and kind comments which our guests leave in the visitors' books, but what makes us really pleased is that after four years of running the cottages here at Kilcamb,we are now finding that two thirds of all our bookings are from guests who are returning for the second,third or fourth time. In fact some guests come back every year, whether it be for a Spring or Autumn week or a week or two in the summer. In any case , we are just delighted that we are able to welcome them back to the wonderful West Highlands and particularly to the beautiful Ardnamurchan peninsula. Thanks to you all!

Autumn 2008

Well, the West Highlands are possibly not noted as one on the driest areas in the country but this year it's as though the country has been turned upside down, what with reports of Shetland being among the suniest and the south of England among the soggiest. Since July we have not quite managed to maintain the standard of early summer but most guests have at least had some good weather in their chosen weeks and unlike most parts of the country, rainfall has been well below average.

As usual, most people have left saying that a week was simply not long enough and promising themselves more next time. The boats (Canoe, inflateable dinghy and aluminium boat with outboard) have been particularly well used this year, although one group were perhaps not the wisest to take the canoe out after 9pm when some wild wet weather was threatening. Thankfully they got back safely but not without a fright. They took our advice and headed our warnings after that!

One rather more amusing incident was when some guests alerted us to the fact that they thought they had a non-paying visitor sharing the cottage with them in the roof space. On investigation we found a pine-marten had moved in via a tiny hole beneath the eaves. Now, cute as they might be, we didn't want them setting up a permanent home so we coaxed her out and sealed up the access. The guests were thoroughly entertained by the whole episode and would have been quite happy to share with their new lodger but she had to go.

Early Summer 2008

Unbelievably, we are now ito the second week of June and this is our tenth consecutive week of warm sunny weather. regular guests have been astonished by the "non-stop sunshine". There has of course been a price to pay in the earlier appearance of the dreaded midges which are not too bad in the bright sun or slight sea breeze off the Loch, but in the calmer, more overcast evenings they have been out in force. Streams and smaller rivers have all but dried up and the normally boggy walk-in to some of the hills and mountains has been as dry as we can remember, so we do need a little rain but we'll settle for it coming during the night.

We had a rather amusing event at one of the cottages last month when one of the local Pine Martens decided that it wanted to share the cottage with the paying guests. Somehow it got in through a tiny gap under the eaves and made its way into the roof space to set up home. the guests were alerted by the unusual scratching sounds emanating from above the ceiling and when we investigated we found that our friend was in the process of making his "Home" more comfortable with a variety of insulation material from the roof space. As he refused to contribute a share of the living expenses we had no alternative but to encourage him to move home and board up his doorway after he had vacated!!

Spring 2008

As usual in the West Highlands, the winter was wet, though we were spared the extremes of storms and flooding which affected many other parts of the U.K. and we have been blessed with some pleasant spells during the Spring so far. Most guests have managed to get out for some good long walks. Some on the flat to places such as The Singing Sands which we tried ourselves in March (Stunningly beautiful), and some have taken to the hills and mountains, though we have always cautioned them regarding the potential dangers once they go above the snow line. No problem for the experienced but it can be a very hostile place for those not prepared or equipped. The bikes have been well used and some hardy souls have even (This week-early April) been out on the loch in the canoe. It has been very calm but it is always very cold on the water at this time of year.

It's looking like being another busy year so here's hoping for some good warm sunshine to compliment all this wonderful scenery.

Spring/Summer/Autumn 2007

Spring was just marvellous. The dry/sunny days allowed guests to get out onto the hills and a good number took advantage by going on boat trips to the islands and some wildlife cruises with reported sightings of basking sharks,whales,porpoises,dolphins and a variety of gamebirds and seabirds. Not sure if it was down to the good weather or not but the peninsula seemed to be even more colourful than usual during May/June.

July and August were generally quite good. We had our usual heavy showers of course but we seem to have faired much better than the majority of the country in that we experienced none of the torrential downpours that were reported further south. It's not too often that guests are grateful for West of Scotland weather, but some were indeed!

For some reason we didn't seem to suffer so much from the midgies this year. We always assure visitors that they will not be troubled very much ,if at all, unless they go camping, but of course with a nice comfortable cottage to return to , not many would have occasion to camp out!

It has been particularly gratifying this year (Our third) that so many of our guests were people who have been here before. We feel that is the truest indication of how much they have enjoyed their stay and we will do our utmost to ensure that the trend continues.

Winter 2006/2007

After the excellent summer we have suffered the wettest winter for a while and of course that means we have not had so many of those magical highland winter days with thick frost and sun shining in a clear blue sky. Snowfall has been fairly limited so skiing has not been great but there is still time between February and March for some heavy falls on the hills.

The mild weather has allowed the bulb shoots to come through the ground in January and a few of the trees are also showing signs of budding. We are preparing both the fishing boat (Emma) and the RIB (Patsy) for the water in the hope that some good weather around Easter will permit us to get the prawn/squat lobster fishing under way and perhaps a few trips down the loch to Mull or the Ardnamurchan Point.

Summer 2006

This has undoubtedly been the best summer in terms of weather since 2003 and guests have taken full advantage. Some have stayed mostly on the peninsula where they have found plenty to occupy them but others have made trips out to some of the islands (Skye, Rum, Eigg,Mull,Iona,Staffa and Ulva area few of those visited)which they have all found to be enchanting. We have also found ourselves quite busy taking some of the guests out to check the prawn creels on the loch, whilst others have opted for a rather quicker spin down the loch on the RIB. Many have made good use of the canoe for a more sedate paddle around the upper reaches of Loch Sunart.

Spring 2006

Thankfully winter has not been as wet as last year with only half the level of rainfall and many more days with frost and sunshine with snow on the hills-great for the skiers who have enjoyed their best season for many a year. Most early season guests have had mixed weather weeks as we might expect and as usual most have left lamenting the fact that a week was simply not long enough to do everything they wanted.

Now that the daffodils and gorse are in full bloom and the ducks are pairing off to try to make more ducks, we are starting to think of launching the boats again and see how the prawn and squat lobster catches are this year. Great expectations! We will also no doubt have some of the younger guests anxious to visit "Balamory" on the RIB with us.

Christmas & New Year

All cottages were taken over the holiday period and guests all said that they had a wonderful time. The weather was especially kind during the Christmas week (Dry with clear skies and overnight frost) but even at New Year everyone seemed to get out and about nearly every day.

Apart from the odd week we now have a bit of a lull leading up to March so that will give us the chance to do some spring cleaning and annual maintenance, but please don't be deterred; we will be delighted to welcome anyone looking for an early holiday.

Autumn 2005

The days are getting noticeably shorter and the stags can be heard rutting. Two sure signs that summer has passed.

Ardnamurchan is beautiful at any time of year and perhaps never more attractive than now, though our own favourite is the spring

It has of course been rather wetter than summer but equally we have had our share of bright, crisp, dry days with some frost in the morning.

The cottages have been quieter since the half-term break but we are bracing ourselves for the Festive Season when we will be very busy arain. If we had had fifty cottages we would still have been booked out for New Year. People seem to want to return year after year, so the message would seem to be "Book very early to avoid disappointment"

July/August

July was a great month for weather. Warm sunshine being the order of the day nearly every day. And since the midges don't like the sunshine as much as we do, guests have not been troubled with them at all really.

The good weather also enabled us to take some of the guests out on the loch to catch the prawns and squat lobsters. catches have been excellent so everyone has been able to enjoy a fresh seafood dinner at least once.

Unfortunately for those who arrived on 31st July the weather was rather wetter during the following week but none-the-less everyone seems to have had a great time and the sun is back with us again.

Everyone of course has their own tale of their favourite day of their holiday, and Mull usually rates very highly (No doubt partly due to the"Balamory Factor") but this past month a number of people have said that the Ardnamurchan Peninsula itself has been so full of so many wonderful surprises.

May/June

The weather has continued to be the usual mixture which regular visitors to the West Highlands have come to love and expect. This is one of the few places on earth which can be as beautiful and enchanting in bad weather as on the most glorious of days.

Those guests who are interested in ornothology have been enthusing about the sightings they have managed to make, including two of the Golden Eagles which are nesting across the loch. Unfortunately the first brood of Mallard chicks didn't last long. One of last year's chicks appeared with 8 chicks on the 21st May but by 23rd they were all gone. Presumably having fallen prey to either Pine Martens, Mink or possibly the Hooded Crows.It does look as though we will get a few more broods so let's hope for a better survival rate.

Some of the guests have enjoyed their first experience of fishing for prawns on the loch with us and the catches have been reasonable for May which is not the best month so they have been able to enjoy the freshest prawns possible for supper.

April 2005

March and early April brought some nice weather and some not so nice, but thankfully, guests all seem to have enjoyed their holidays immensely.The cottages, the Lochaber area and the food at the Ariundle Bistro have all come in for particular praise.

On the wildlife front, the deer who come down most mornings to feed on our plants, the woodpecker who seems to be building a house for himself,and the pine marten who comes for peanuts have all merited mention.Oh! and lets not forget the ducks who are heavily involved in the annual mating rituals at the moment.

March 2005

The daffodills are in bloom.The dawn chorus is evidence that the birds are returning from winter migrations.The ducks are pairing off-How many chicks will survive this year? Oh! and we're just about to put the prawn/lobster pots out in the loch again. Exciting times indeed!!