Applecross Archaeological Dig Sept 09

The Time Team started to excavate the remains of a Broch in 2005 and established it dated to the Iron Age. Situated close to the bottom of the Bealach na Ba, in what is now part of the campsite, the Broch in its day would have had a commanding view over Applecross Bay. The remains have been a raised mound covered by grass for many years with any stone on the surface having been robbed or rather recycled into other buildings round & about.

The 5th – 22nd September 09 saw the Applecross Archaeological Society team along with local volunteers  re-visit the 2000 year old Broch in Applecross to resume the dig. The aim of this years dig was to excavate the final quadrant of the site to reveal the full plan of the broch and uncovered an exceptional example of the complex Atlantic Roundhouse with an associated souterrain. No gold or jewels were expected, but the finds uncovered were more everyday such as rotary querns for grinding grain, and spindle whorls for spinning wool tell a story about the domestic arrangements of the broch dwellers.

Late availability Sept 09

5th, 6th & 7th October Torridon room double or twin / triple.

6th, 7th & 8th October Skye room – double (king sized).

10th – 15th October Applecross room double (superking).

October 09 Special Offers

Book in October for 3 nights or more & we will give, each guest in your booking, a free packed lunch for each full day you are here. A hassle free way to eat whilst out enjoying the Autumn walking here, bring your flask & we’ll do the rest.

Our packed lunches have 2 of Thomas’ tasty homemade rolls with a selection of fillings.

• succulent ham we cook & glaze here
• or smoked salmon with Crowdie.
• or Vegetarian Chedder also from the award winning West Highland Dairy.
• The salad additions may be supplemented with our own produce from the polytunnel.

Ann’s yummy toffee flapjacks and some fruit.

We are very keen on local produce & slow food. The salmon is  smoked in the village at the Loch Torridon Smokehouse.  Crowdie is a traditional Highland cream cheese (like a textured Philadelphia with no additives)  which like all our cheeses comes from the West Highland Dairy, near Plockton.

Be sure to tell us you have seen the October Special Offer.

22% more sunshine!

In a recent report the Met Office has said we had 22% more sunshine in July than average for the area which includes the Western &  Northern Isles. Despite Inverness getting  frequent thunderstorms out here on the West Coast we have remained relatively dry with most of the rain falling overnight.

We thought it had been hotter, sunnier & dryer than normal, judging by how much watering we have needed to do in the garden. Just as well we put in the rainwater harvesting system which holds 2000 litres of rain water.  Many of our guests have been caught out by not bringing any suncream & catching the sun whilst out walking. Who would have thought you could come to the Highlands for a suntan!

Fruit picking with a view

Strawberry picking in the Torridon Mountains

It’s Strawberry time of year again and a combination of 3 weeks  good weather in late May/early June, a couple of nights good steady rain & lots of sunshine just lately has produced a good crop at Colin’s smallholding over in Inveralligin. I went planning to get some fresh strawberries for a cheesecake dessert, but saw how perfect & plentiful the fruit was not too mention tasty & picked 3 kilo’s. That still left plenty for others & a lot of fruit yet to ripen.

My evening was happily spent making strawberry jam & catching up with the tennis at Wimbledon. I keep back some redcurrant jelly from the year before to add to the strawberry jam mix – which is my secret to getting a good set as strawberry jam is notorious for staying runny. The whole house smelled fabulously of strawberries & our guests had fresh strawberry jam at breakfast. The strawberry jam never lasts beyond the season – it is just so yummy.

Sawday’s – Special Places to Stay

We have been inspected this year and invited to join Alastair Sawday’s Special Places to Stay, British Bed and Breakfast guide. We were delighted to accept & already appear on their website.  We have also been awarded recognition for our efforts in the food & environment sectors of their ethical collection. The Sawday philosophy of being environmentally friendly and slow travel is so in tandem with our view, along with supporting local producers especially the ethical and organic.

I have been a great fan of the Sawday publications & still have a copy of the 3rd edition Bed and Breakfast guide from 1998 which I used extensively in a past life! If someone had told me back then that we were going to open & run a B & B in the Highlands of Scotland & be in the Sawday guide I would have thought it cloud cuckoo land!

We are looking forward to meeting many Sawday guests over the coming years.

Cuckoo’s in abundance

Cuckoo’s in Shieldaig

There are reports and TV coverage of the loss of cuckoo’s from many areas in the UK and the silence in the spring where they no longer call. Over the last 3 spring’s we have been here  we are inundated with the calls of cuckoo’s all around. The hills echo with cuckoo’s to one another and subsequent replies.  Every glen & village here seems to have them in abundance all the recent places I have been – Torridon, Kinlochewe, Applecross, Strome & Lochcarron. I have observed them starting to call at the end of April & going on through May, June & July – well beyond when they are supposed to stop.

With the long daylight length at this time of year I am woken to the sound of the cuckoo early which I had begun to think was a bit much but now I am cherishing their cuckoo’s as it may become an extinct sound. For anyone out there missing the call of the cuckoo – we seem to still have plenty of the noisy birds here in the Highlands.

The Return of the House Martin’s

House Martins in Shieldaig

The House Martins are back. They nested here for the first time last year on the west facing gable & arrived back in the village at the beginning of May – just a solitary one to start with then gradually a few more. Last year the parents successfully raised 5 chicks which all fledged. We seem to have about 7 Martins around this year – perhaps some of them are last years young.

3 of them have been courting & attempting to nest build on various gables. They twittered a lot to each other & there were many of the Martins involved in “choose a nest site” exercises! They have now plumped for the south facing gable – 2 males & 1 female.

2 of them seem to have paired off & rather amateurish attempts at building a nest are going on. More seems to break off & end up on the floor than on the wall.  They do look very sweet roosting up there overnight & peeking over the edge. They twitter to each other in the nest  (a very evocative sound of summer) but judging by the sweet nothings they had better hurry up & get a strong nest finished for those eggs which will be here very shortly!

We like them on several counts – their summer chatter, the animation and the fact that they eat many midges! Best of all is the aerial ballet they perform in the autumn when the fledgelings are fed mid-air, parent & baby make an imaginary arc as they fly up to meet each other – it is breathtaking.

Bealach na Ba cycle event

43 mile Shieldaig round Applecross & back

Thomas’ Bealach cycle challenge.

The “short” 43 mile cycle event has taken place  in the village, early May for the last 3 years. This is a personal challenge which starts  in Shieldaig,  goes over the Bealach Na Ba around the Applecross peninsular going through some amazing mountain and coastal scenery, back to Shieldaig. The ascent over the Bealach goes from sea level to 2050 feet in just 6 miles. The views from the top across to the Isles of Skye, Raasay & Rona are beautiful – not that the 500 cyclists appreciate this, having puffed to the top.

Thomas decided to have the spur of raising some money for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust . Many thanks everyone who sponsored him – £100 was raised. His time was just under 4hours 30minutes (the quickest time was about 2 hours 20minutes).

There were various incidents Thomas style. He collected various bits of kit people had lost on the way up (2 sodden jackets & a pump) lugged then all the way to the top of the Bealach before handing them in to a marshall.  Had a touch of brake failure & a bit of bother with some gravel. Decided to have a cold refreshing shower under a waterfall to wash the bog off (that he landed in). Stopped for refreshment several times & concluded that the Aurora flapjacks were definitely the best of the lot. Having finished that he came home & cooked meals for guests!