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| www.ardtornish.co.uk | July
2012 |
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| THE ARDTORNISH NEWSLETTER, SUMMER 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Greetings from Ardtornish | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This
newsletter coincides with the end of Gala Week - eight days of festive
celebration of the Highlands, including Highland Games, triathlon
(a gruelling course across and around Loch Aline), raft race, film
festival, treasure hunt, duck race, shinty match and grand ceilidh.
Never let it be said we don't know how to enjoy ourselves. Thank
you to the Ardtornish visitors who help and join in every year,
particularly our long-standing guests from near Edinburgh who staff
the gate at the Games, and teach us a thing or two in the athletics. |
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We're
also celebrating the completion of the Rannoch Hydro scheme, and
finishing of the first new house at Achabeag. |
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The
Rannoch dam and associated works are a great achievement - for our
own local hero Angus Robertson, and for our partners in its design
and construction, Kieron Hanson and all at Hydroplan, and Donald
MacDonald contractors. Robin Bell and Michael Bremer - well-kent
faces to many of our visitors - played a big part too. It's an impressive
structure, beautifully finished, and we're proud of it. Thanks,
and congratulations, to them all. |
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Our
new settlement at Achabeag is also making tremendous progress -
with the first house now all-but complete, the second coming on
fast, and two new affordable homes for locals about to begin construction.
Architect Roderick James and builder Angus MacDonald, seen on the
right, have lots to smile about - and not just to the camera.
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Thanks,
finally, to those who sent us comments on our recent newsletters
- the lovely feedback on the audio-newsletter (which we aim to do
again next spring), and the slightly less enthusiastic response
to the (not entirely) naked-man-in-the-spa in our last mailing.
We hope you enjoy this update - and thanks, as ever, for your support
of Ardtornish. |
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Hugh
Raven |
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| MacI's piece | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Many
of our recent visitors would agree that Ardtornish has been among
the top spots in Britain this year for warmth and sunshine. The
weather has been close to perfect, with very little rain. |
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Not
that I'm suggesting that Ardtornish is enjoyable only in fine weather.
Pack your wellies and waterproofs along with sun hats and shorts,
and you'll be well prepared to make the best of it all. |
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Unlike
many UK holiday businesses, we've had no lull in our 2012 bookings,
and July & August are both almost full. Rose Cottage since its complete
overhaul has been a great success, with rave reviews of how comfortable,
warm, relaxing and functional it's become. We're improving the quality
of all of our holiday spaces, and prioritising a winter works schedule
that we'll circulate in the autumn newsletter. |
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Wedding
and events bookings are also strong, with four confirmed weddings
in the first half of next year, and enquiries already for 2014.
It's not hard to see why Ardtornish is such a popular venue - with
our history and heritage, scenery, friendliness, personal service,
location, and excellent catering team. |
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Making
a booking has never been easier, with our new online booking system
showing availability in real time. You'll also find a special offers
page, updated regularly, and we're offering short breaks and flexible
arrival and departure days from the 1st September. You can see it
all on www.ardtornish.co.uk.
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| We
look forward to welcoming you to Ardtornish in the near future. |
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MacI |
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| Information Centre Re-design | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This
summer sees the information centre getting a new look. We've been
conscious for a while that visitors get only a tiny glimpse of what
goes on here. We're putting up a number of boards describing different
aspects of Ardtornish - from the woodlands to the hydro schemes,
the farm to the gardens. In partnership with the Scottish Wildlife
Trust and the Rahoy Hills Reserve Committee, we're also excited
to be installing a new digital screen, showing magnificent photographs
from the reserve. |
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We're
making better use of social media, with a regularly updated Facebook
page, and a Flickr account with a 'walk through' slideshow
of each property. You can find
it here, or through the website,
by following the 'More Images' link at the bottom of any of the
property pages. |
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| Photography Competition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Many
people visiting Ardtornish take fantastic photographs, so we've
decided to launch a photography competition. The three categories
will be scenic, wildlife & farm, and having fun. First in each category
wins a copy of These Fragments by Nicholas Goodison. |
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The
only rules are that the photographs entered must be your own and
must have been taken on Ardtornish. Please upload entries to Facebook,
and tag us in them (www.facebook.com/Ardtornish)
with 'photo competition' and the category in the description. Alternatively,
email them to stay@ardtornish.co.uk
with the subject: 'Photo Competition'. Please mention
in the email which category you are entering. Deadline is 3oth September
2012 and winners will be announced in the Winter Newsletter. All
photos entered may be used on our website or in the Information
Centre, suitably attributed. |
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Isla
Robertson |
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| Nature Notes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| We
were delighted to hear from a regular visitor of the Bird's Nest
Orchid (Neottia nidus-avis) beside the low road to Lochaline.
While relatively abundant in the south, it's scarce in Scotland.
Bob Stebbings was the lucky finder, and took this photograph about
30m south of the Allt Achadh Forsa on the east side of the road. |
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The
northern gannet (Sula bassana) is a magnificent sea bird
that I usually associate with my regular crossings of the Minch.
We see the occasional bird plying the Sound of Mull, particularly
in heavy sou'westerlies, but I was thrilled the other day to see
a pair plunge diving in the narrows at the entrance to Loch Aline,
offering spectacular close up views of their fishing skills. |
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| This
spring red-throated divers (Colymbus stellatus) bred again
on at least one of our hill lochs after an absence of several years.
Unfortunately the long-staying pair of black throats (Colymbus
arcticus), though seen about in the early spring, decided not
to stay. A search of the Eignaig and Black Lochs failed to locate
a nest, but I did manage to find a passing Wood Sandpiper (Tringa
glareola) which was very nice indeed. |
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Alan
Kennedy |
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| Early Summer in the garden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The
early summer is the time to explore the new paths put in by Ian
Lamb. They take us through parts of the garden that we seldom explore,
finding new views as we move from the shade of a great leaf canopy
out into the sun. Round each corner is the excitement of a new vista
across the lawns or down the Loch to the island of Mull. The shapes
and colours of the vegetation give constant variety, which change
as the spring turns to summer. The celandines wither, bluebells
and buttercups take over, with a background of grey rock and green
moss beds. |
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Ian
Lamb has spread seedlings of primulas among the buttercups, and
in June they flower together - a dramatic sight as we climb the
front drive. On the bottom lawn there is a successful mixture of
the local flag iris with exotic species from East Asia. The native
elder flowers next to the embothrium from the Andes, the Scotch
rose competing with the rugosas. |
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These
herbaceous plantings continue the interest of the garden for visitors
as the colours fade from the flowering rhododendrons - declining
slowly, or suddenly shrivelled by a hard night's frost as late as
mid-May. The interest of the rhododendrons moves on to the leaves.
The frost forecasts a day of spring sunshine, of which we have enjoyed
more than usual this year. The occasional shower produces rainbows. |
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Faith
Raven |
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| News Flashes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| We
regularly post news from Ardtornish on the website
and our Facebook
page - so please remember to drop by or follow the links
below. There are also some good new images on the property pages
of the website.
Recent news, which you may have missed since our last newsletter,
includes ... |
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