Happy New Year to everyone, hope 2012 will be a very happy and healthy one!

It's been a few weeks since we posted anything on our blog (just getting over the festivities!). It was a fairly quiet Christmas on the site, with not many bookings over Christmas, although it did get busier for New Year. Everyone who stayed seemed to have a good time, the only thing that spoiled it was the weather! It has been very wet and windy for a few weeks now, with a couple of major storms which have brought their own problems.
Several people went out for Hogmany and enjoyed the local entertainment, with some heading to the Clachaig www.clachaig.com where a good night was had by all. We had some guests who ate at the Holly tree and enjoyed it and some headed for the McDonald in Kinlochleven, where there was a party night www.macdonaldhotel.co.uk.

Now its over for another year we can look forward to 2012 and all that it may bring. We have decided to open this January, so if you are looking for a escape for a few days, maybe to try and get in some winter walking or skiing www.glencoemountain.com, we have some short break offers. Mon-Fri is only £205 and Fri-Mon only £185, so give us a ring if you want more information. It is expected that this weekend it will drop cold and we will get some fresh snow!

We have been busy with the clean up after the big storm on the 8th Dec., we lost 2 roofs, several trees and a few dustbins (which we still haven't found)!!! Our laundry and out building lost its roof completely and our big storage shed is half missing. Several trees have fallen and some need to be taken down because they are dangerous. We were very lucky because all the chalets and houses escaped without damage.
It is quite unusual to get such bad storms in December, normally we get stormy weather in January but it seems to have hit the whole country this year.



This is the laundry roof which has been partly protected just waiting for the tiles etc to be put on!

I am just looking at some weather statistics for Nov. and Dec. and I will post them over the next few days. Needless to say its not telling us anything we didn't know. WET & WINDY!!!

The site is now closed until Thurs.22nd Dec., when we re-open for Christmas and New Year.
We still have plenty of availability if you fancy an escape to the stunning surroundings of Loch Leven. We can do short breaks or full weeks whatever suits you, a 4 night break over Christmas would cost £375 and £475 over New Year for the chalets and £750 for the cottage over Christmas, inclusive of bed linen, heating, electricity and wi-fi access.

Give us a ring on 01855 821272 or email enquiries@glencoeselfcatering.co.uk

It is a gorgeous time to visit the area, the weather is normally quite dry, bright and cold with lots of snow on the mountains, it is very picturesque!


There is plenty going on in the area over the festive period. The Clachaig in Glencoe has some good entertainment and Christmas Parties http://www.clachaig.com/p/v/whats-on/december/

You can also enjoy fantastic views at The Holly Tree Hotel, where they are doing Christmas lunches and a fantastic Hogmany dinner http://www.hollytreehotel.co.uk/newyear.html

The local hotel The loch Leven has live music on over Christmas and Hogmany: Friday 23rd December & Saturday 24th December 2011 | Live Music from the fantastic Brocken Spectre
Sunday 1st January 2012 | Live Music and Ceilidh the night away to Dodgy Ground. http://www.lochlevenhotel.co.uk/

We also have the wonderful Loch Leven Seafood Cafe just a few minutes walk from the site, where you can enjoy fantastic fresh seafood. don't worry if your not a fan of fish because they always have other alternatives on the menu. http://www.lochlevenseafoodcafe.co.uk/


There is no need to worry about getting about if you fancy a little tipple, there are several local taxi firms happy to ferry you around. Taxi Service -. Glencoe Taxis Tel: 01855 811764. Robertson's Private Hire Tel: 01855 821428 http://www.alis-taxis.co.uk/ and Rob Roy Taxi:01855 831320.

Outdoor Capital: 'Wish Ye Were Here'
by Cut Media plus

http://vimeo.com/30428583

Created for Visit Scotland & The Outdoor Capital for the Adventure Tourism Trade Association 2011 Summit in Mexico.

OutdoorCapital.co.uk

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Written & Composed by: Scot Reid

Who can believe its nearly the middle of October???? I know everyone says time goes quicker the older you get but it seems to have gone extremely quick this year.
It's been a mixed year for bookings April/May were good, lots of people around for the six day trial, the weather was lovely too, which is a bonus! We decided to offer our guests wi-fi free of charge and we put a new router in to improve the signal, so it even reaches pinemarten chalet.
June and July (particularly) were quieter than normal, with many families saying to us they weren't managing a holiday this year or they were cutting it short. Many more people ate in the chalets rather than going out, a sign that there isn't much money about. It was good because July was a lovely month for weather and we had some nice sunny days and evenings, so many people enjoying realxing on the balconies.
The grounds are looking lovely with lots of new heathers and plants.

August was good with nearly 100% occupancy, although the weather was poor this month being wet and windy not ideal for summer particularly cause the midges like it when it's warm and wet. Although talking of those annoying little pests, they don't seem to have been as bad this year, maybe the very cold winter got rid of a few!!
Most of our foreign visitors have come from Germany and the Netherlands, with a few from Spain and France.
We spent a lot of time in August painting the exterior of the chalets, so they look really nice.

September was mixed a little quieter than normal, many of those 2nd holidays, people just can't afford at the moment. The area seems to have quietened down quite quickly. September has also been a poor month weather wise!!

And so we are into Oct. which has been very much quieter than previous years and not even the half term holiday has brought in many bookings. We have noticed less families visiting this October. Even special offers and short breaks haven't made a huge difference.

Many guests who have stayed with us over the years have complained about Fort William and the lack of facilities and shops in the High St.,
it seems to be quite a problem and many are thinking of not returning to the area because of this. We have 1 of the most famous landmarks
in the UK (Ben Nevis) which draws 1000's to the area but we do not offer them a town we can be proud of.

If you have visited the area recently, please ler us know what you think and if you have stayed with us or elsewhere we would be happy to hear your comments.

The main summer season is nearly over, just another couple of weeks (I know its very scary how quickly the time passes), the Scottish kids are back at school and the nights are not quite as light. We've had a great July weather wise, with lots of warm sunny days, August not so good with quite a bit of rain so far. Business was slow to pick up over July but August has been very busy, with lots of people around.

We've been out and about trying to take as many pictures as possible so you can see what's going on in the area. We headed up to Glenfinnan and saw the Jacobite Steam Train going over the viaduct, it looks fantastic!



We also had a trip over to the Buriel Island (Eilean Munde) on Loch Leven, this island set in Loch Leven was the burial place for the MacDonald Cameron And Stewart Clans from the local area. Some of the gravestones can be seen.



























We have been busy painting the outside of the chalets and they are looking great, can't believe they are nearly 30 years old, but still going strong! We've also put some new flat screen TVs in all the chalets and cottage, the old ones have done well but they were starting to look a bit old fashioned.

We still have plenty of availability for Sept. and Oct., so give us a ring if you fancy getting away from it all, this is a great time to visit, the area is a bit quieter and the weather is usually quite good.

With the longest day now past we are into our summer. The weather has been much better the last couple of weeks with lovely sunny days and long light nights, lets hope it continues!

The area seems a bit quieter than normal at this time of year, there seems to be still some availability in the area, which is quite unusual for this time of year.
If you are not going on holiday this year, please let us know why.
There seems to be several reasons people are staying at home, mostly due to money, worries about jobs and the price of petrol are just a few.

Even though the area is quieter there is still plenty going on, many of the hotels and pubs have entertainment on. The Clachaig is a favorite with a great atmosphere www.clachaig.com and there is always something going on at the Loch Leven Hotel just down the road from us www.lochlevenhotel.co.uk
Dragons Tooth Golf Course offers not only golf for non members, but trips on their new Segway Personal Transporters, which are great fun! Have a look on their website for full details
www.dragonstooth.co.uk
We had the Glencoe boat race on Loch Leven a couple of weeks ago, which was great. All the boats looked fantastic on the Loch, here's a picture.



Here are some other pictures taken in the last couple of weeks. There have been some lovely sunsets and cracking views.

It seems I am constantly talking about the weather on this blog but it has been a talking point over the last few weeks.

While the south is basking in sunshine and screaming out for rain, here in the West coast of Scotland it has been very different. We have had constant rain for the last 3 weeks, fresh snow on the hills last week and an horrendous storm on Monday.

Air pressure dropped to 988mb with air temperature most of the day of 9 degrees. We had 28 mm of rain and from 12 noon to 6pm the average wind speed was 28mph, with gusts of 58 mph at regular intervals, the highest gust being 68 mph!!
Around the site every oak tree was damaged and 8 trees in total all fell. The force of the wind and the fact the trees were all heavy with leaves caused the many casualties!

We were very lucky and had no other damage apart from our sign at the entrance being blown off and broken in half.


















On another more positive note the area is teaming with wildlife, the otters are ut and about and one was even up under one of the chalets the other day. The pine martens are out every night getting fed by our guests and we have had Roe Deer on the shore front over the last few days. Obviously the weather isn't putting them off!!