Olympic Torch

The Torch passed through Invermoriston on its way to Inverness.  Seen here crossing the River Moriston  with the Summer House in the background.  There was a large convoy of support vehicles then the torch itself passing all too quickly.  For a short distance it was actually on the Great Glen Way, a fact that the media has not mentioned.  Such excitement within a few metres of Lann Dearg.

The last picture shows the "crowd scene" in Invermoriston outside the Glenmoriston Arms just after the torch had left.  Possibly the biggest gathering of the century.

Invermoriston - New View

This is a view of the village of Invermoriston in the late afternoon sunshine that would not have been there 6 months ago. Owing to tree felling this winter, this view can now be seen from the track above Lann Dearg, previously bordered by forest.

This picture shows Loch Ness in the background with the hills the other side and Craig Eun to the left of the picture rising to about 400m. You can just see the white buildings that form the village - yes that's pretty much all there is.

Walkers on the Great Glen Way coming from Fort Augustus should carry on past the marker post up the incline for a few hundred metres to see this vista.

Walking around Invermoriston

The Great Glen Way passes through Invermoriston and we see many walkers doing the long distance route. But Lann Dearg is a good centre for walkers who want to take advantage of the many walks in the area. We have walks from the door that are covered in one of our in Studio leaflets and are within easy driving range of the Clunie ridge and the Munros of Kintail.

A good guide to walking around Loch Ness is at http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/lochness/lochness.shtml, where you will also find accommodation and services.

You can see pictures of one of the easy local walks from Lann Dearg on our web site at http://www.lanndearg.co.uk/2009/walk.html

Not quite Spring around Loch Ness

Last week we had lots of sun and warm temperatures but yesterday the snow appeared.

This is one of today's images from our webcam. But the forecasters are promising much warmer weather for next week.

It's time to think about booking your spring break.

Flycatcher progress

The Flycatcher chicks are now 8 or 9 days old and are still being fed by both parents. We expect them to fledge some time around the end of this week. They have grown hugely and it must be quite cramped in the nest as there are at least 4 chicks.

See the beady eyes now open.

Spotted Flycatcher in Invermoriston

A pair of Spotted Flycatchers have nested on top of one of the lights at our front door. The House Martins started a nest earlier this year but abandoned it and the Flycatchers added an upstairs. Despite all the comings and goings to the door they have persisted and the eggs hatched this week. Feeding is now in progress with both birds swooping in and out as if on elastic. According to the RSPB web site these are rarely seen in the North and are on the Red list of threatened species so we are really hoping they will manage to fledge the chicks some time next week.

The Larches around Loch Ness are shooting

No not a triffid like deer cull but spring has now reached Loch Ness and the trees have noticed. So has the grass but that's another delight to come.

The Larches are quite prominent amongst the spruces and native hardwood each side of Glenmoriston. We can now clearly see the pale green of the Larch strata on the hillside.

The larch is one of our favourite trees with pretty feathery leaves especially nice at this time of year.

The picture is taken here at Lann Dearg and is actually the new growth sprouting from a tree that we had to cut down last year as it was getting too big for its position.