Lann Dearg Studios Invermoriston Loch Ness

Flycatcher progress

2011-06-28T18:36:00.002+01:00

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

2011-06-23T09:07:00.002+01:00

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

2011-04-09T11:41:00.003+01:00

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.

Himalayan Balsam

2010-09-03T17:03:00.003+01:00

This week summer has arrived along with September; the best few days sunshine for weeks.

Along the Dalcataig Road outside Lann Dearg there is a good crop of Himalayan Balsam with its pink flowers shining in the late afternoon sun. This plant is described by many as invasive and to be treated as a weed but we think it looks really attractive along the road.

The Rose Bay Willow Herb has also been quite a source of colour.

Still time to book a late summer break in September. Check out the vacancies on the web site.

Loch Ness Walk Mini Stone Seat

2010-07-18T15:40:00.003+01:00

One of the walks in our "Walks from the Door" guide is to the "Dead End" as we call it. This is up a track to reach a view point overlooking Loch Ness at about 250m. It takes 30-40 minutes from Lann Dearg to get there. We go up there quite often as it never disappoints with the shadows on the hills and all the moods that Loch Ness can muster, different every time.

Another of our walks goes to the Stone Seat, we have a virtual walk slide show on the web site. The first part of both of these follow the Great Glen Way out of Invermoriston. But we think the Dead End is a better viewpoint because it's higher up and so there is somewhere to sit, we made a mini stone seat, pictured here, with just room for two friendly people. Looking down the Loch towards Inverness in the other picture you can see how pretty the sky was last night.

Loch Ness Spring Update 2

2010-06-10T12:48:00.003+01:00

Nearly summer but here near Loch Ness the seasons are a little later than in the south of England.

The spring "heatwave" has come and gone and very nice it was too, with temperatures well over 20ºC for several days. Then the low pressure won and it's been much cooler this week.

Just outside the Studios here at Lann Dearg there is a Rhododendron bush growing on the bank that we thought was a bit sickly. But this year for the first time it has flowered. Maybe the cold winter shocked it into action. It's quite pretty anyway.

Still time to book for July and August. We have some vacancies and you can see full detail on the web site here.

Loch Ness Spring Update

2010-05-06T16:58:00.002+01:00

Another update from Lann Dearg on the progress of spring around Loch Ness.

The May Bank Holiday has passed and here we are on election day. Politics doesn't cause much of a stir here. No posters or battle buses but we occasionally get leaflets and the village hall is sometimes used for our MP's surgery, although often nobody comes.

On Saturday 1st May we had the Maggies Cancer Caring Centres Monster Bike and Hike on the Great Glen Way passing by. Lots of volunteers from the village help with the catering in the Glenmoriston Millennium Hall which is the Bronze finish point. We have served soup rolls and cake to the participants now for the past 6 years and this year we catered for 1000 people. Shows that here in the Highlands there is still some community spirit extant. Perhaps that's what they mean by a Big Society, although we tend to think of ourselves as quite a small one.

Come and visit us in Invermoriston and find out for yourselves.

Loch Ness Spring

2010-04-14T16:09:00.002+01:00

It does now look as if Spring is going to happen around Loch Ness. 2 weeks ago there was snow and the daffodils were not out of the ground. Earlier in the week the temperature rocketed to 19ºC and the daffodils, as you can see, have raced up and into bloom; well most of them anyway.

Easter has now come and gone again and new season's walkers on the Great Glen Way have started to appear.

We had a new TripAdvisor review today from walkers who stayed with us at Lann Dearg last week. They seemed to enjoy their stay, despite a bit of rain on the way. See what they said - Click Here

Loch Ness Freeze

2010-01-08T15:33:00.002Z

The snow that fell on the 20th December that we noted in the previous blog post is still with us. We have looked out on a white landscape for 3 weeks now and the temperatures are still falling. Last night's low was -14ºC and it has not risen above -10ºC all day. And Invermoriston is always warmer than further up Glenmoriston.

But some time in the past 3 weeks there was a slight thaw up to at least 1ºC and these amazing icicles have formed round the Studios. Loch Ness is still "steaming" as the water temperature is probably about 15º higher than the air above it. Not too many swimmers though we did see one hardy pair of walkers tramping through the snow doing the Great Glen Way over New Year.

Despite all this, we are sure that spring will come and the days are already getting longer so keep an eye on our availability page and book now for when the green shoots are appearing. You can always keep an eye on our webcam to see what's happening.

Loch Ness Winter

2009-12-20T11:07:00.004Z

Just over a month since the last Autumn post and the scene from the Studios looks decidedly wintry today. The promised snow heading down the country from the north west reached us yesterday with a fall of about 15cm overnight.

This picture was taken at about 9:30am today, less than 30 minutes after the official sunrise and you can see the hill on the other side of the Glen lit up by the sun.

We have just cleared the drive and the snow has just started again. Such is life.

The Great Glen Way will be very pretty today but few will see it, although we have some bookings for the "spring rush" of walkers.

Invermoriston has settled into winter mode now with weekly quiz nights at the Glenmoriston Arms, Carol Service in the Village Hall this week and the usual round of parties. Not many visitors taking advantage of a winter experience in the Studios.

Shortest day tomorrow so we can look forward again but there's Christmas and Hogmanay to see to first.

Loch Ness Autumn - Week 7

2009-11-15T10:34:00.003Z

It's really quite November like now. At 10:30am this morning the temperature is about 5ºC and although the weather is much improved on yesterday, it feels a bit grey.

The colours have nearly gone now. Compare the trees just the other side of the Dalcataig Road with no leaves. Just a trace of gold in the Larches on the other side of the Glen.

The Annual Craft Fayre in the village was last week and that's a sure sign that Christmas is coming. There have been a couple of frosts now and one day where the temperature did not rise above zero.

This is not one of our busy months but the Accommodation is still here and the Studios are cosy enough, thanks to the oil fired heating system.

Loch Ness Autumn - Week 6

2009-11-04T09:00:00.003Z

This picture was taken at just before 9:00am this morning. The temperature is 1.5ºC but it feels quite pleasant as there is no wind. The sun is low creating long shadows and lighting up the tops of the trees, with a bit of wispy cloud drifting along the Glen towards the west.

Still quite a lot of colour in the trees; the Larches are really hanging on this year.

Most of the tourists have gone now and the villages around Loch Ness are settling down to the peace and quiet that winter brings.

But there are several attractions open all year including Urquhart Castle and the Loch Ness Monster Exhibition in Drumnadrochit. And the drives we suggest on our Days Out web site page are all still attractive at this time of year. Still a trickle of Great Glen Way walkers and we are starting to get bookings from next years hikers.

Loch Ness Autumn - Week 5

2009-10-30T11:11:00.002Z

4 weeks since the first picture. Lots of leaves have now fallen and some trees, notably the Silver Birches, of which there are many, have almost none left now.

It's unseasonably mild today, the temperature outside is 16.5ºC which is warmer than some days in August this year!

But the Highlands in the Great Glen around Loch Ness are inexorably sinking into winter slumber now that the clocks have changed.

Yesterday there were flocks of Fieldfares passing over, heading south east. Presumably they are on a migratory path to their winter quarters. Quite noisy too with a chattering call to each other. See the main web site for details of availability if you want to come to Invermoriston for a last look around Loch Ness before winter.

Loch Ness Autumn - Week 4

2009-10-23T17:31:00.003+01:00

3 weeks on from the Week 1 picture and still deeper colours with most of the leaves still on the trees. The larches on the other side of Glenmoriston always produce a nice contrast to the spruces they adjoin.

Another mild and sunny day, just as we hoped at the beginning of the month.

We reckon next week may be the last for the leaves, depending on the wind and temperature, so we'll see if next week's post shows mostly coniferous green again.

We are seeing a few late season Great Glen Way walkers now. These must be the clever ones we think.

Loch Ness Autumn - Week 3

2009-10-15T12:43:00.002+01:00

2 weeks since the Week 1 picture and the trees have definitely turned colour. It's the same all around Loch Ness giving a special tone to the backdrop of hills each side of the Loch.

Today it's a bit damp and the clouds are drifting below the hill level opposite to Lann Dearg. The temperature is however 13.4ºC which is quite mild for October.

It looks like it will be an excellent year for the Autumn colours and the Rowan berries have also been really full this year.

Another couple of weeks and a wind and it will all be gone.

Not too late to book a short break if you want to catch it. Details on the web site.

Loch Ness Autumn - Week 2

2009-10-07T12:12:00.004+01:00

So here we are in week 2 of the countdown to Autumn around Loch Ness. Today has turned out sunny after a grey and damp start so you can see the trees quite well. A bit more colour perhaps but the real autumn golden tint is still a week or three away we think.

October has been good so far with some super clear sunny days and crisp air temperatures. Pity most of the visitors miss it but the secret's out now.

We are still seeing Great Glen Way walkers taking advantage of the excellent walking conditions. The midges are mercifully not present now.

Loch Ness Autumn - Week 1

2009-09-30T15:30:00.008+01:00

Countdown to Autumn.

Now that the equinox has passed we can expect autumn around Loch Ness to creep up on us quite quickly.

But the trees are still green although just starting to turn and most years the best autumn colours are not until the end of October.

It has been a mild September with rather better weather than August but October is often good and we are hoping this year will come up to expectations.

We thought we would publish a weekly blog post with a picture of the trees with the view across Glenmoriston from the corner of the Studios. Of course you can see a similar view from our web cam any time, with a half hourly refresh.

The picture is taken looking down our drive to the Dalcataig Road where the Great Glen Way passes us just before entering Invermoriston.

Next week we'll see if the trees have turned more golden.

Loch Ness Eggs

2009-08-31T18:05:00.003+01:00

No, not Loch Ness Monster eggs but the results of a fascinating survey of our guests preferences for the way they like their breakfast eggs cooked.

As a result of detailed analysis of this season's egg preferences, we can reveal that in top place with 37% is scrambled, second place with 28% fried and in third place with a disappointing 23% poached. We were asked for a boiled egg only once.

So it's definite, people who stay near Loch Ness prefer scrambled eggs.

Of course, we offer a full range of breakfast options for our guests including our Breakfast Baskets that don't include eggs at all.

And by the way, only 17% of guests opt for porridge, even in this year of 2009 Homecoming.

Walk to Loch Ness

2009-08-26T09:01:00.006+01:00

Sometimes visitors staying in our B&B accommodation ask if they can see Loch Ness. Although we are not far from the Loch, the answer is unfortunately no, although we can see the hills on the other side.

But we are lucky here in Invermoriston, because it's one of the few places where Loch Ness shore access is possible. The A82 runs right along the shore line about half a mile south of Invermoriston with uninterrupted views of the Loch.

Better still, you can walk down to the shore and paddle in Loch Ness, cold though it is, in 10 minutes from Lann Dearg. It's one of the walks in our "Walks from the Door" leaflet in every Studio. Find out more about Invermoriston and Loch Ness on our Area Page.

Self Catering or Bed and Breakfast

2009-08-25T09:04:00.007+01:00

If you stay at Invermoriston with us at Lann Dearg, you have the choice of self catering or bed and breakfast.

The accommodation is the same and you can see pictures of the Superior and Standard Studios on our Gallery pages.

So what's the difference?

Bed and Breakfast guests have the choice of our Breakfast Basket, delivered to the Studio the evening before, or of taking breakfast in our Dining Room. Studios are serviced each day. Bed and breakfast guests also have limited use of the Studio kitchens with fridge, microwave, kettle and toaster, or full use of cooker and hob for an additional charge of £5 per night.

Self Catering guests have full use of all kitchen facilities and are free to prepare meals as and when they wish. Self Catering Studios are not serviced.

We have a separate tariff for each option and self catering guests have the option to take breakfast if they wish at £6 each. B&B is charged per person per night and self catering by the night for the Studio for 2 people.

Confusing? Not really and our guests seem to like the flexibility and choice.

By the way, we have separate STB 4 star awards for both bed and breakfast and self catering.

Flipkey and TripAdvisor

2009-08-14T17:18:00.003+01:00

We have just added a new page to our web site showing reviews that our Guests have left with both Flipkey and TripAdvisor.

As TripAdvisor is for serviced accommodation and we offer both B&B and Self Catering at Lann Dearg Studios, we have also joined Flipkey which is also a TripAdvisor company that markets vacation rental (self catering) accommodation. This means that our Guests can leave reviews in either.

Flipkey works slightly differently to TripAdvisor in that guests will receive an email from Flipkey inviting them to leave a review.

If you have stayed with us, please do share your experience.

Wifi at Lann Dearg Studios

2009-08-04T19:24:00.003+01:00

We have a Wifi access point in the Studios. For a small charge per hour guests can make use of a broadband internet connection using their own laptop or other mobile device.

Time can be purchased online with a card or we can supply prepaid vouchers with a login code.

Charges are 1 hour £2, 2 hours £3, 3 hours £4 and 6 hours £5. The time can be used in sessions during a stay provided you log out at the end of each to "stop the clock"

A small feature of our accommodation to let you keep in touch with the world if you feel the need.

Walks from Lann Dearg

2009-07-21T20:32:00.005+01:00

One of the walks in our own "Walks from the Door" leaflet is to the Stone Seat, a viewpoint just off the Great Glen Way. From here you can enjoy panoramic views over Loch Ness down the Great Glen and across the loch to the Monaliadh mountains that lie to the east of the Great Glen. The route takes you over the old bridge here at Invermoriston, through the village and follows the Great Glen Way up the hill. It's a steep climb at first but the metalled road is soon left for forest tracks where the sunlight flickers through the trees and there are glimpses of Loch Ness for the observant.

We have created a "virtual walk" on our web site, with a slideshow of pictures that show the route from Lann Dearg to the Stone Seat so you can get a feel for what we have to offer. The real thing is better.

Inverness Old and Modern

2009-07-14T11:47:00.005+01:00

If you stay with us here in Invermoriston, you will probably want to visit Inverness, capital of the Highlands. Inverness is our principal town where we go for more or less everything, 26 miles from Lann Dearg on the A82. There are no other towns in the Great Glen of a comparable size. Fort William at the south end of the Caledonian Canal has a population of less than 12,000, greatly increased in the holiday season by tourists occupying over 150 bed and breakfasts. Inverness, which was awarded City status in 2000 has a population of around 70,000 and serves the entire north Highlands. It is a city of contrasts as the pictures show with the quaintness of the Victorian Market, an indoor arcade with small character specialist shops and the modern Shopping Mall of the Eastgate Centre, which could be anywhere in the UK. The Old Town has a pedestrianised High Street with the usual range of shops to let. If you want big town facilities, it's Inverness or nothing within easy distance. See for yourselves, you won't be disappointed. More about the area and Inverness on our web site.

Visitors Book and Tripadvisor

2009-07-10T21:48:00.004+01:00

We have had Visitor's Books in all the Studios every since we opened in 2004 and lots of nice comments have been recorded. These are now nearly full and although guests seem to like reading them, we think it's a pity that they can't see the comments before they book with us and benefit from the experience of others. Possibly the most commented feature of the Studios is our power showers, particularly appreciated by walkers on the Great Glen Way. See more about our accommodation here.

Enter Tripadvisor.

It's easy to submit a review and if you have stayed with us and are reading this, just click here to go to the page to say what you think.

Keeping the Coffee Warm

2009-07-03T10:16:00.005+01:00

Guests taking breakfast in our Dining Room naturally have a choice of tea or coffee. We serve our coffee in cafetières, each "dressed" in a smart little jacket to keep it warm. When these attracted lots of comments, we decided to offer them for sale in the Dining Room. They come in 3 sizes and various colours, priced from £2 to £4 each. At the local Craft Fayre, held each year in the Glenmoriston Millennium Hall we sold lots of these to locals. Perhaps we should call them the "Invermoriston Cozies"

Breakfast Baskets have a cafetière included when guests order ground coffee with their breakfast.

See our Breakfast Page for more about our Breakfast Baskets and Dining Room options.

Invermoriston Entertainment

2009-06-28T15:03:00.006+01:00

This year for the first time, we have weekly entertainment in the Glenmoriston Millennium Hall here in Invermoriston. Every Thursday in July and August Jan Culshaw, a local magician from Fort Augustus is presenting a caberet style evening for visitors and locals alike.
Creating and performing Magic and Mentalism for over 20 years, Jan is a highly skilled entertainer and he has designed and assembled a brand new show for this summer. A mixture of mindreading, telepathy, prediction and other skills which, along with laughs and lots of audience interaction.
We had a preview of the show last week and can recommend it for a light hearted experience that will leave you wondering. Only £5 entry or £3 concessions and refreshments are available.
If you are staying in the village on a Thursday, don't miss it.
There's an Invermoriston page on our web site and the Glenmoriston Millennium Hall has its own web site.

Glenelg Ferry to Skye

2009-06-25T11:14:00.008+01:00

With the weather this week achieving almost Mediterranean standards, the Highlands are basking in temperatures well over 20ºC. As the locals say "we are having to undo the top button of our vests".
All this makes a day out here an even better experience and one of our favorites is the circuit from here to Skye, using the Glenelg ferry that crosses to the island at Kylerea, returning over the bridge to the Kyle of Lochalsh. One of the suggestions for a Drive in our Studio information. See the Days Out page on our web site.

There are also some ancient Brochs to see at Glenelg and we have a picture of the inside of one on our Gallery Page.

On the way back you will pass the famous Eilean Donan castle and if you are late enough, quite late in the summer, you can see the sunset behind the castle. It's an iconic sight not to be missed and all within easy reach of Lann Dearg. There's also a picture of this on our Gallery Page.

Fledglings

2009-06-19T11:03:00.004+01:00

We see a lot of seed eating birds here, tits and finches. Some such as the Siskins are migratory and we don't see them all year.
We have several tit boxes and the families have just started to fly out as a group.
The parents have been feeding little ones on scraps of bread that we put out, so in the interests of education we have filled up the seed feeders again so they can learn how to do it.
Yesterday a family of 5 Great Tits arrived with both parents and perched in various places, calling loudly to be fed. And today we have a Greenfinch which is a bit less common than the Chaffinches and tits,
At the moment we also have some gulls screeching around. They come each year to nest around the River Moriston then leave so we don't see them all the year round.

2009-06-13T17:53:00.006+01:00

This year we are selling Great Glen Way badges on behalf of the GGW Rangers. These are either sew on Rucksack Badges at £2.75 each or lapel Pin Badges at £1.95 each.
All proceeds to the Great Glen Way, which helps with their development projects for walkers, such as benches along the way.
More about staying with us on your GGW walk on our web site.

Why not visit the official ggw web site and find out more about the way and the Friends programme. We are a "Friend" of the Great Glen Way, which means we offer free packed lunches to card holders between November and March. Look for the red star in the Accommodation Listings.

Breakfast Baskets

2009-06-11T11:56:00.003+01:00

Guests who book with us on a B&B basis have the choice of breakfast in our Dining Room or a Breakfast Basket, delivered to their Studio the night before so they can eat breakfast in their own space and time.

As we are situated adjacent to the Great Glen Way in Invermoriston, lots of walkers stay with us on their way from Fort William to Inverness and it was with them in mind that we started offering Breakfast Baskets so they could make early starts if they wish.

But it has proved quite a popular option with a wide cross section of our guests.

See more about breakfast options or the Great Glen Way on our web site.

Bumble Bees and Painted Ladies

2009-06-10T12:47:00.006+01:00

There seem to be an unusual number of bumble bees here at the moment. Yesterday we counted at least 8 feeding on the flowers of one of our Chive plants. And according to the media, 2009 is a good year for Painted Lady butterflies, that have migrated all the way from North Africa.
Despite the extra distance, we have noticed lots of these at Lann Dearg all the way north to the Great Glen in the Highlands of Scotland.

We have added a "bumble bee" picture to the Gallery Page on our web site.