Summer 2012 - sun, sun, sun

Wow - what a GREAT summer we are still having. It started with an amazing March and just goes on and on. It's been the best school summer holidays I can remember in the past 22 years, with so many shorts, beach and barbie days we're totally spoiled. When it poured further south we basked in sunshine. For a few days we panicked as we were told the jet stream was moving away - and it did - but not for long and now it's back. It's even mostly been too hot, dry and sunny for the pernicious midge. Sadly, when it rained down south nobody told them how great it was here, so some of the best weeks were very quiet.

March to June particularly brought us night after night of spectacular sunsets -  and sunrises soon after. Last night was another beautiful sky.

Josh and Sophie arrived in May and have been making their mark on the self catering business (and freeing up our Saturdays!) and posting lots of great pics on the "Ach na skia Croft Self catering holiday cottages at Arisaig" and  "Ach na skia Croft" Facebook pages.

Josh and Mike have been busy with the kayaking end of the business, and now have a fleet of sit-on-tops which are proving popular with families at the local campsites, as well as a good range of single and double sea kayaks and the two Canadian canoes. We have even been out on the sit-on-tops ourselves for an evening of mackerel fishing and came home with a tasty meal or two.  Arisaig Sea Kayak Centre was born to encompass this year's new guided trips, which are proving very popular, especially the bimbles amongst the skerries in Arisaig Bay with the many many seals. .Other sightings locally have been porpoises, dolphins and basking shark. There's been a birthday trip and a stag do amongst others. You can see a flavour of some of their outings on the "Sea Kayak Highlands" Facebook page.

 

Although the English school holidays have not long been underway we here feel the season beginning to draw towards the end of the main season's rush and head for the quiet September and October time which can be so lovely. If you fancy a break up here check the availability page of the Ach na skia Croft website - first date available currently is week commencing 25 August. If you're thinking about next year you can book for this year's prices up till the end of September - we already have a few bookings.

Where to eat in Arisaig

Although Arisaig is only a small village, it has a surprising number of options for anything from a snack to a romantic dinner.


Closest to Ach na skia Croft (around 200m) is the Cnoc na Faire who

"believe that dining should be fun and enjoyable". We employ real chefs who prepare honest real food with Scottish flair. The menus change frequently which allows us to draw on the natural larder on our doorstep. You don’t need to dress up to visit us; we prefer to welcome you just the way you are. Fine dining has gone - our food and service is inovative, local, vibrant, seasonal and Scottish.

A mile away, in the village, is The Old Library Lodge, a cheerful restaurant with its stone and white-washed walls and is the hub of the village. The food is Bistro style and Chef uses as much of the abundance of local produce as possible.

The Arisaig Marine tearoom provides high quality Fairtrade Organic Coffees, Hot Chocolate & Speciality Teas. There is a good selection of Home Baking and tubs of delicious Organic Ice Cream & Smoothies and good views out across the bay.

whilst Cafe Rhu, next to the shop, serves tasty meals and snacks all day.

Arisaig Hotel offers two separate area' for their diners. Open all year round, "The Crofter's Rest" is the first of the two, with its warm and friendly atmosphere and delicious traditional pub grub, it is a popular choice for both guests and visitors alike. Although the menu is varied in choice, we tend to have an emphasis on seafood dishes. Our licensed bar has a collection of popular malt whisky's and a fine list of wines for every occasion. A perfect compliment to a good dish!! Whilst or a more intimate dining experience, the Arisaig Hotel's dining room is open on a Friday and Saturday night. With a large open fire and soft candle light it is the perfect setting for a cosy, romantic evening. Our resident hotel chefs are both accomplished and talented and with a reputation for excellent Scottish cuisine, we consistently seek fresh, locally sourced produce to ensure our imaginative dishes are always bursting with the finest in-season ingredients.

That's it for Arisaig, but there are plenty more options in Mallaig, 7 miles along the road.

April 2012 - season in full swing

HELLO!!!

Where have we been? After a winter of catching up with everything "Croft-side" we are up and ready for the season - albeit with a few jobs still to do. We have a new (picket style) fence for Island View (thanks to the storms), chalets freshly painted, first cut of some of the grass, carpets all steam cleaned, Spring cleaning done and all Easter guests in situ and enjoying the Games Room and throwing a ball around outside.

The most exciting news this year so far is that our son Josh and his wife Sophie are coming up to live in our old house to take over the running of the holiday business, so we really hope they will be happy here and add fresh ideas and inspiration to the business in their own way. It will be great to have them close by. Here they are so you'll recognise them when you come.

This means Mike and I will just be able to swan around doing as we please......?!

We hope to do a lot more kayaking (had a few good outings so far) and I hope to get back to growing lots of vegetables - got the old garden all dug over, new compost heaps and the greenhouse cleared out and got a few things in. The fruit cage, which collapsed in the storms is on the mend but still needs the netting.


We've been in the new house nearly a year (it's great!) but there are still a few things to be done inside and a LOT to do outside, which is still mostly a building site. Looking forward to getting a little bit of grass and a bit more path.

Mike and Josh are going to be busy with the kayak and canoe rental and also this year taking people out and showing them some of our beautiful coastline and wildlife. No hardship there! Some visitors had a good trip out in the bay this week and there were folk pottering about on the Caimbe at the bottom of the field today.
There were plenty of people on the beaches here today enjoying the brisk, sunny weather whilst the east coast I believe is struggling with snow.

So here's hoping for a great season with lots of visitors old and new and lots of kayaking. Look forward to seeing you all soon and to lots more great sunsets .....

If you like Ach na skia Croft please give us a like or a share on our Facebook page here. We would love you to share your holiday or kayaking photos from Arisaig here or on the Sea Kayak Highlands Facebook page.

bye for now - Sheila

Arisaig through the eyes of George Riddell

George spent another weekend at Ach na skia Croft in November and struck lucky with some great light, sunsets and a sunrise for taking another batch of photos. Three of my favourite sunset photos are these ones looking across to Eigg.

As always George captured some great wildlife images, such as these of a great northern diver, curlew and hoodie crow and a mink.

The slightly less than wild life also get their photo taken.

You can see more of George's photos on his Facebook page MyWorldMyEyes

Arisaig 2011

I thought I had better emerge from the woodwork and house building to wish our blog followers a very Happy and Prosperous New Year and hope to see you all at Ach na skia Croft this year sometime, whether it's to stay or to hire a kayak or canoe and get out on the water.

If you're wanting to book accommodation for 2011 don't leave it too long as we're filling up fast, especially in Island View for some reason. If you fancy a 2 week break (and who wouldn't - one week is never enough to do all those things you want to do - visit the islands, go on the steam train, visit Knoydart, climb some hills, lie on the beach, read a few books, visit the Outdoor Capital of the U.K. with all it has to offer (Fort William), go to the most westerly point of the British Isles and see the Ardnamurchan lighthouse, or even kayak there!) then we have a special offer for the 2 weeks from 6-20 August, as our son is getting married on the weekend between and we've been invited!

We have missed the worst of the weather here in God's own country and have had more than our fair share of bright, sunny and calm days, with snow on the mountains to make everything postcard-perfect and no difficult road conditions to contend with, though Glenfinnan had its fair share of frost, as usual.

November turned out to be a popular month for kayakers and one happy kayaker has written an article to be published in the Sunday Times this Sunday, 9th. January, so we will be getting a mention I think!

Rise in VAT for 2011

Worried about the cost of next year's holiday with the new 20% VAT rate? If you book direct with the small business owner then you've no need to worry, as, having a small turnover, we charge no VAT at all! In Scotland there are many small businesses offering self catering holidays and the variety is a wide as your imagination. Scotland is 31,510 sq. miles in area, 274 miles long from North to South and varies in breadth between 24 and 154 miles.

The Highlands, in the north, is largely wild and rugged with mountains, glens, lochs and a deeply indented coastline with lots of places to explore.

A visit to Ach na skia Croft self caterig cottage and Lodges in Arisaig in the Highlands north west of Fort William and Ben Nevis,

with stunning views across the sea to the islands of Eigg, Rum and Skye and the dramatic Cuillin mountains and many lovely sandy beaches

or, if you fancy Argyll, you could try Bayview at Kentallen

by the lochside south of Fort William on the way to Oban,

will afford you that 20% extra to spend on what YOU want -

perhaps some lovely fresh, local fish from Andy Race,

or a trip to one of the Small Isles - Eigg, Rum, Muck - on the Sheerwater out of Arisaig,

maybe catching sight of minke whale or basking shark,

or a mouth-watering authentic Thai take away from Sunset in Morar, freshly made to order.

Enjoy the relaxation and delights of a self catering holiday in Scotland for 2011.

Book early to avoid disappointment.

2010 season in full swing

This weekend saw the first major influx of visitors since Easter. Bright, sunny weather with a bit of a breeze saw people enjoying eating out on the terraces and getting out and about.

At Ach na skia Croft we have a new kitchen in Island View with a larger fridge freezer - looks very smart.

Creag Mhor Lodge sadly had to have a complete makeover after having a burst pipe at Christmas, so all new in there, including table, chairs, bed, sofas, a mile thick wool carpet and underfloor heating and a lovely glass bath shower screen in the bathroom.

New sofas mean there's been a general sofa shuffle and Glen Mhor also has some nice new Sheesham wood furniture.

The new house is coming bit by bit and we are hoping to get the exterior coating going on this week - fingers crossed for the weather. Inside the pipework is operational and we'll soon be moving on to getting the underfloor heating in there.

Had a most enjoyable visit this weekend from our old friend Geoff, who rode all the way from Somerset on his motorbike to see us.

Geoff helped build and erect the fantastic oak frame we have inside the single storey part of the new house and I was pleased that he was impressed by my sanding skills and the fact that we now actually have some walls around the frame!

He even approved of the way we had put the porch up - phew!

Geoff has had his own timber framing company, based in Somerset, for a few years now, and they are building up an impressive portfolio of both traditional and contemporary designs in both oak and douglas fir. You couldn't wish for better craftsmanship, they are good listeners, and will make sure you get exactly what you are looking for.

A few of our sea kayaks were hired out this weekend and some lively seas and plenty of seals were enjoyed by all. We have 2 more sea kayaks this season (Siroccos) and 2 Canadian Canoes for folk who fancy taking the family out for a picnic and a paddle.

Geoff also had his first sea kayak christening!

I have been excited to see a black-eared wheatear around the croft - a colourful bird - and also a meadow pipit in the garden. The field was full of fieldfares this morning and the swallows have returned.