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