The Mute Swans have bred yet again on the small island in the middle of the River Nairn. This year they have managed to hatch 6 cygnets after last years bumper year of 9 cygnets hatched (only 8 survived). Have a look at the post for May 13th 2009. Sadly only 4 of the cygnets have survived so far this year. Click here for the full story.
You can watch this story unfold if you are staying in either Caravan 109 or 196 at Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park. It is only a 10 minute walk!
The Nairn area continues to provide some great birdwatching highlights in addition to all its usual 'culprits'. The latest 2 rarities to frequent the area are a White Billed Diver (seen again today) which has been seen on several occasions off Burghead, and a Black Winged Stilt which made a brief appearance on the mudflats at Findhorn on Sunday.
In addition to these rarities which have been seen within half an hour of caravans 109 and 196 at Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park, you can take a trip to Loch Garten RSPB reserve to see the Capercaillies which are visible at this time of year. Have a look at last years blog here.
At long last it would appear Spring is on the way with some nice weather forecast this coming weekend. After the long Winter freeze and the recent snow, it will make a welcome change. Remember you can book a short caravan break (3 or 4 nights) in Caravan 109 or 196 at Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park, and there is still some availability over the coming weeks. Make sure you look at our How to Book page.
The weather has certainly confused the wildlife in the Nairn area. The Pink Footed Geese are still flying overhead with their gentle 'oink' and there are very few Summer visitors in the area yet. However the King Eider that has spent much of the Winter off Burghead can still be seen. We would expect the first Sandwich Terns, Sand Martins and Swallows to be in the area over the next few days.
Now that the ground is drying out the Culbin Forest is a great place have some fantastic bike rides. There are many many forest tracks to cycle along and it is relatively flat and even. You can go to the 'Gut' which looks out over some nice tidal mudflats, or take a picnic to Buckie Loch and enjoy a nice sheltered spot around the corner from Findhorn. Keep your eyes out for the Scottish Crossbills flying overhead!!
Remember that is you spend a caravan holiday at Nairn Lochloy, all the entertainment is included in the price - 7 days a week!!
We decided to go out for an evening drink and bite to eat so headed for the Golf View Hotel. This is a 20 minute walk from Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park but it is a well worth while walk as the path goes all the way along the sea front. There were lots of birds out to sea with plenty of beautiful Long Tailed Ducks playing around.
We had a drink in the bar and then had a bite to eat in their Brasserie. The menu is simple but pleasant, and not too expensive. The 2 girls looking after us were very pleasant and efficient. We had a plate of Pasta and a nice Beef Casserole with Dumplings. Nothing pretentious but very tasty.
The Hotel has a nice terrace which is pleasant for an early evening drink in the Summer months so you might include this is your list of things to do when staying in one of the caravans.
Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park has been frozen since just before Christmas so the race is on to get the water back on and open the site for holidaymakers on March 22nd.
The site looks great at the moment with fresh paint everywhere and several new caravans around the site. The staff were being trained on the new Costa Coffee that has been introduced this year. Many of the staff are the same as last year. There were several new caravan models for sale in the show area. And to cap it all the beach looked fantastic. The tide was out and there were lots of birds down by the shoreline.
Overhead, there were hundreds of Pink Footed Geese flying around from the fields to the shore. They were making their usual gentle call - obviously getting excited about their return north next month.
Caravan 109 and 196 are now both ready for letting and look great. Remember you can still book for this season - either for a week or for 3 or 4 night short breaks. Click here for how to book. They are the ideal place to spend a caravan holiday in Scotland.
Now that Christmas and the New Year have passed and the big freeze appears to be behind us, it is time to turn your attention to the more enjoyable things in life - holidays for this year!! Spending a short break or a full week/fortnight on a holiday park in Scotland is a great way of getting closer to nature with all the creature comforts of your home.
Caravans 109 and 196 (196 is new for this year) are owner caravans at Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park avaible for hire to holidaymakers. Both of them are within 50 yards of the beach so you can enjoy fantastic walks or beach days just ourside your front door. Nairn's East Beach is truly fantastic and is great for swimming on those balmy days in Summer (or at other times for the brave ones!!!)
You can book either caravan now and take advantage of early bird booking discounts. Remember though that you can only guarantee one of these caravans if you book by telephone. Click here for more details. Sadly you cannot book them online.
So if you are looking for a caravan holiday in Scotland on one of the nicest Caravan Parks then don't miss out on the week you want - book now!!
Caravan 109 is available for booking, and new for 2010, we are also letting out caravan 196. Like caravan 109, it is a 2008 ABI Elan that sleeps up to 4 people in 2 bedrooms. There is a put you up bed in the lounge for an additional 2 people.
Caravan 196 is located a bit further down the park in a quiet corner by the sand dunes. Click here for the site plan. It has a large deck to the rear of the caravan with chairs to sit outside on. For full details on the caravans click here.
Remember you cannot book individual caravans online - you need to phone up and request the Caravan of your choice. Click here for full booking details.
A very exciting bird has appeared at Burghead over the last few days - a King Eider. We are all familiar with the Common Eider which we see plenty of around the coastline, especially at this time of year, but a King Eider is very special. Burghead is about a 20 minute drive from Caravan 109 in between Findhorn and Lossiemouth and has a nice beach as well.
The Snow Buntings have returned as well on Nairn East Beach. There are well over 50 of them. They look fantastic with their white and black wings as they flit between the shore and the grasses in the dunes.
So that is it. Another season is over and the site closed down for the Winter on Monday 9th November. For those taking a break in the first week of November, the weather was kind with some beautiful clear and sunny days. Great for walking on the beach or touring the local area - and all from the heated comfort of Caravan 109.
The site opens to holidaymakers from the 22nd March 2010 and closes on the 5th November. Caravan 109 will be available once again for the season and next year we are adding Caravan 196 to our portfolio. We will keep you posted as to when the two caravans are available for booking. Hopefully it should be early January, but it could be before.
For full details on Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park clik here. It is the perfect place for your caravan holiday in Scotland in 2010.
A couple of weeks ago we had a nice day out on the Black Isle with friends from Yorkshire. It is easy to get to from Caravan 109 and takes no more than half an hout to get over the Kessock Bridge and onto the Black Isle.
The weather was great with some warm Autumn sunshine. We stopped off first at Chanonry Point which is the premier place in the UK for watching Bottle Nosed Dolphins. Apparently there are about 130 of them resident in the Moray Firth. Typical - not a dolphin in sight but a very nice walk on the beach towards Rosemarkie along the side of the golf course.
We then headed to the top of the Black Isle and had a fantastic lunch in Cromarty at the Pantry. No trip to Cromarty is complete without a visit here. They make the best sandwiches around and use what is called a Cromarty 'bloomer' - a huge soft loaf of bread which is very moorish.
After a wander around Cromarty and a look at the Nigg Ferry (still only taked 2 cars at a time!!) we wandered back around the Cromarty Firth side of the Black Isle looking out towards Invergodon. This is where they repair all the North Sea oil rigs and there were 4 in dock as we looked across. They look gigantic!
There was plenty of wildlife on the water as well. There were about 50 Scaup not far offshore as well as hundreds of Wigeon. Further on at Udale Bay, we sat in the hide and watched a fantastic array of ducks and waders. There were Brent Geese, Shelduck, Teal, Bar Tailed Godwit, one Whimbrel, Knot, and probably most exciting, a Manx Shearwater. With the sun starting to set everything had a wonderful orange hue. Another great day out.
