Caravan holidays in Scotland

Nice evening at the Golf View Hotel

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.

Day out on the Black Isle

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.

Loopallu 2009

Last weekend we headed west for the 'Little fest in the west' at Ullapool. It is a small music festival with a difference, the difference being that is is based in the town, and although focused around a main music tent, involves all the local pubs and shops as well.

We stayed in a lovely Bed and Breakfast called Tanglewood House which was about a mile out of town. Anne only had one room left so the girls took that and I was given the linen room. Fantastic!!

We had a few drinks in the Seaforth Inn in the early afternoon and then had a wander around the shops. Friday's musical highlight was Alabama 3 who did an acoustic set (without Devlin Love who is expecting). After the music had finished in the main tent, it started in the town and we headed to the Ceilidh Place to take in Family Mahone. Fronted by Mark Radcliffe (Mark and Lard fame), they do drinking songs from Chester. A great night followed by a long walk home.

Saturday was another nice day so we headed to the Ceilidh Place again for a coffee. We met up with the Fired Art crew who were manning the pottery painting and face painting marquee next to the main music tent. The music highlights were the Dangleberries and Family Mahone on the main stage. The girls were doing big time Highland dancing!

After the music had finished on the main stage we headed up in to town and had a few drinks at the Ceilidh Inn (different from Ceilidh Place). We had a schnifter in the Arch Inn and then went to the Ceilidh Place again to listen and dance to Polly and the Billets Doux (this means love letters!). They are a great band - well worth a listen.

Once again we took the long walk home - longer than the night before but we were quieter when we got to the B & B!! Anne gave us a great breakfast on Sunday morning before we headed back over the hills to Nairn.

Swimming with the Seals

Last Wednesday we took a trip down to Fort William so we could go out on the SeaXplorer fast boat down Loch Linnhe and swim with the Seals. Fort William is a good 2 hours from Caravan 109 at Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park, but it is well worth the trip for a wildlife excursion on the RIB (rigid inflatable boat).

The boat leaves from the pontoon by the Tourist Information Centre at Ballachulish (next to the Isles of Glencoe Hotel). We headed out under the Ballachulish Bridge and then across Loch Linnhe to a few small islands on the far side. The tide was a bit high for there to be lots of Seals, but there were half a dozen lounging on the rocks.

We put on our wet suits and plunged in to the 'freezing' water!! The seals were very inquisitive and although they didn't come right up to us, it was a great feeling to be capturing their curiosity. There were a couple that came quite close, mimicking our moves. After about 15 minutes we decided to leave them be so as not to disturb them too much. After all it is their natural habitat.

As we swung round to head back across the Loch, a young White Tailed Sea Eagle flew out of the trees. It had a white wing tag on it which indicated that it is two and a half years old and was hatched on the Island of Mull. A fantastic end to a perfect evening.

If you would like to swim with Seals from SeaXplorer this year or indeed next, please e mail here and put Seals in the subject box. Please add any comments or questions.

Day out in Findhorn

Yesterday was a grey day but we had a friend visiting from Appin, so took a drive out to Findhorn which is about 20 minutes from Caravan 109 at Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park.

We arrived at lunchtime so went straight to the Kimberley Inn for lunch. As always it looked great and we settled down to their huge Haddock and Chips, Chilli and Baked Potato. The sun was shining when we came out so we headed round to the Captain's Table as they have a marine shop and we needed to buy a wetsuit (swimming with seals tomorrow).

We took a stroll around the headland onto the beach and there were around 100 seals basking out on the sand banks. Out to sea there were lots of Gannets diving in to the sea for fish, and there were still a few Sandwich Terns squawking over the shallows. Back in the Findhorn Bay estuary there was a flock of about 50 Mute Swans, hundreds of Redshank, lots of Knot and around 20 Grey Herons. The highlight of the day though was an Osprey fishing overhead. After a couple of unsuccessful lunges, the youngster managed to catch a fish before heading off over the Pines of the Culbin Forest.

We rounded off the day with a cup of tea outside at the Captain's Table, whilst watching the kids on a sailing lesson. Just as they set sail the wind got up and the instructor spent the next 20 minutes rescuing them off the sandbanks and righting capsized yachts!!

Golf around Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park

Friends have been up in Nairn over the last week and we have taken advantage of the fine (if windy) weather to get out and play some golf.

First up was Nairn Dunbar on Tuesday evening. The wind was blowing (so strong you could not stand still in one spot!!) but we were game for it. The course is literally a 5 minute drive from Caravan 109 at Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park. They offer a twilight rate after 5.00pm so we managed to play 14 holes for £20. Not bad on a quality course like this.

On the Wednesday we decided on Lossiemouth New Course. Not so new really as it was built in 1979! The sun was shining but the wind was still blowing. The front nine was playing into the wind so the scores were not great. However the course was in fantastic condition and looked so picturesque right next to the sea. Lossiemouth is about half an hour from Caravan 109.

The final day of golf was played at a course that we had not visited before - Hopeman Golf Club which is about 20 minutes from Caravan 109 on the way to Lossiemouth. It is a beautiful little course with a spectacular back nine. The signiature hole on the 12th (Prieshach) is a par 3 with a 150 foot drop from tee to green with the Moray Firth looming on the right!! It is great links golf and not a particularly long course. This year is their centenary year!

Autumn wildlife around Nairn

There has been a definite change in the birds to be seen around Nairn, in particular the waders on the beach. There are good numbers of Redshanks, as well as lots of Bar Tailed Godwits. At the end of last week good numbers of Knot had reappeared, as well as plenty of Whimbrel flying overhead.

There is a sizeable flock of Greylag Geese on the mudflats by the Culbin Forest and the numbers of Sanwich Terns and Swallows are dwindling by the day. They will soon be on their way back south for the Winter. Another Summer visitor, a Wheatear, was perched on our car on Saturday at Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park.

There is a Common Seal showing itself well up the River Nairn at the moment and last Friday there was another Dolphin off the Nairn Harbour breakwater. It had caught a Salmon and was playing with it - tossing it high in the air and then diving down underwater with it. Fantastic!

Aftermath of the storms

Last Thursday the North East of Scotland had about 36 hours of non stop rain which flooded a large part of the area and cut off places such as Elgin. Not great if you were on holiday in Caravan 109 but the aftermath of these storms is quite interesting.

The River Nairn last Friday was swollen to overflowing and there was all sorts of debris floating down it. There were whole trees, tree stumps and various other stuff. The water by the breakwater was a bubbling cauldron of brown soup like liquid and it was almost like being in the middle of the Gulf of Corryvreckan (whirlpool south of Oban). A lot of this debris was deposited on the beach and Nairn beach is now a driftwood collectors paradise.

The swollen river has also seen the return of the Winter resident female Goosander as well as a Common Seal that has been seen several times up near the Merryton Bridge (footbridge over the River Nairn).

Beautiful butterflies

This morning, the sun was shining and it was pleasantly warm. A walk along the beach and through the dunes beckoned.

The most notable wildlife around were the butterflies. They seemed to be all over the place despite the lively breeze. There were plenty of Small Whites and Painted Ladies. The latter has invaded the UK this year in vast numbers.

There was also one Red Admiral, a couple of Peacocks, a Speckled Wood and a Ringlet. All of these are fairly common but is is always a pleasure to see them all in the same day. Fantastic!! And all within 10 minutes of Caravan 109.

Lots of birds on Minister's Pool

Over last weekend (14th and 15th August) there was lots of bird activity at Minister's Pool. The pool is only about a 10 minute walk from Caravan 109 and you can either walk along the beach and then cut over the dunes, or take the footpath which runs from the far end of the East Beach car park past Nairn Dunbar Golf Course.

There were lots of Sandwich Terns sitting on the beach, with one lone Kittiwake amongst them. There were also lots of Greylag Geese flying overhead which was quite disturbing - they are returning for the Winter from the Arctic!! There was also a juvenile Osprey hunting over the shallow waters - the first viewing of this year.

On the Pool itself were 28 Redshanks, a Greenshank, a Black Tailed Godwit and 4 (yes 4!!) Water Rails. There were 2 adults and 2 very large juveniles. They were not shy and were quite happy wandering around the fringes of the reeds. To round the morning off a Common Sandpiper appeared and started bobbing around the edge of the water.

Since the weekend there have been a couple of Bottle Nosed Dolphins just off the Nairn Harbour Pier on Tuesday morning, and a Peregrine Falcon over the beach this morning. Not a bad little haul!!