The Inchree Blog

Day Cruises to the Isles from Fort William

Caledonian MacBrayne Ferries are the provider of ferry links to the numerous islands that lie off Scotland's west coast. Next week sees the commencement of their Mull & Iona and Skye Highlights day excursions from Fort William, to add to the excursions that they already operate to the Isles of Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna,
This means that there will be 8 different Caledonian MacBrayne day excursion options available from Fort William during July and August, providing super days out to these beautiful islands.

Information on all their day cruises from fort William can be found at: www.calmac.co.uk/day-excursions-from-fort-william-09.htm

Visiting the Scottish Highlands in August? - advance booking recommended!

As the ultra-busy period for visiter numbers to the Highlands fast approaches, may we use our long  experience to give sage advice....

....Basically, if you're thinking of coming to the Highlands anytime between the last week of July and end of August, we strongly recommend pre-booking your accommodation before leaving.

For most of the year, there's more bedspaces available in the Highlands than there are visitors. However, there's certain times when it's the opposite scenario, such as May Bank Holidays and the above period. This year, and just to exasperate the situation, it'll be even busier due to the fact that more Brits are undoubtably holidaying at home, and the increase in continental visitors due to the exchange rate.

Whilst I appreciate that many people like to be flexible with their travel itinery, especially when car touring, this can leave the unwary a tad stranded. Every August, I see distressed people in our reception late at night who've been driving all evening trying to find beds that aren't available. It's equally distressing having to turn them away as the realisation dawns on them that they'll be sleeping in their car that night.

Common scenarios are continental visitors who fly into Glasgow Prestwick on a late-evening flight. By the time they pick up the hire car, navigate out of Glasgow and get up here, it's very late and nothing's left. Also, folk who decide on the spur-of-the-moment to drive up to the Highlands from London (Yes, people do!) for a whistle-stop tour, again arriving late.

Even visitors who do manage to book their night's accommodation on the day can have a stressful time Folk tell me how a good chunk of their morning has been spent phoning around establishments before finding availability. All time that could have been spent enjoying their holiday.

Inevitably, the good-value accommodation (like ours!) is what gets booked up first, so many folk have to book expensive rooms in hotels (which wouldn't have been their first choice) as that's all which is  left.

Hopefully the above hasn't put you off visiting our marvellous country as it's not the intention! Simply put, a bit of prior planning can ensure a stress-free holiday when here. There are some excellent 3rd party booking websites available where accommodation vacancies are posted up by establishments. One we recommend and advertise on is www.booking.com

Have a good trip!

Outdoor Activities with Vertical Descents

A reminder to our guests of the super outdoor activity centre that's situated just 400 metres from us at Inchree. Vertical Descents offer a wide range of water and land-based activites, most of which are suitable for all the family.

Try canyoning at the Inchree Waterfalls, which involves descending the falls by a variety of ways, such as abseiling, jumping and sliding, or ride whitewater rivers in 2 - man inflatable kayaks.

Other activities include climbing and abseiling instruction, paintball, mountain-biking and more. See Vertical Descents website for full info.

Fast Boat trips with SeaXplorer

SEAXPLORER run fast boat tours, based from Ballachulish Marina, just 5 miles from Inchree. They operate daily until October, and is an exhilarating way of seeing the varied sea and bird life that exists on Loch Leven and Loch Linnhe. It also offers a unique vantage point for viewing the magnificient scenery of the Glencoe & Ardgour Mountains.

Check out their website at http://www.seaxplorer.co.uk for more info.

Fort William Mountain Festival 2009, 6th - 13th March

  The programme for the Fort William Mountain Festival 2009 can be viewed on  the Festival Website. 

Now in its 6th year, and firmly established as one of the UK's leading mountain festivals, the 2009 festival will feature a packed schedule of big-name lectures, films, workshops, exhibitions, and much more. Taking place during what's traditionally the most reliable time of the winter for climbing and skiing conditions in Lochaber, its an ideal period to visit and combine days on the hill with the evening programme.

Inchree Centre is pleased to be be a supporting sponsor for the Festival for the 4th year running - we still have some chalet and room accommodation available for over the Festival period. - just drop us a line to book.

Skiing in the West Highlands

The ski season at the west coast's 2 centres is now well underway, with both Nevis Range and Glencoe opening their tows following the recent heavy snowfalls. See their websites for daily updates on conditions.

...The Scottish ski industry has received much unfair publicity in recent years, with the press  reporting the supposed lack of decent winters anymore, (untrue) whilst seeming to take a perverse pleasure in predicting the demise of Scottish skiing. (Very BBC-ish.) Suffice to say, the 2008 season lasted until the first weekend in May, with March and April offering superb conditions.

While it's obvious that Scotland can't compete with an Alpine ski trip in terms of terrain area and variety offered, it can provide a very enjoyable short-break when conditions are right. Many of our guests make a multi-activity trip out it, with a bit of skiing and other activities such as walking, climbing or mountain-biking.

With near-parity of the pound aginst the Euro now, an Alpine ski-trip definitely isn't the value it once was - the price of 'extras' on these trips, such as 4 EUR coffees and such-like, are discouraging UK visitors, say reports.

So it's never been a better time to sample some UK skiing! Inchree is excellently placed for getting to Nevis Range & Glencoe, with both centres being only a 25 minute drive away, north and south. And at the end of your day, you've got the benefit of a cosy bar with open fire to chill out in.

New Year week in the Highlands

  Just now is good time to be taking a trip to to the Highlands with the fine, settled weather we're currently having in Lochaber. The high pressure area currently dominating the UK looks set to continue throughout next week along with the lovely frosty conditions.

We've got availability in our Lodge dorm and private rooms from the 1st onward, with chalets available from the 3rd. You can always turn up off-spec, but a quick 'phone call on 01855 821287 or 0772 0068111 always helps.

Climbing conditions are currently very good, if a little thin, with great ice reported on Ben Nevis & the back of Aonach Mor. See the usual guides websites for daily updates on conditions.

No skiing yet at Nevis Range or Glencoe unfortunately. With no sign of snow next week, it'll be more into January before this potentially changes.

We'd like to wish all guests, past & future, a Very Happy New Year & Successful 2009.

Mountaineering Council of Ireland, Scottish Winter Meet 2009

....A note for any readers based in Ireland - The Mountaineering Council of Ireland (MCI) will be running its annual Scottish Winter Mountaineering meet at Inchree, between the 15th and 22nd of March 2009.

Courses will be run in basic to progressive winter mountaincraft, and offer an informal and sociable way of developing your skills. The Scottish meet was restarted last year after a lay-off of several years, and was a great success. There's an information evening organised at the Great Outdoors Shop, Chatham St, Dublin 2 on Tuesday 13th January 2009, starting at 7.30pm to answer any questions you have, and hopefully to help inspire you to participate in the meet. (Entry free.)

Full details on the courses can be got from the MCI's website, or by contacting Tim Orr (MCI Training Officer) on (Ireland) 016251115 or tim@mountaineering.ie

Avalanche Forecasts Begin for Season

 The avalanche forecasts for the 2008 /09 winter season have now begun. Provided by the Scottish Avalanche Information service (SAIS) and updated daily, they give essential info for the winter hill-goer. Areas covered are Lochaber, Glencoe, Creag Meagaidh & Southern & Northern Cairngorms.

Lochaber and Northern Cairngorms reports begun on 16th December, with the rest starting on the 22nd.

Ben Nevis Navigation Card - available to download

Some years ago Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team produced a laminated card that gave very useful info on how to correctly navigate off the Ben Nevis summit plateau. This was after a spate of accidents involving folk straying into dodgy ground like Five Finger Gully whilst trying to leave the plateau in bad visibility.

The card is still in circulation, however some of the info on it is now out of date - the original card describes the marker poles on the plateau that were erected to aid navigation. (They were subsequently cut down some years ago by a mystery purist who carried an angle grinder up!)

With a bit of slashing and pasting in Photoshop I've redone the card as a download,  and it can now be downloaded as a PDF here. 

I recommend printing it off on the best quality settings on your printer and using card rather than paper. (Epson matt heavyweight is good.) Fold it over so the writing is on the rear and then put it through a laminator on a hot setting. (Use a 120 micron-thick laminating pouch.) You'll then have a handy waterproof navigation aid to refer to.

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland have also published a comprehensive leaflet, 'Navigation on Ben Nevis.' It can be viewed here.

 

Fort William Mountain Festival, 6th - 13th March 2009 - Programme now available

  The programme for the Fort William Mountain Festival 2009 is now available from the Festival Website. 

Now in its 6th year, and firmly established as one of the UK's leading mountain festivals, the 2009 festival will feature a packed schedule of big-name lectures, films, workshops, exhibitions, and much more. Taking place during what's traditionally the most reliable time of the winter for climbing and skiing conditions in Lochaber, its an ideal period to visit and combine days on the hill with the evening programme.

Inchree Centre is pleased to be be a supporting sponsor for the Festival for the 4th year running - we still have chalet and room accommodation available for over the Festival period.

Scotland Outdoors Magazine

Scotland Outdoors Magazine is a relatively new publication, produced by Big Bend Publishing in the Scottish Borders. As the name suggests,it highlights the very best of Scotland’s natural diversity from its dramatic coastline to the high tops of its iconic peaks.

Feature-led and backed with inspiring photography, it explores one of Europe’s greatest natural playgrounds with articles on adventure travel, outdoor sports, wildlife, ecology and conservation, plus the people and issues that shape Scotland’s outdoors.

The in-house team of writers and photographers are supported by a network of contributors, many of whom live and work in the outdoors as wildlife rangers, mountain guides and outdoors instructors.

Scotland Outdoors isn't available to buy off the shelf in newsagents - it can be found through a network of around 80 stockists such as outdoor centres and hotels. We provide complimentary copies to browse through here at Inchree, so make sure you pick it up off our rack the next time you're in - it's a great read, packed with interesting articles and beautifully presented.

More info from the Scotland Outdoors Website.

One-stop Web Page for Weather, Climbing & Skiing Conditions this Winter

Just a reminder that our webpage www.inchreecentre.co.uk/camera/webcam.htm has all the links you need to websites for checking out West Highland mountain weather, avalanche, climbing, skiing, canoeing and sea-kayaking conditions.

Our webcam is currently being moved to a better position giving a panorama view over Loch Linnhe & the Morven Mountains, and should be back on-line next week.

New Beer Tax Hike - A Kick in the Teeth for the Great British Pub

Last Thursday (27th November) saw the launch of a new campaign to save the pub by opposing plans to further increase beer tax, Axe The Beer Tax.

Britain's pubs are under severe and sustained pressure. Sales of beer in pubs are now at their lowest levels since the Great Depression of the 1930s, and 36 pubs are closing every week. More than 44,000 jobs were lost from the industry between 2000 and 2005 - and further redundancies are inevitable. CAMRA has predicted that up to 7,500 pubs could be lost by the end of 2012.

The situation is being made worse by the impact of the wider economic slowdown, and the Chancellor's announcement of yet another increase in duty this week - on top of plans to increase the tax on beer above inflation next year and for the next three years. The Chancellor increased beer duty by 9% in March this year and by a further 8% on Monday last week.  

With tax already taking up a third of the price of a pint of beer, further hikes can only accelerate the decline of the pub.

Pubs play a vital role in the social life of communities up and down the country - and are an essential part of promoting a more responsible drinking culture. It is time to stand up for a Great British tradition and save the pub.

This campaign aims to give a voice to ordinary British pub-goers and consumers, and send a strong message to Whitehall and Westminster that we've had enough.

Please join our campaign. Go to www.axethebeertax.com and sign up as a supporter.

Best regards

Jonathan Mail
Head of Policy and Public Affairs
CAMRA, The Campaign for Real Ale
jonathan.mail@camra.org.uk

Mountain Meteorology of Scotland - Article

A very good article on Scottish mountain weather and climatic trends / patterns can be read here, courtesy of summitpost.org

Explained in an easy-to-understand way, it gives very useful info relevant to any Highland hill-goer. It details how people can be caught out in the Scottish mountains through complacency and underestimation of potential conditions.