Glencoe Scotland

Clachaig 1968

2012-01-26T01:48:00.000-08:00

I won't be telling you how old I was in 1968, but have you ever wondered what the Boots Bar looked like back then?

Well these photos aren't really going to answer that for you but they do show that then as of now, it was full of merry makers enjoying the craic and a beer.

Many thanks to Jim who sent these in having seen the photos we posted of the newly refurbed bar.

Looking at photographs of the new bar made me think back to my first visit to the Clachaig in the sixties, different building then with electricity curtsy of a diesel generator which was switched off at 11.00pm (the bars closed at 10.00pm). The bar was what became a store room after the new bar was built in the seventies, one of the main differences however was the fact that there was no organised band with many bringing along their own instruments. Enclosed two photographs from 1968 taken in the bar.

I visited again in March of this year and stayed over night, good to see there is still a great friendly atmosphere throughout the hotel.

Regards

Jim

Nice to know that some things in life can be relied upon to stay the same.

New Cycle Path section opened

2012-01-24T14:02:00.000-08:00

Keen bikers that we are, Keith (Glencoe Independent Hostel) and I decided to keep it local for last week's night ride rather than head up to the other side of Fort William and join the Wheelers bike club. Fair to say that was probably our first mistake.

The path leaving the forest track is now being rebuilt with the first 150m or so complete.

On a suitably dark and damp West Highland January night we reckoned we make it easy and drive round to Duror, and then cycle back over the glen to Ballachulish and home. Not a long ride after all. Ideal for a quick ride by torchlight. Surely?

It has to be said that the climb through Duror forest does take a bit longer than I recall. And then there's the muddy path from the forest road through to the edge of the forest. Ok, so it's under repair at the moment, but there are still some peat soup sections, and the clear felled 'where the hell has the path gone?' section to the forest gate.

So, a little behind schedule, we broke out onto the open moor, the faint path across the heather, and the increasing realisation that this was no trail centre with a prepared path just 5 mnutes back to the cafe. Fortunately, we were both very familair with the route, and despite a few early nervves we quickly got stuck in to some quality night time off roading. Belter of a ride, and a bigger than usual sense of achievement as we reached the gate to the tarred road in Ballachulish. Highly recommended, but perhaps do it in daylight first and make sure you are well prepared. Read more about the route here.

The plan was to pop home, grab the car and retrieve the van left in Duror. However, after a long hot sure I suddenly found myself with a beer in hand totally incapacitated in front of the log burning stove. It would have to wait till the morning.

The Sustrans Cycle Path connecting Glencoe to Oban and beyond.

So, next morning it was. Back on the bike and along the cycle path past Ballachulish, round the old railway through Glenachulish, and along the coast to Kentallen. Magic!

Ok, so this wasn't January. But it's still a magical place to ride whatever the time of year.

And then we get to the crux of the matter, and the subject alluded to in the title of the blog. The cycle path to Oban is still under development, with some key linking sections still missing. However, I was pleased to note that another short piece of the jigsaw appears to have been added, connecting Lagnaha (the farm after Kentallen Bay when heading south) with Duror village. It might only be a mile long, but it all counts, and this particular section has the added advantage that it connects the village with the primary school and the village hall by a route well away from the traffic on the busy Oban road.

The postscript is that a couple of days later, I found myself unable to go skiing as planned (it was gusting to 111mph) and due to a meeting unable to travel down to Oban with the family on the plan B of going swimming. So did what any self respecting bikker would do and set off to ride to Oban to meet them, headwind and all. It presented an opportunity to link all the built sections of the route all the way to Oban. All I can say is what a fantastic development this is for the area, and it's a very achieveable 'must do' for anyone visiting the area. Though I might suggest that a breezy day in January won't be everyone's cup of tea - which is what I needed when I reached Oban!

Best ever view from a bedroom window

2012-01-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

We love it when we receive these random but extremely gratifying messages. It's the little that means a lot. This one from Rob, with a photo which we're sure you've probably all got in your own collections. In fact, +/- a day or so, we reckon we were stood at the very same spot snapping away!

Rob says, "We stayed with you at the end of October when it was unbelievably mild and really enjoyed our overnight stay with the best view out of a bedroom window I have ever seen in my life!"

Keep on sending us your messages and your favourite pics of your trips to the glen.

Half Way

2011-11-22T09:20:00.001-08:00

Approaching half way through now. Moments of brilliance visible amongst the chaos. But you have to look carefully.

Organised chaos

Looks vaguely familiar

You can't buy timber like this from Jewsons

Ok, so perhaps it's not a ball pit.

Cosy Corner

2011-11-18T03:26:00.001-08:00

The Ossian Lounge is settling in well. Still a few finishing touches to add but apart from a few blank spaces on the walls you'd be hard pushed to spot what they are. The hardest part of your day is definitely going to be getting off the sofas once you've had the Whole Hog Breakfast, the morning papers and a fresh coffee.

The Ossian Lounge @ Clachaig.

The room is now available throughout the day and evening, as a place to dine away from the hustle and bustle of the bars, or just somewhere to escape with a good book and a coffee in a comfy seat.

The Ossian Lounge can also accommodate small andinformal meetings. Table and seating arrangements can be set out to suit, and the 46" flat screen can easily be hooked up to a laptop with a HDMI cable for a presentation. We're hosting a local meeting on Thursday and will be giving it a first outing. And whilst the term 'meeting' can sound very corporate, remember this is Clachaig, so perhaps think along the lines of planning the next day on the hill, watching some avalanche awareness footage, as much as you do ink blotters, mineral water and PowerPoint.

OMG

2011-11-14T11:30:00.001-08:00

Windows into the new family day room will allow grown ups to keep an
eye on the kids while they enjoy the new soft play area.


A new minimalist look for the servery.

New sheeting ready for the wood chip wallpaper which will add a homely charm to the atmosphere.

It's all his fault.

A flying start

2011-11-14T02:29:00.001-08:00

Ready...,

Steady...,

Go!

The Ossian Lounge

2011-11-11T07:45:00.001-08:00

Introducing the all new Ossian Lounge.

A sigh of relief today as we reach a milestone with our refurbishement. All the guys (to whom we will collectively refer to as 'the builders') have worked their socks off to get the old breakfast room finished this morning, allowing us plenty of time to get set up for use at tomorrow's breakfast. We even arranged a little power cut last night to ensure that they had an early night and we're fresh for the final push.

There's still a few finishing touches to add, and these will slowy come together over the next week or two. But, we're 98% finished and we're fairly chuffed with the result. Hope you like it too.

Meanwhile, the poor old Boots Bar (don't change it too much we hear you collectively shout) is looking a little forlorn. With the last couple of nights ahead, the fonts have disappeared, the log racks are empty, and a few other bits and pieces are also out of place in readiness for a flying start at 8am on Monday morning.

Watch this space.

Getting Closer

2011-11-08T09:55:00.000-08:00

Since taking these pics at lunchtime the room has changed again, with a full team of joiners, electricians, decorators and floorers all hard at it and fighting for space. It's beginning to look pretty damn good!

And we're beginning to think in more detail about closing down the Boots Bar on Sunday. Yikes! If anyone fancies some Clachaig memorabilia, most notably some slightly 2nd hand benches and tables, or perhaps some framed photos featuring Himalayan scenes, then now's the time to put your hand up!

November sunshine

2011-11-07T06:37:00.000-08:00

Dry days have been few and far between recently, so when the sun finally comes out to play it's worth taking half an hour to head out and remind yourself of just how good it is living in this spectacular part of the world.

Looking down Glen Coe

Misty Rannoch Moor


Looking towards the Study, Glencoe

The Wee Buachaille

Beinn a Chrulaiste

Autumn mist on the Lairig Gartain.

A saltire flies at half mast outside Sir Jimmy's Glencoe home.

Day 4

2011-11-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of pics from day 4. The changes might appear subtle, but there's a huge amount of change when looking at the detail.

The stonework is coming along nicely - properly pointed this time.

The real fun at the moment is trying to bring together all the various elements. Wallpaper, paint, furniture, light fittings, carpet... all of which we think are in hand, but which are actually more slippery to pin down than a very slippery eel.

Which colour? 1, 2 or 3?

Day 2

2011-11-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

Busy, busy. Progress looking good on the ground even if in the office we're having a few nightmares over out of stock light fittings and carpets that weren't supposed to need replacing - but do!

New plasterboard ceilings starting to go onto the framework. Electrician's first fix for the new lighting.

New lime mortar in the original stone wall now well under way.

Day 1

2011-10-31T09:44:00.000-07:00

Day 1. Yikes! No messing about!

Time for a makeover

2011-10-28T05:11:00.000-07:00

No, we haven't moved the pool table into the dining room. We're just having a bit of a clear out in anticipation of the builders moving in first thing on Monday morning.

This table, with hidden depths, has been the centre piece of the dining room since May 1984. Not quite a family heirloom, but one of the last remaining bits of furniture in the inn left over from our move northwards all those years ago. Finally, we've decided to reclaim it for the family.

The refurb starts here!

Wish Ye Were Here

2011-10-28T02:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a cracking reminder of what Lochaber looks like when the sun actually shines...

Outdoor Capital: 'Wish Ye Were Here' from Cut Media on Vimeo.

Clachaig Christmas Party Night

2011-10-26T04:59:00.000-07:00

Join us for The Clachaig Christmas Party!

Stuff the turkey - it's a hog roast at Clachaig

We never do things by half here at Clachaig and to celebrate the re-opening of the refurbished Boots Bar we introduce the inaugural Clachaig Christmas Party Night.

With a definite Clachaig spin on festive food we’ve decided to stuff the turkey and go the whole hog….quite literally!

We'll have a Hog Roast Buffet, live music, Santa complete with a bulging sack and not a Brussels sprout in sight. Perfect for your Xmas party with friends, family or colleagues

Tuesday 20th December - £19.95 per person and the evening will include

Refectory style dining in the new look Boots Bar
Complimentary glass of Mulled Wine on arrival
3 course buffet style menu (7pm to 8.30pm) Homemade soup, hog roast & all the trimmings – stuffing, apple sauce, baked potatoes. Desserts include our legendary ‘boozy’ trifle.
Live music from Shananigan - plus a guest appearance from one of our old 'acts' out of retirement especially for the evening
a fun, informal and positively relaxed Clachaig Boots Bar style night out
not your usual Christmas Fayre, but a Clachaig spin on Festive Food

Special accommodation tariff on a bed & breakfast basis at £25 per person if the taxi bill home again is looking a bit steep.

Contact Us now to book your table.

Time flies..., when you're hard at it!

2011-10-26T03:04:00.000-07:00

The last month has just flown by, as we've all been so busy with any number of jobs. We've had a succession of things breaking down or just giving up. At the end of a long and busy season we all feel a bit knackered, but quite why drains, roofs, and boilers should also get the end of season blues is anyone's guess.

And then there's Octoberfest, as we run through the last beer festival of the year. Unfortunately the autumn has been a little damp this year, and so getting out and about in the fantastic autumn scenery has been, whilst still possible, a little more gore-tex clad than most would prefer. Not that it's put a dampener on the festival itself. Numbers are slightly down on previous years, but the beers are still selling through nicely, with some of our newer (and brand new) brands proving to be the most popular.

The Boots Bar - but how will it look on 3rd December?

But of all the things that we've been busy with this month, the most demanding has been our refurbishment plans. Much of the preparation work is now done, and we're now busy placing orders and planning the logistics of how it will all come together.

Not surprisingly, balancing budgets has been a huge challenge. However, we've been very determined not to compromise on the scope and the quality of the work, especially where the Boots Bar is concerned. The one thing that we've realised from these last few months is that if we're going to refresh the image, then we have to get it right. Actually, we knew that long before we made our intentions public, but it's been the over riding message of the feedback we've received so far. So in the final programme, we'll be concentrating on the Boots Bar and the Dining Room, whilst simply refreshing the Bidean Lounge Bar.

Changing times ahead too for the Snug Bar.

As of Monday morning coming (31st October) we'll be hard at it. We've given ourselves 2 weeks to give the Dining Room a complete makeover. Breakfasts in the meantime will be served in the Bidean Lounge.

The Boots Bar will be closing it's doors at the close of play on Saturday 12th November, and we hope to be back in business on Saturday 3rd December. Changes are that we'll still have some finishing touches to add, and will probably be hoping that the paint will be dry by the time we open the doors, but it's a plan...!

To mark the official re-opening, and also to ensure that we all get the chance to relax in time for Christmas, plans for a Clachaig Christmas Party are coming together for Tuesday 20th December. We reckon that you'll see enough turkey over Christmas, and so in true Clachaig style, dinner will feature a hog roast, and will be served in the Boots Bar. We hope that we'll see you there!

Slowly slowly catchy monkey

2011-09-27T03:05:00.000-07:00

The end of September already, which all things considered is a bit shocking considering that our big plans for giving Clachaig a makeover are due to get under way in a matter of a few weeks. However, whilst it does seem to be getting ever closer, and there seems to be many unanswered questions, we're actually more organised than we might let on. We hope!

Only highly skilled trained professionals will be employed on the refurbishment

Today should see a big milestone passed, as it's the deadline for the return of tenders. The day we find out how much it all might cost, assuming of course, that we remembered to write down everything we wanted in the tender documents.

Who remembers this? Is it time for a return of the piano to the Boots Bar?

Once the returns have been collated we get just a few brief days to go through them, analyse the detail, and check the piggy bank. By the end of next week we hope to be in a position to award a contract. From then on, there's just 3 weeks lead time allowed. Once Octoberfest closing night is done and dusted, the works begin.

Refurbishing is a subtle and tender process requiring great precision and skill.

With the Boots Bar, Bidean Lounge Bar and the Breakfast/Dining Room on our hit list, we're planning to phase the work in 3 different stages. November into December is a quiet time of year for us, but we still tick over, and can still manage some fairly busy weekends. By phasing the work, we hope to ensure that we'll be open throughout, offering our usual hospitality, and be able to feed and water our customers right up to our traditional 3 day closure for Christmas Eve.

Rae and her temporary Lounge Bar may well be making a long overdue comeback!

The plan is:

Week commencing Monday 31st October.
Dining room works commence, with a target reopening of Friday 11th November. during this period we will serve breakfasts in the Bidean Lounge Bar. The bars will be unaffected.

Week commencing Monday 14th November.
Boots Bar works commence, with a target for reopening of Friday 2nd December. During this period the action will move to the Bidean Lounge Bar, with additional dining space being available in our swanky new dining room. Breakfast service will revert back to the dining room.

Week commencing Monday 5th December
Bidean Lounge Bar works commence, with a target reopening of Friday 16th December. During this period the swanky new Boots Bar will no doubt be the big draw, and, as a result, few will care that the Lounge Bar is closed. The swanky new restaurant will be available for breakfasts, and will also be available for any families with children who are unable to use the age restricted Boots Bar.

It's a 'fluid' plan. It could change at any time. It could just vary only slightly. Who knows! If one area isn't finished, the next one won't start, as we don't really want the builders in over Christmas. We'll endeavour to keep our customers up to date throughout (Facebook is the best place to get current information), and we will work hard to ensure that the impact on our customers is kept to an absolute minimum.

Don't Go Changing

2011-08-30T01:47:00.000-07:00

We recently let slip in our monthly eNews that we are planning a bit of a makeover at Clachaig this coming autumn. Never ones to sit on our laurels, the time is now right to re-invigorate the public areas again. Most notably, the Bidean Lounge Bar, the dining room, and the Boots Bar.

And rather than simply drop this on you in November, we decided it would be a good idea to float the idea with you first. We asked for your feedback, and mostly using our Facebook page, we got a good few comments straight away. Fair to say that the overriding message was "Don't go changing", with some responses being a little more emphatic than others.

The Grog & Gruel, Fort William - the same, but different.

The issue then, is quite what would constitute a 'change'. Well, we're not spilling the beans yet. Not entirely anyway, and that's mostly because it's what you might call a 'fluid situation'. That's right, the plans haven't been finalised yet.

You know you've done it right when customers think something might be different but aren't sure quite what it is!

From the tone of some of the comments received you'd think that we were about to change the Boots Bar into a wine bar. We don't blame you, and it's actually pretty fantastic to hear that there are so many loyal fans who take such an active interest in the place. But, would we? Would we really? We've spent the last 27 years creating the atmosphere at Clachaig. You might not see Ed & Guy so much these days. That's mostly because Gordon and the team do such a fantastic job without us. But we're still here, hidden in a little black hole in a dark corner of Clachaig, only let out on special occasions. And we're still as committed to ever as making Clachaig your number one 'escape to the hills (but with a little comfort and beer)' destination.

It's more than 20 years since the Boots Bar saw any real change. It's due for a little TLC and we're confident that regardless of how much of a die hard Boots Bar fan you are, you'll still love the place come Christmas. Maybe even a little more? Much of the work will be cosmetic, giving the place a bit of a lift, making it a little more comfortable and a little more inviting.

We've already been trialling a few ideas. Have you noticed the new table and benches being tested to ensure that they are man enough for the job? (They fell apart last week!) Have you spotted the changes to the whisky displays on the back gantry. (We've increased the range by a further 40 malts). We're not just firing from the hip with this refurbishment. There's a lot of thought gone into it over a long period of time, and we've still got a long way to go.

We went through a similar process last year with The Grog & Gruel in Fort William. Established in 1994, the pub had a very strong identity and a very loyal following. However, after 16 years we reckoned that a makeover was long overdue. The problem was how to refresh the feel of the alehouse whilst keeping very much to the distinctive style; improve it without really changing it. At times it felt like a huge leap of faith, but we reckon we pulled it off quite well in the end, and it's far to say that we've had nothing but complements about the new look ever since. So, it is possible.

That's about all that we've got to say for the moment. As plans progress we'll keep you updated, so join us on Facebook, or sign up for our eNewsletter. But be warned. We've got a wicked sense of humour and we might just drop in a few red herrings and the odd curve ball out of the left field. Sorry, that's all for now. Got to dash as the crystal chandelier delivery has just arrived.

Sea Kayaking with Paddle Lochaber

2011-08-26T05:53:00.000-07:00

Nervous laughs all round as we got into our sea kayaks for the first time. Getting a comfortable seating position didn't take too long and it seemed stable enough, but there again we were still on the grass by the bays at Ballachulish. Next came the tricky bit, getting into them on the water!

The team manoeuvres into the raft formation.

Paddle Lochaber are based in Ballachulish and is run by Mark, a typically easy going and knowledgeable enthusiast for the sport. He offers a variety of courses, for the complete beginners right through to the experts looking for a certification. The half day introductory session is a bargain at £35, with all equipment (wet suits too) included. Both Ed (director) and Gordon GM) had been lamenting for a while that they should really get out onto the water, and following a chance meeting at Clachaig's recent whisky tasting session, 2 spaces were booked. Brave talk, aided by the water of life, leading to fearing for life out on the water?

Ballachulish Bridge, the Ardgour hills beyond.

In no time at all, our little group of kayaking novices were out on the water in a perfect sheltered bay adjacent to Ballachulish village. Mark's laid back coaching style ensured that we were under no pressure to do more than we were comfortable with, and very soon we were all manoeuvring about the bay, albeit with the finesse of a fully laden supertanker.

Further out on Loch Leven, heading for St. John's.

With our new found confidence we then set off on a tour of Loch Leven. We did seem to have chosen a fairly stunning day for it, with plenty of sunshine, but we all got the feeling that exploring the coastline would have been as much fun even without the sun.

In between the coaching on paddling techniques Mark dropped in plenty of bits of historical interest as we passed various landmarks, not least of which was the significance of the Ballachulish Slate Quarry which it has to be said, is best seen from the water.

Towards Glencoe and the Pap of Glencoe

Herons, common seals, salmon farms, mussel farms, the Burial Isle,... and just a real pleasure being out on the water. Fantastic! I no time at all the morning session was over and we were safely back at the launch site.

Gordon - last seen heading towards Oban

However, Ed decided that it was time to see whether getting out of a capsized boat really was as simple as Mark suggested it was, even if you're 6 ft 2in and feel like you're well and truly wedged into your boat. It is! And not only that, it's surprisingly easy to get back into your kayak again once in the water too, though it has to be said, that this doesn't usually form part of the half day introductory session!

A bath with a view (and what a view!)

2011-07-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

A bit out of left field this one, but this was a photograph that we thought was worth sharing, in a location that many of our readers have probably visited.

I must have been to the summit of Ben Nevis 50 times. I haven't counted them, but it's a reasonable guestimate. I've run the Ben Nevis Race 10 times now; my 11th is only a month or so away. And for each year I tend to average 3 training runs to the summit in advance of the race itself. So that's 4 a year for 10 years. Add to that the numerous other ascents including traverses in from the Carn Mor Dearg arrete and several winter routes back in the days when I did such things and it must add at least 10 more.

No wonder then that it's all very familiar up there. Even in a thick mist it's usually quite easy to tell where you are by the easily recognisable rocks and features. And this year I've found myself remarking on how the rocks on the path and the scree on the Red Burn have moved since last year, as each one is so familiar.

So what a breath of fresh air to discover something new on the very summit.

I'd met a couple of pals on the summit, as you do at 8.30pm on a Tuesday evening. They'd come up from the CMD and we quite literally arrived at the summit cairn at exactly the same time. It was all fairly quiet, very warm and perfectly still, so we sat and chatted a while. Another group arrived from the CMD with much drama about being dehydrated and I made the rather glib comment that they should visit the spring that lies close to the ruins of the observatory. Unsurprisingly, this led to disbelief that such a thing existed, and as I'd never seen it myself we went looking.

And there it is. There's a very evident path in the summit stones leading off towards the Steall side the mountain, zig-zagging down past the spring, and ending at the old holding tank. If it had been full of water, I would have been sat in it, enjoying the view, and preferably with a cold beer and some bubble bath.

It's not really surprising that a permanent building on the summit of the mountain would require some sort of nearby regular water supply. What is surprising is that the timber tank is still just sat there, 100 years on, exposed to the elements and the finest weather the Scottish climate can throw at it.

And what a night it was too! What a pleasure to be up there.

Ales for males & females!

2011-07-18T07:25:00.000-07:00


clearly the wrong glass girls!

We do try and keep up with current trends and this interesting article from the The Publicans Morning Advertiser caught our eye this week Whilst traditionally our clientèle at Clachaig tends to be of the hairy male climbing variety we have noticed (over the last 100 years or so) that Ladies too enjoy a walk in the hills followed by a wee refreshment. Regular visitors will have noticed our new Clachaig beer glass which is perfect for the lady who quaffs.

The marketing departments at the brewing giants have been trying to 'innovate' new drinks for our female companions for years so not sure what her indoors - who enjoys a pint or two - will make of Kristy McCready of Molson Coors who told the Mail on Sunday: “The perception is that beer is a laddish drink so Animee will be more sophisticated and playful.” Can't wait to see how that statement translates on a Saturday night in the Boots bar.

a proper beer glass

Good luck with that one Coors, although I know a few lads who would benefit from the new beer, billed as “bloat-resistant” it is less gassy and lighter than most beers......

.......pardon me!

I'm a lumberjack & I'm OK!

2011-07-13T05:20:00.000-07:00

Nice bit of firewood there!

It seems that even here in peaceful Glencoe we're not immune to a bit of serious phone hacking.
Luckily this particular bit of 'hacking' is all part of BT's grand plan to upgrade the telephone poles along the back road between the village and Clachaig.

'Timber!'

Not before time if you ask me, most of them lean further to the left than Ken Livingstone. However, we're pleased to report that work is progressing well with no disruption to our phone lines so far....

Hello!....Hello!...anyone there?

Fundraising efforts begin at home!

2011-06-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

Our next fund-raising mission here at Clachaig is to raise a minimum of £1000 towards the cost of a new people carrier for the Abbeyfield Care Home in Ballachulish. This new vehicle is vital for the home to continue to provide services for the older people in Ballachulish & the surrounding communities. Services provided include residential care, nursing care, intermediate care, sheltered housing with housing support, care at home, day care & a community lunch club.

Demand for these services is such that the existing mini-bus has driven 30,000 within the local communities over the past 2 years and with request & referrals growing a new vehicle is required to assist the older members of the dispersed communities of South Lochaber.

The first cheque for £152 on it's way to the Abbeyfield Care Home in Ballachulish - Thanks for those who took part in the pub quiz and the raffle.

We are hoping to hit the target by the end of the year so when our staff pester you to part with your hard earned cash please buy a raffle ticket & help support this worthwhile cause.

We've gone Nuts!

2011-06-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

You know how it goes, you wrestle with these blasted little foil packets and eventually the bag let's go and half the contents end up on the bar floor......until now.

So we've listened to our customers - and their colourful language - and added a selection of their favourite snacks including Chilli peanuts & Wasabi peas for those who like it hot. They taste great and are the perfect accompaniment with a pint or two when visiting Clachaig.

Guaranteed the best imperialist titbit's since chaffinches earlobes, badgers noses, ocelot spleen & wolf nipple chips...So get 'em while they're hot they're lovely.

Brian!

Something new from Bruichladdich

2011-05-26T05:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, we're in the midst of a beer festival, so here's news of a new drink for you to try, and, er, it's not an ale at all. It is in fact a gin. But no ordinary gin. However, it is quite quirky, and very Scottish, so fits the Clachaig requirements quite nicely.

Fist off, The Botanist Islay Dry Gin is from the Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay. Yes, a whisky distillery. And whilst we know all about beer and can wax lyrical on the subject for some time, we had to do our homework when it comes to gin. That we did, and instead of regurgitating everything we learned about gin on our own blog, trying to edit the wording a little so that it isn't a direct copy, perhaps it's best to say take a peek at this short and concise summary of the Botanist on a gin blog (yes, they do exist!)

Next time you fancy a gin, forget that mass produced stuff in the green bottle that has the misfortune to share a name with that craggy faced, foul mouthed, f****ng chef who gets paid a fortune to advertise it as a consequence, check out the imposter amongst the malts on the 'top shelf' and order a Botanist Islay Dry Gin.

But don't delay! It's a limited edition and there's only 15,000 bottles available (and we have 12 of them!)

A tad breezy

2011-05-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

Isn't summer fantastic! The weather across Scotland today is just incredibly horrendous. If this was November we'd be shrugging it off as a winter storm and looking forward to the summer. But for the last week of May it takes some believing. Always looking on the bright side of life, at least when it's blowing 80mph it's going to hard for the midgies to get you!

Right now the storm is still raging. We're missing a few slates, and we're watching the mountain ash trees outside the office move the grass as the trees swing from side to side. Our lovely straight tall silver birch has already toppled, narrowly missing Gordon's car (he moved it with seconds to spare). A really nice laburnum outside Oak Lodge has also gone, and there's a few more trees looking like they might be horizontal by the time the afternoon is out. Chainsaws at dawn tomorrow!

Elsewhere, the A82 closed at the NTS in Glencoe for a while - due to a fallen tree. Our back road to the village became a bit of a rat run as 2 way trunk road traffic tried to get past each other on a single track road. Fallen trees blocking that road soon put an end to that! All seems to be open again now.

And out on Loch Linnhe, with a clear fetch of water from the south west, the waves and the spray is quite spectacular. Just white. All over white. Absolutely howling!

After last week we thought that May's weather couldn't get any worse. How wrong we were!

Double Award Winning Clachaig Inn!

2011-04-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

We seem to have done rather well at the recent 2011 Scottish Hotel Awards, winning not just one but two awards. To say that it's a pleasant surprise is somewhat of an understatement! And we're especially chuffed becuase to win anything at all, you have to be nominated by you, the public, our customers.

First of the awards is a coveted Design Medal for our bedroom refurbishment. We've been telling you that it turned out rather well for a while!

We wanted to refresh our Ossian Bedrooms, and give them a bit of a lift and a touch of that luxury feeling whilst at the same time retaining that traditional Clachaig comfort. The en suite bathrooms were completely gutted to make way for new baths and full height floor to ceiling tiling, whilst the bedrooms themselves got a sumptuous makeover with some very carefully selected wallpapers and new soft furnishings.

We do have to take some of the credit for the scheme ourselves. Interior Design was never something that we thought we'd excel at when we started out running an inn. But there again, neither were a dozen other trades and skills that you quickly acquire when you're thrown in at the deep end with a business to run!

However, we do need to thank Burns Design for pulling the pieces together from the scattered corners of our brains so well and turning it into a viable and successful project.

And the second award was a Commendation for Hospitality & Welcome. Reading through the feedback we receive, both through our bespoke in-house scheme, and on Facebook (with the exception of the guy that didn't like our green pea soup!) this Commendation should come as no surprise to our customers.

Clachaig is nothing if not based on the good old traditional values of a warm welcome. And in this regard we have to thank our staff who keep on making it happen, quite often when under pressure and in sometimes trying circumstances. A big thank you!

But this isn't the end of the story. No, in good Oscar acceptance speech style, we'll drag this one out a bit further yet. We've already had the confidence to continue with some of the momentum we've attained. There is of course the Childrens' Play Area, which judging by the number of we'ans having fun on it over Easter is £15,000 well spent. And then there's the rolling out of the soft furnishings through our Lodge Bedrooms, plus a more moderate decorative makeover in time for the season really kicking off. We get the feeling that it won't be long before the rest of the bedrooms are brought into the fold.

And that's not all... But you'll have to wait a bit longer for more news!

Easter sunshine - get your top off!

2011-04-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

Fiddling on the roof

The difficulty in trying to mend a roof that leaks like a proverbial sieve is predicting a reasonably settled spell of weather to allow us time to fix it. So, after checking out the weather forecast for the next week or so we've taken a gamble and set to work. Fingers crossed for the glorious weather to continue, so far so good and hopefully an end to staff & customers alike tripping over buckets & basins every time we get a heavy downpour - not that rains that often in Glencoe!.


Glencoe's lastest 'Munro' in the making

Easter holidays coupled with glorious weather in Glencoe means lots of thirsty visitors at Clachaig. We recently added a selection of traditional lagers from WEST Beer to compliment our extensive range of cask ales and they're going down really well - too well in fact and the empties are starting to pile up. I expect they'll eventually come and collect the empty barrels when they notice they've none left to fill for our next order!


Lashings of ginger beer.....Enid!

New for Easter is a cheeky wee ginger beer from those clever chaps at Williams Bros. We love it and at 3.8% ABV it is refreshingly, eh!.. ginger, so we think you'll love it too. That'll teach those cads at Crabbies!

See you at the bar folks.....unless you're all too busy with the Royal wedding of course.

How clean is your Glen?

2011-03-30T04:11:00.000-07:00


Where's Kim & Aggie?

With spring well and truly upon us Clachaig staff ably assisted by Thomas from the Youth Hostel and Keith from the Glencoe Independent Hostel spent the morning collecting litter from Glencoe village to the A82 junction.

Along with our neighbouring accommodation providers we recognise the need to operate our business so as to minimise our impact on the environment.

No real 'treasure' found this year but we did come across 4 unopened cans of lager between here & the campsite....discarded in favour of a real pint in the Boots bar no doubt.

Can you tell what it is yet? (day 3)

2011-03-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

The secret is out. Partly because there's a big play frame sat outside the inn now, and partly because we tagged our blog entry with CHILDRENS PLAY AREA!

Anyway, the frame is now all but complete and as soon as the little finishing touches are added the landscaping will start. Hopefully we'll have the new addition open for the end of next week.

It's been a long time coming, but we already think that although we've had to wait we've definitely made the right decision. It looks fantastic, and the kids are going to love it. And chances are, that will mean that mum and dad will love it too.

We're off to write our risk assessments now, which will extend to, amongst other things, keeping the big kids off it!

Can you tell what it is yet? (day 2)

2011-03-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

There were a few slightly concerned faces on some of the staff this morning (though work rates did improve considerably!)

However, a few sighs of relief this afternoon as things progressed a little further.

Can you tell what it is yet?

2011-03-22T03:23:00.000-07:00

The diggers are back at Clachaig again. But what are they up to this time?

Check back here again later in the week and all will be revealed!

Day of days at Nevis Range

2011-03-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

An overnight frost, clear blue skies and amazing visibility, and huge amounts of snow following the storm at the weekend... Yes, today was a day to tell the folks in the office that I'd be "working from home"!

Dropping in to Chancer's at Nevis Range from Ed Daynes on Vimeo.

Best day of the winter. Well, so far!

At the top of Winger's Wall, with Spean Bridge and the entrance to the Great Glen beyond.

The Rum Cuillin were clearly visible in the far distance today.

Hope it rains tomorrow. My knees can't stand another day like today!

Snow!

2011-03-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say that if you want to get in touch with us at Clachaig this week but no one's answering the phone, or your email reply is taking a little longer than usual then our apologies. We've probably all gone skiing!

MD Andy Meldrum outside the ticket office at Glencoe Mountain today
Sunday 13th March 2011

Friday into Saturday, into the early hours of Sunday saw continuous snowfall at pretty much all levels. However, Glencoe village seemed to avoid the settling snow while Ballachulish saw several inches lying; a scene repeated in Fort William.

The chairlift at Glencoe Mountain first thing this morning.

On the hills however, there's ridiculous amounts of the white stuff. Glencoe Mountain have had to dig out their ticket office, and that's just at the car park. Meanwhile, one of the best runs at Nevis Range today was back down under the gondola line, back to the car park - and that doesn't happen very often.

Catch this! Nevis Range car park earlier today.

Conditions like these don't come often enough, so while they're here we hope you don't blame us for making most of them. Normal service will be resumed as soon as the legs are too tired...

(And jesting aside, power to the local transmitter mast has been interrupted, causing a loss of mobile signals. Not sure how long the problems will continue but be advised that mobiles in the Glencoe/Ballachulish area are likely to be without signal at the moment.)

Winter isn't over yet!

2011-03-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

For everyone who thinks that the warmer temperatures of last week and the daffodils poking through in the garden mean that winter is over, think again! Snow is very much the weather of the moment, and chances are the folks at Clachaig will be hitting the slopes given a spare moment.

Tempted to join us? Read this press release from Glencoe Mountain and you will be!

‘There is more snow on the mountain now than ever!’ quotes ski patrol at Glencoe Mountain Resort who have managed to get up to the patrol hut for the first time in two days due to the storm. After a particularly vicious thaw in February it makes a most welcome change, just three days of high winds (which were recorded gusting 110mph!) and heavy snowfall, the entire resort is white again and all the gullies, streams and rock faces are covered in a smooth layer of packed powder snow. Even the run down to the car park (down at 305m) has been skied a few times already today.

Looking good for the weekend - but eating your packed lunch could be a chilly affair

The resort has been quiet all season which means while many people rushed for the big centres of Glenshee and Cairngorm, Glencoe has managed to stay free of queues and car parking issues and with the A82 running past the front door, the road is usually the first to be cleared. The £30k of brand new Salomon skis and snowboards that arrived at ski hire have had a relatively easy winter so there isn’t they don’t have the ‘scottish hire ski syndrome’ of gouged bases, buckled edges and creaky bindings!

With the mountain being quiet the ski school have been able to spend lots of time building rails and boxes for the park with the help of the GPC (Glencoe Park Crew) last weekends ‘Freestyle Jam’ saw some really exciting action from some of the countries best skiers and boarders, Glencoe Mountain’s sponsored rider Hector Barbour took first place with some huge airs off the top kicker, good training for his next big event The Brits, out in Laax, Switzerland.

So if you are looking for the fresh stuff this weekend without getting stuck in queue, you will find Glencoe Mountain is the place to be!

www.glencoemountain.com
01855 851226

Family Appeal

2011-02-24T08:12:00.000-08:00

Have you visited Clachaig over the past couple of years and marvelled at the new car park? Making the most of the spoils from some fairly significant local roadworks, we were able to infill a boggy and useless piece of ground and provide some more much needed car parking.

Looks good doesn't it. But what's that big bit left in the middle for?

Well, it's taken a while to find the right solution, but we've got there in the end. Finally, we can reveal the new Clachaig Children's Play Area. Orders have now been placed and we're optimistic that we'll have one of these fully installed and ready to go in time for the Easter holidays.

As Clachaig and Carefree Self Catering Holidays increasingly cater to a larger number of families, both as residents and simply as customers within the bars, we think this investment will help to continue our broad and popular appeal as THE place to stay, wine and dine when in the Glencoe area.

More in due course, or follow our progress by becoming a Facebook fan.

Scottish Secretary Drops By,,,

2011-02-22T02:19:00.000-08:00

Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team has been fairly quiet as winters go. The hills have certainly been busy so perhaps everyone has been taking note at Clachaig's Winter Mountain Safety Lectures (- the next one is this evening, and FREE!)

Trucks, cars, quad bikes, boats, mobile loud hailers and off roaders...

However, there's still plenty to keep mountain rescue in the news these days. Recently came the news that Mountain Rescue Teams will be able to reclaim VAT on equipment purchases, meaning that the donations that the teams survive on will be able to go much further than before.

And then there's the recent uncertainty over the future of the Search and Rescue Helicopters, and how the service will continue now that the Sea Kings operated by the Navy and the RAF are coming to the end of their useful lives.

Or perhaps the concerns over the impact on Mountain Rescue if plans to merge Scotland's Police Forces to single force are followed through.

So, with various issues constantly bubbling away, it's nice to know that people are listening to those in the know. And nice to be able to play host to Michael Moore MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, who came along to the rescue centre yesterday, to speak to the Glencoe Team, and learn more about how the team functions.

You can read Michael Moore's press statement following his visit here.

Does what it says on the tin!

Quiet February?.....You must be joking!

2011-02-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

James preparing a new delivery

Clachaig is buzzing at the moment as we go into the second week of our winter beer festival. The cellar is rammed with a selection of Scotland's finest cask ales from Cairngorm, Williams Bros, An Teallach, Glenfinnan & Caledonian to name but a few.

Plenty of things to do in the evening too, whisky & ale tastings, mountain safety lectures, quizzes & of course plenty of live music & craic by the bucket load.

Winter safety lecture

Meanwhile through in the lounge bar over 60 hardy outdoor enthusiasts enjoyed last nights lecture on
Winter Mountain Safety presented by Roger Wild (UIAGM Mountain Guide and ex Safety Advisor with the MCofS) The main focus of Roger's lectures was winter navigation, vital training that apparently paid off as some of them managed to navigate through to the boots bar afterwards....job done.


Books 'R' us

Following the recent makeover to our residents lounge we've added a couple of bookshelves and filled them with...er...books. Guests & visitors alike can borrow, buy or swap. All we ask is a few pennies for Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team. We've even come up with some innovative bookends....old whisky boxes...empty of course, sorry folks.

Everybody's got to learn sometime!

And to add to the workload we're busy training our 'newest' recruits as we gear up for a busy season. Jessica originally helped us out in our housekeeping team at weekends & during school holidays, but she's all 'growed' up now and has returned from her studies for a stint on the front desk....
......Still no Hawkers or Campbells but smiles all round & a friendly welcome guaranteed.

Get Real!

2011-02-07T05:47:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed our "Customer Promise"? Take a peek at our web site and you'll find it there beneath the business name. It's a kind of "Ronseal" message; it tells you what you're going to get; does what it says on the tin. You'll notice that it features heavily on the 'real'. That's because for the last, er 27 years (yikes!) it's been the driving motivation behind our business. Good, honest, straight up hospitality.

Clachaig & Carriages

So why do we mention this now? Well, have just been looking at an invite to a trade dinner in London. Not really our thing, especially as it'd mean a day missed on the hills/slopes at this time of year. But in reading the running order for the evening at the swanky top class hotel we noticed that the proceedings end at 2am with "Carriages".

Now we might be country bumpkins after a quarter of a decade in the glen, but do folk in London really go home at the end of the night in Carriages? Get Real!

Clachaig. Real People, Real Hospitality Real Craic. And if you can't be bothered walking to your tent at the end of the night, book a taxi!

It's the little things that take the time

2011-02-03T07:05:00.000-08:00

Finally, after what feels like months, our two and a half week simple refurbishment job is somewhere near what we might call complete. Despite getting off to a flying start, it was the little things that take so long to finish off. Even now we're still in need of a carpet repair and a couple of other details which are probably so small that you'd not notice them unless we told you. But being perfectionists...!

So here's a taster of the finished product. We think it's turned out rather well, and from the feedback so far, so do you!

Room 6, Ossian Wing, Clachaig Inn, Glencoe

For a reminder of where we started from see our blog post from 8th December. And for plenty more pictures of the finished item, see the gallery pages on the Clachaig web site.

Did you miss all the drama as the refurbishment progressed? Feeling left out? Keep up to date with all things Clachaig and join us on either Facebook or Twitter.

Great chieftain o' the Puddin-race!

2011-01-30T07:01:00.000-08:00

'scuse me, haggis coming through!'

Piper John MacCallum squeezing through a packed Boots bar on Saturday night as Clachaig paid tribute to Scotland's national bard in our own inimitable style.

Following a few of the usual formalities (but not the boring bits) including the humane culling of a local wild haggis, White Rose carried out a ceremonial 'claymoring' of the beast much to the delight of the masses.

'His knife see Rustic-labour dight'

Dougie & Kevin were in fine voice as they addressed the haggis under the watchful eye of our Head Chef, Davy.
Rumours of several vegetarians seen heading for the toilets to the sound of 'trenching your gushing entrails bright!' as everyone raised a glass of uisge beatha.

A great night was had by all judging by the late, and missing breakfast guests this morning......obviously the free haggis is to blame!

For Auld Lang Syne

2011-01-03T08:58:00.000-08:00

Whiterose bring in 2011 to the masses
(Photo by Ashley Duckerin)

Why settle for one hogmanay party when you can have two! Whiterose duo Dougie & Kevin play to a packed Boots bar whilst........

Boots Bar revelers
(Photo by Ashley Duckerin)

......meanwhile, through in the Bidean Lounge, Bonnie & Jim entertain a select audience of residents & old friends 'til the wee sma' hours!


If there's room to sit, there's room to dance (Photo by Ashley Duckerin)


What to wear....Kilt or Lederhosen? (Photo by Ashley Duckerin)

A picture says a thousand words and judging by these pics everyone had a great time during the New Year celebrations.

A big thank you from all at Clachaig to the many visitors & guests who graced our humble Inn over Hogmanay. We wish you a Happy New Year & all the very best for 2011.

Some of our front line troops...still up for a party!
(Photo by Carol Harper)

Of course all this fun & frivolity would not be possible without the care & attention that our hard working staff lavished on our customers & guests to make this years celebrations a bit special....Thanks for all your efforts.

Ossian Bedrooms Refurbishment

2010-12-08T01:14:00.000-08:00

How are you liking our new feature bathrooms. Why hide your bath in a little en suite when you can have a bath right slap bang in the middle of your bedroom?!

Room 5 with a new look

We're now half way through our project to completely refurbish our 4 bedrooms in the Ossian Wing. Chaos rules. Despite working inside, the wild winter weather has been taking its toll, mostly because many of our trades are coming up from the Central Belt. Or not, as the case may be!

We've gone right back to the guts of the building on this one. We've found some very old original panelling, and some very wacky wallpaper which would probably be quite fashionable now if it wasn't so faded by generations of being hidden away. Much of that is now disappearing again as we start to put it back together.

Room 4 - from this...

As you can see, the bathrooms are being completely rebuilt. New baths, fully tiled throughout, heated towel rails... And the bedrooms also get a complete once over with new furniture, new radiators, 26" flat screen TVs, new carpets and some fairly bold wallpaper.

... to this. Room 4 at the moment!

Meanwhile chaos also reigns at The Grog & Gruel where we're also midway through the makeover. Only another week and this will all be a distant memory, and it will all be calm and peaceful again. Or so we're told!

Room 5 bathroom - minus bath

The wee resident's lounge is also getting a bit of TLC too. Stone walls, bold wallpaper and some timber panelling will give it a completely new look. We're also creating a little book corner - more news about that later. The only slightly worrying thing is that we still haven't selected a wallpaper for the corridors!

Winter has arrived!

2010-12-03T09:45:00.000-08:00

There is no escaping the news that Winter has arrived in Scotland and with that the ski season is about to kick off. Being located close to Glencoe Mountain Resort they provided us with the following information to share with you.

View from the summit at Glencoe Mountain

Glencoe Mountain Resort, the UK’s original snow-sports destination is now gearing up for the 2010/2011 season. With heavy snow falling all over the country Glencoe looks like it is on track to have it’s earliest ever opening. For details about the opening date and to receive weather and news updates from the centre please go to www.glencoemountain.com/signup.html

Over the summer there has been lots going on at Glencoe including the creation of a brand new beginner’s area with its very own tow exclusively for the snow sports school. This will make the learning experience even better than before. Work is also ongoing with creating a brand new terrain park. This park will have exciting new features for advanced riders and also a brand new beginner’s area making the park accessible to all levels of skier and snowboarder. Freestyle lessons will be available on a daily basis through the snow sports school. If you need to hire skis or a snowboard then you won’t be disappointed – 70% of all our boards and skis are brand new for this season. We also for the first time ever have top of the range Trespass ski suits available for hire. This is on top of what’s always been available at Glencoe – namely the amazing off piste opportunities, the steepest black run in the UK, great natural gullies and features and some of the best beginner’s terrain in the country. Combine that with one of the best ski schools in the country, friendly staff and a great community feel and we are confident you will have a great time whatever the weather.

See you soon at Scotland’s original and best ski area www.glencoemountain.com

Christmas shopping and the GMRT

2010-11-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

With Christmas approaching, many of you will no doubt be eagerly looking forward the inevitable pre-Christmas trip to the shopping centre. Surely there can be no better way to spend a hard earned day off, than to wander aimlessly from shop to shop, looking for that perfect gift? Add in the thrill of trying to find a parking space, navigating through the crowds, the long queues, and you’ve got the makings of a real epic!

If, however, this isn’t your “cup of tea”, and you’d rather shop online and let the postman do the work, then are you helping the Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team at the same time? And if not, why not?

It was around this time last year we here at Clachaig set out to try and raise some extra funds for the local team using the EasyFundRaising scheme. We’ve just passed the £200 mark, which isn’t bad given that not one of the supporters so far has had to give a single penny of their own money, but it could be a lot more if we can persuade more of you folks out there to help us.

Details of how this works are available on our GlencoeScotland website. In short, pretty much every time you buy something online, you could be adding a little more to the team’s funds. The cost to you? Nil. Not a penny, Just a minute or two to register (email address and chosen cause only) and a few seconds each time you shop to go via the EasyFundRaising site first. Say for example you buy a £9.99 DVD from Amazon, then Amazon (and NOT you) will pay a 2.5% commission/donation to the GMRT. Okay, only 25p in this example, but if enough folks help out then that can easily build into a more meaningful figure. Don’t forget, this isn’t a one-off or short term scheme, but ongoing.

So, in the coming weeks, when your credit card is taking a bit of a hammering, console yourself with the fact that at the same time, you could be helping out the GMRT. With snow on the hills, and more on the way, these guys are likely to be in for another busy winter. Take a minute or two to read a bit more, and hopefully we can convince you to sign up and help out. It’s all for a good cause, as the saying goes.

Never a dull moment

2010-11-24T02:09:00.000-08:00

There's barely a sole around at the moment. The skies are clear, the frost is crisp and the snow on the mountains looks like it needs playing in. (Have a look at a couple of the featured blogs on the right hand side for some proof!) But despite all that, there's not much chance of sneaking out for a little fresh air this week.

Clachaig's Ossian Bedrooms - time for a makeover

As soon as our weekend guests check out on Sunday morning we make way for a team of joiners, plumbers, decorators and electricians, as they invade our peace and crack on with the refurbishment of our Ossian bedrooms.

The four bedrooms, along with their adjoining en suite bath, shower and toilets are all being given a complete makeover. In addition, we'll be giving the wee lounge a new lease of life, along with the connecting corridors and stairwell. What started out as a fairly simple 'lick of paint' has turned into a fairly major makeover.

These bedrooms were the first to be refurbished when we set about bringing Clachaig up to a good modern standard several years ago. They've served us well, and still look good. But there's never time to stand still and we're now taking them to the next level. Carpets, wall coverings, furniture, baths, tiles, sinks.... All change!

And as we never tend to do anything by halves, we're also clearing out The Grog & Gruel on Sunday morning too. After 16 years, Fort William's favourite Traditional Alehouse and Restaurant is also getting a bit of a makeover. With the impossible brief of modernise the theme, but don't break what's already there, we're pretty confident that you'll like the new look pub and restaurant. But worry ye not, it'll still be The Grog & Gruel.

So, by 16th December, we'll have re-invested another £150,000 or so into the businesses, making sure that we're ready and raring to go for the Hogmanay Hoolies!

More on the Facebook pages as we go (if we dare show you). Click here for Clachaig and here for The Grog & Gruel.

Timber..!

2010-11-17T01:41:00.000-08:00

Gales aren't that uncommon, particularly as we approach the depths of winter. But perhaps because they're not uncommon, their effect isn't usually too severe. Most things that are going to get blown over have already been blown over.

Not so this morning, however. The Clachaig mobile heading one way, kids on the way to school heading the other, and this huge oak came down between them. A lucky escape for both.

Plenty of firewood on the old village road!

2010-11-16T02:58:00.000-08:00

This is a great time to escape the autumn blues with a late season visit to Glencoe.

Winter is knocking on the door and it is bringing Christmas and Hogmanay with it.

You have probably already spent hours pondering over which presents to get for whom and who will receive a card from you this year. Chances are you are dreaming of a quick escape from this all before there IS no more escaping it. This is where we come in…..

Of course we want to help and knowing how expensive these times are, we have thought of a special 3 for 2 offer which provides excellent value for money.

When you book a 2 nights stay with us at the standard bed and breakfast rate you can stay a 3rd night for absolutely free!

This offer is valid for a limited time only between November 12th and December 23rd (Valid for all our rooms - subject to availability)

Contact Us now with your requirements including number of guests, preferred dates, and room types and we'll get back to you by return.

Cutting off a life line?

2010-11-05T06:34:00.000-07:00

The week started well. A few projects on the go at the moment, so despite it now being officially the quiet season, we're very focussed on taking the business forward into the next trading year. And then a chance conversation regarding a comment someone had seen on a web forum. A proposal that the A82 would be closed for a 14 week period whilst improvements to the section at Pulpit Rock are carried out. Surely not?!

Surely not, because if there something so impacting as the closure of THE Trunk Road to the North West was on the cards, someone would have told us. Or a newspaper would have let a story on it? Or the business network across Lochaber would have picked it up and shared it? But no, none of these things had happened. Despite our wide network of contacts (Discover Glencoe, OCUK, Chamber of Commerce, people we meet all the time....) no one had heard. And that folks is "consultation"! And the consultation period ends today.

Clearly, there's cause for concern. Yes there are other routes. But yes, clearly there are other destinations as well. And we're not blessed with a network of roads here. The alternatives involve some significant distances and times. And yes, the A82 desperately needs repair and upgrade. But at what cost to the communities it serves?

So, as we said, the week started out well, but amidst all the planning of investing (more of that later we hope) in the future of the business, protecting and growing employment in a fragile rural area, we have to drop everything for a few days to to fight closure. There's an irony there, don't you think?

Here's the official version of events:
http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/projects/trunk-road-projects/a82-pulpit-improvement-1
The last link on this page entitled "This brochure" is worth a click.

Chances are you're reading this too late to expres your own opinion. But for what its worth, here'swhat we said.
----------

The issues

Fact versus perception
Many years of dealing with the public leads us to believe that there is a very big difference between what is actual fact, and what is public perception, simply based on headlines. The perception that the A82 is closed, ergo the access to the north west is closed is highly likely, regardless of advice given on alternative routes. A lack of willingness to travel north and west due to fact or perception will cause significant loss of business to the Lochaber area.

Loss of Trade
A significant amount of trade to the Glencoe area comes from the Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and Ireland. Glasgow and Prestwick Airports are key Gateway points to our market. This geographical draw is extremely significant in the weekender and short break market. This is also an informed market, who are able to make decisions based on such variables as weather, activity, and convenience.

Based on fact or perception, this market can easily make decisions to head to the east, rather than the North West, resulting in significant loss of business to Lochaber businesses.

Winter Market
Our business, as many visitor based businesses in the South Lochaber and Fort William area, trade year round. Whilst the summer market is critical to our very existence, the winter market, both before and after the Festive period, is still very significant and keeps many people in year round employment as opposed to traditional seasonal tourism employment. However, it is fragile and has taken many years to develop. Any loss of business in summer would have massive economic impact. Any loss of business in the winter would have direct impact on employment.

With 2 ski areas served by the A82, any impact on the ski season would be devastating to an already beleaguered sector, and be especially harmful to Glencoe Mountain.

Inadequate Consultation
There is insufficient knowledge of the proposed closures across all the affected areas. The advertising of the consultation process may well satisfy the statutory requirements with a small ad in a local paper but few businesses appear to be aware of it. Consequently, the ability to take more time to make a considered and informed opinion has been prejudiced. In any event, something so fundamental as the long term closure of a Truck Road should have been given much wider airing.

Inadequate Consultation (further demonstration)
Glencoe business have long recognised the importance of the A82 to the economy and the community. For this reason, regular meetings with representatives of Transport Scotland & TransServe have been held for a number of years. These meetings have helped to address issues arising out of the various A82 bridge replacements. The specific issue of the A82 south of the Glencoe was raised at the most recent meeting on 22nd September. There was absolutely no mention of the proposed closures and the imminent consultation process.

Our track record shows that where adequate consultation has been permitted, we have been able to work to find a mutually agreeable solution. Through the process, we have been able to understand the more technical issues involved, in some cases prevent proposed closures by finding alternatives, and certainly to mitigate the potential negative impact of essential works through mechanisms such as alternative timing, re-scheduled work patterns, adequate publicity and signage etc.

The solutions

The exceptional prolonged closure of a major arterial Trunk road requires exceptional measures to mitigate the impact of the closure on the fragile economies and communities it serves.

In the extremely short amount of time we have had available in which to prepare a response, we would list the following as essential measures which must now be taken.

Direct, detailed and on-going proper consultation with all affected parties, but in as far as we speak for ourselves, with our representatives from the Glencoe area, in advance of decision being made.

No decision to be made on the closure period without reference to the proper Consultation process. There is no ‘good’ time of year for a closure, but periods may be better than others. In all cases, traditional peak trading periods, both summer and winter must be avoided.

Close examination of the options and alternatives to complete and prolonged road closure with clear reference to the Consultation process.

    Temporary / Weekend opening
    Use of Bailey Bridges for parallel working
    Flexible / Intensive shift working patterns
    High penalty clauses for over-running.

Clear and express ‘positive message’ at all available opportunities, fully describing alternative routes and avoiding negative implications.

Advance signs advising of alternative routes (and not congestion/delay)
e.g. major advance arterial routes M74 etc.

No non-emergency road works to the A84 or Argyll alternatives during the planned closure periods.

No negative reporting – the A82 isn’t closed, but ‘the A84 and A81 are open and it won’t take much longer’.

Careful management of press releases to ensure accurate information and to respond to any potentially negative reporting should the need arise.

Public transport links, especially the Glasgow – Fort William bus service maintained throughout the closure period, with clear, accurate and easily accessible information about alternative schedules brought about by the diversion.

Budget allocation from the overall scheme costs to be given to marketing bodies in the affected areas for the express use of communicating the “open for business” message. In terms of scheme costs, this sum would be negligible. In terms of the mitigation that it could achieve, it would be substantial.

E.g. Discover Glencoe, OCUK, and not VisitScotland
Advertising in the Glasgow Evening Post
Direct distribution to Glasgow & Prestwick Airport, Ferry terminal in Troon,
Car hire centres etc .

All that Glitters

2010-10-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Captured by Clachaig's very own resident mountain man Alex Roddie this afternoon.

If ever you needed proof of the 'pot of gold' at the end of the rainbow then the above picture is surely a sign.

Alex & the rest of the team are on hand to serve up a warm welcome to our Octoberfest, complete with roaring fires, the finest selection of cask ales this side of the equator, whisky & ale tastings, unrivaled live music & an activity programme to keep everyone occupied.

Our festival is running until Sunday 31st October so come along for a pot of gold-en ale....just follow the sign.

A bicycle built for 6

2010-10-07T04:15:00.000-07:00

Here’s something that you don’t see every day – a bicycle made for 6.

These guys stayed over at Clachaig on Sunday night, during their fundraising John O’Groats to Lands End charity ride. We see plenty of ‘end to end’ers during the course of the season, but we have to say that this is probably one of the more memorable groups to pass by.

Being bike fans ourselves, we were rather taken with the details of the bike. But so many questions...

Riding a tandem is hard enough but when there’s six of you all working together..?
How big (or a little) a bump does it have to be before it bottoms out? We’re guessing that at 17 feet long off roading isn’t going to be that easy.
What’s it like when the guy at the front has the front brake and the guy at the back has the back brake, and you’re hurtling down a steep incline towards a hairpin bend? And what’s it like when you’re sat in the middle and have neither brake?
And just how fast could a hand picked half dozen of the strongest legs from the local bike club complete a 10 mile time trial on it? Assuming no up hills and no dead turns, that is.
Just how much torque is there through the axles when you’re braking for 6?

And even more remarkable is the fact that the bike can be configured for 3, 4, 5 or 6 to ride. Groovy! See the Saddle Row web site for more.

The ride aims to raise money for a variety of 6 cancer related charities and we’re sure that they’d welcome any donations you’d care to send their way.

Good luck chaps!

Octoberfest is coming!

2010-09-30T02:43:00.000-07:00

A little over 10 years we came up with the brilliant idea of having an end of season Beer Festival here in Glencoe. A little celebration, if you will, to mark the end of the main trading season, and before the tumbleweed and the darkness really set in. The tail end of October was busy enough to justify it, with a reasonable number of folk making the most of the half term hols. We also came up with a totally brilliant and unique name for a beer festival held in the month of October.

And now, here we are 10 years on, with a hugely successful annual event now celebrating its 10th birthday. Our special Festival Accommodation Offers help to fill the inn during the festival. Every year we try to look at what's on offer, and ensure that we do our utmost to make it a fun and informal time, offering good value and great craic. Quite often, we find ourselves trying to think of a new way of doing things, only to realise that you can over-engineer things, and that the real success is often due to the bare simplicity of what we do. Our Customer Promise sums it up, namely "Real People, Real Hospitality, Real Craic".

But this year, as we are marking a bit of a milestone, we have come up with something new and different for Octoberfest - the Octoberfest Activity Programme.

The basic idea is that during the festival, your evenings are destined to be spent at Clachaig. In addition to the wide selection of cask conditioned ales, and this year cider and lager too, there's also live music, pub quizzes and beer and whisky tastings. But what about during the day?

When you look there's actually so much on offer, but sometimes its just a case of being able to see the wood for trees. So we've teamed up with a wide variety of local attractions and activity providers to provide an exclusive programme of things to do during the festival. In each case there's a special package on offer to Clachaig's Octoberfest Customers, whether it be a keener price or some great added value add ons.

Download the full programme on our web site

There's something for everyone, in every weather, and for every ability. For the children, there's ranger led trips to explore the natural environment, for the more adventurous there's a chance to try your hand at climbing, kayaking or canyoning, and for everyone, there's Landrover Safaris or trips up the Mountain Chairlift. And more. See our web site for more information about the activities on offer.

We hope you'll find a reason to come and visit us at our 10th annual Octoberfest.

A cracking weekend

2010-09-28T05:09:00.000-07:00

By all accounts it was a cracking weekend. The summer all but over, a last minute appearance by the sun reminded us of the fun in the sun that was still possible. But with a good hard frost in the mornings (-4.4 degrees recorded at Tyndrum!), there was also that feeling that winter was just around the corner. Either way, it was a great weekend to be out and about in the Highlands.

Some of the action from the Etive River Race

The Etive River Race is establishing itself as an annual event. Featuring 7 drops of up to Class 4+, the race covers a stretch of some 2.5km down the River Etive, falling some 53m in the process. Some call it utter madness, others may call it grown men having legal fun in black rubber. However, it's a great spectator sport in a stunning setting and we very much hope that the event keeps on coming back.

A late season bit of seaside fun (but no fish and chips or candy floss to be seen).

But elsewhere, be it up a hill, at the beach or on a cycle path, a good time was being had by all. Here's hoping that the appearance of the sunshine wasn't just a passing fad, and that we'll have plenty more opportunities to get out and play this autumn.

Banchory Veterans hit the high notes!

2010-09-23T05:29:00.000-07:00

After 9 months or more in the making plus a few mini practice walks to test the gear, lungs and limbs, idle Friday night pub chatter finally culminated in a successful tour of the West Highland Way for the Banchory Veterans.

Describing themselves as complete novices they completed a mini version covering the prettiest (their own words) and most northerly part of the route from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William.

Rumour has it they even bought a few books on the way.

The team enjoyed a well deserved pint (or two) here at Clachaig on Saturday night and recorded the craic - & unfortunately their singing too - in the boots bar for all to see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ca4hj9A_UA

Thanks for your company lads....see you all again very soon.

Like drowned rats...

2010-09-15T03:25:00.000-07:00

That the Scottish Highlands can be pretty wet is a well known fact and waterproof clothing makes up a big part of most of our wardrobes.

Check out the pink slippers!

Three young men cycling through Scotland thought they were well prepared for the weather conditions up this way - but then met with Rannoch Moor. Setting up camp on the Moor on one very wet night, they discovered (the hard way) overnight that their tent was not as waterproof as most of their wardrobe.

The following morning they arrived at Clachaig Inn hungry, cold and with not a dry thread on their bodies, leaving small puddles at every step. There was space for 3 more guests in the breakfast room so the hunger bit was easily solved. In order to warm them up, we offered them staff uniforms while their clothes were being dried in our drying room and tumble dryers. Fluffy pink slippers were found to warm their feet, to much hilarity of the serving staff. (We actually had plenty of alternative footware, but we thought the pink slippers would be quite amusing, for us at least).

After the refuelling and a quick snooze they set off for Fort William, braving more of our Scottish weather. No doubt they probably got a soaking all over again. We hope they wont find themselves waking up quite as miserable on the rest of their trip, but if they do, we hope some more Highland Hospitality will see them right.

The Hills Are Alive...

2010-09-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

Regular readers will be aware of our literary connections see - Sue Fletcher - so no surprise that Richard Happer, author of The hills are stuffed with Swedish girls should choose to do a book signing here in Glencoe.

The real surprise is that he will be doing this at the top of the Devil's Staircase. So if you fancy hearing Richard read from his wildly funny novel, head for the hills on Saturday 18th September for some exercise, a story and even a sausage if you're lucky.

We have it on good authority that Richard may even grace the Boots Bar here at Clachaig afterwards so don't bring your Swedish girlfriend.....you have been warned.

Drumming up support

2010-09-09T05:26:00.000-07:00

These 2 chaps were at Clachaig last week, "drumming" up a little support for Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team. For a bit of small change (or even large notes) they were playing a few tunes on the pipes and drum. They didn't hang around long enough to let us know how much they'd raised, but it all helps!

Now to go and think of a pun that includes something about 'he who plays the piper... '

10 Ben Races (and feeling it)

2010-09-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

Why, oh why, oh why do I keep on doing these stupid things?

Above all else, this was the question I couldn't get out of my head on Saturday afternoon, having just finished my 10th Ben Nevis Race. That was, of course, once I'd drunk more water than you'll find in the river Coe right now, and I could just about think straight again.

Half way down and beginning to run out of fuel

Each year brings its own challenges. And I should know; it's now 22 years since I ran my first Ben Race. Last year for example, went fairly well. Or at least as well as two and a half hours of physical torture can go. And when it goes quite well, thoughts soon turn to next year's race. But this year, by contrast, was a bit of a living hell. And thoughts turn to why, and can I possibly keep on coming back year after year. Only another 11 years and 11 races and I could get a little plaque; the coveted Connochie Plaque awarded to runners who've completed 21 Ben Races (you'd maybe be surprised just how many of these there are!)

But good or bad, the Ben Race is rather special. It does kind of get under your skin. So, regardless of a slightly harder time if it this year, doubtless the memories will fade with the passing of time and come January the application form for number 11 will be in the post.

And let's try and keep things in perspective. I was only 10 minutes or so down on a time that would have been quite satisfactory. And what's 10 minutes when you're talking about up and down the Ben (and a mile each way on the tarmac to start and finish with).

Conditions weren't ideal for me either. The big difference between this year and last was that last year the mountain was in monsoon conditions (close to being a cancellation) whereas this year it was more like the inside of an oven (ok, moderately pleasant temperatures for a Highland summer). Cool or cold = quite good. Warm or even moderately hot = overheated disaster.

Entering Claggan Park - just 400m to go

And, of course, I must enjoy it. Er.., well, it's hard to put the pain of 3.30pm on Saturday afternoon into the 'enjoying it' category. Knowing that you've got to keep on going despite there being absolutely nothing left in the tank. Knowing that all you have to do to stop the misery is stop. But also knowing that stopping as easy as it is impossible. But after a little reflection, it dawned on me that I've actually run the Ben 5 times this summer, getting on for 14 hours spent haulin' ass up and down that track. (And a very hungover Half Ben Race too). And I just wouldn't do that unless there was something in it for me.

But all is not well.... Pain is only weakness leaving the body

So, chances are that next year I'll be back again for another physical beating. And for the challenge of it. And for the craic. Because there is no sense in it. It just gets under your skin.

Here's hoping that the Adventure Show TV cameras had all packed up and gone home by the time I returned to the park!

The Two Inns Race

2010-08-24T03:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday saw the first "Two Inns Fell Race", a fairly arduous 24km high level crossing between the Creagan Inn on the shores of Loch Creran, and Clachaig Inn, Glencoe. 37 hardy runners took on the challenge with finishing times varying between a little over 3 hours and 5 and a half hours.

Originally suggested as a fund raising event for Oban & Glencoe Mountain Rescue Teams, the success of this years event looks set to lay the foundations for developing the run in the coming years.

The race report can be read on the Scottish Hill Runners web site and there's a few photos from the event to be found on Facebook.

More biking news from Glencoe Mountain

2010-08-19T04:54:00.000-07:00

Regular readers will have realised that, in line with other ski centres across the globe, Glencoe Mountain are looking to mountain biking as a summer/non-skiing activity.

Glencoe Mountain Bike Trail Map

We'll leave you to read the latest update from Glencoe Mountain copied below (you can subscribe on their web site to receive these direct). But we'll just add that with the potential expansion of trails such as the Weasel Track, and new events such as the Macavalanche in the pipeline, there's every reason to get rather excited about these new developments.

This from Glencoe Mountain...

Downhill Biking

The downhill track is currently being upgraded with new jumps and features on the top section and some modifications to the bottom including a widening of the finish area to allow for overtaking in the finishing area.

Our KONA Stinky downhill bikes have at last arrived (only 3 months late). So if you don't have your own kit or don't want to bring it we have everything you need - goggles, gloves, full face helmets and body armour all for hire.

XC Biking

Some work on the Weasel track has been done so that those who prefer downhill XC biking can follow a rough 4km trail from the top of the chair down to the car park. This is a very rough trail which rides well in the dry but is still a little (or very) swampy when it's wet. Feed back on this trail has been mixed. From "brilliant old school XC mountain biking", "great fun" to "bl**** awful". The differences in view seem to be a combination of expectation and different weather conditions.

This is not a nicely manicured trail it is very rough and it is guaranteed you will get wet and muddy if you choose to ride it.

You may only have a few more months to try this trail in it's current state because we are currently applying for funding to get the track upgraded to a wide blue trail making it accessible to all standards of riders.

At the moment we would only suggest riding the track if you are comfortable riding red downhill trails. It can be ridden on a hard tail bike but it is more fun on a downhill bike.

We have a whole fleet of Kona Cindercone XC+ bikes for hire at the centre so if you want to bring a group up to try the weasel track or one of the more gentle, plateau or valley bottom trails then please phone Angela on 01855 851226 to check availability.

Downhill events

The next event at Glencoe is "Wild and Dialled" on the 4th and 5th of Sept. We are still accepting entries for this event so if you want to enter or just want more details just go to the link at the bottom of the page.

This will be an awesome spectator event so if you have nothing planned for the 4th and 5th of Sept come along and see some of the top riders in the country take on one of the toughest tracks in the UK. Spills and thrills are guaranteed.

See you at the centre soon.

Andy
P.S We are planning a ski/snowboard car boot sale at the centre on the 7th Nov. More details very soon.

You're Nicked!

2010-08-01T05:40:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what it is yet?

To be honest we don't get out much during the peak season, however, on a recent visit to the Claymore filling station we noticed something conspicuous by it's absence not to mention a new 'view'.

Can you tell what's missing from the pic above?.......locals & regular visitors to Glencoe will have spotted that the police station is no more. But a word of warning to any hoodlums out there contemplating a crime spree - a new one is being built and the foundations are already in place.

Now move along please, there's nothing to see here!

Don't forget to pack your t-shirt

2010-07-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

It might be summer holiday time. How can we tell? Well, firstly the blog posts have dried up. And second, the entries for our t-shirt photo competition have picked up again. Presumably because folk are now returning from their trips to 'interesting locations'.

R Emery on Palombaggia Beach, Corsica.

If you fancy £10 in beer vouchers to spend as your will at Clachaig, or perhaps another clachaig t-shirt to give to your loved one or simply add to your collection then all you have to do is send us a photo of your Clachaig t-shirt in an 'interesting location'. The judges are harsh (well, not really, but I'd like to think of myself as the Simon Cowell of t-shirt photos), but if we publish your photo in the rogues, er, sorry, winners gallery, then you're a winner!

So as you head off for your summer hols, don't forget to pack your t-shirt.

Best Country Pubs in the UK

2010-07-01T04:09:00.000-07:00

Another nice bit of recognition for us here at Clachaig...

Put together by The Independent, Clachaig features at number 25 in the top 50 Best Country Pubs. Thanks guys!

Clachaig to the Holly Tree by bike

2010-06-23T04:30:00.000-07:00

Any day now the bike tracks along the A82 from Glencoe to North Ballachulish will be complete. After months of work, which passers by can't help but have noticed, the new tarred paths alongside the busy road are all but finished.

New signage to guide your on your way - Glencoe crossroads

The new bike paths provide both an important link between scattered rural communities and a valuable addition to the local tourist infrastructure. Being able to travel safely by bike amidst such gorgeous scenery is a must, and so to prove a point we checked out the ride from Clachaig Inn in Glencoe to the Holly Tree Hotel at Kentallen Pier.

The first couple of miles are on quiet single track roads, and there's a nice bit of downhill gradient to get you into the swing of things. Nearer the village, the first sections of the Glencoe Orbital Track will take you off the road as far as the Hospital Drive. In time, it is hoped that there'll be a path all the way along the old village road as far as Clachaig, where it will then meet up with a return down the glen, past An Torr and Signal Rock and then back to the village by the National Trust for Scotland Visitor Centre.

If you haven't got your bikes with you, then try hiring from Davy at Crank It Up Gear. Leave your car in the Glencoe Village car park and start the journey from here.

From Glencoe Village, the route uses the old section of road past Craft & Things (save your coffee and cake stop for the return!) and along TighPhuirt. Sections of new tar then take you along past Ballachulish Village and towards the impressive setting of St John's Church. Built in 1842, the present church is now in need of repair and restoration and attempts are being made to raise the estimated £1m required.

It's definitely worth stopping to take in a bit of history, and to also marvel at the panoramic views across Loch Leven from the church.

St John's Church, Ballachulish

Stunning panorama across Loch Leven to the Pap of Glencoe from St John's

More smooth tar will take you to Ballachulish roundabout next. If you're heading for North Ballachulish, continue on over the bridge, but we took a left turn along the old Ballachulish railway line, which continues through Glenachulish and is currently rideable all the way to Kentallen Pier.

Left turn for Glenachulish, Kentallen and Oban!

But a little more exploring and a much needed coffee break was required, so once in Glenachulish we took a right turn off the Sustrans track and headed down past Ballachulish House to the Dragon's Tooth Golf Course.

Passing the walled garden at Ballachulish House

Simply exploring this hidden corner of the area is a good enough reason to head down to The Gathering Place, but equally, the prospect of coffee, cakes and a more extensive bar menu might tempt you!

Parked up at The Gathering Place. Cakes, coffee, golf... Take your pick!

Back on the bed of the old railway line, the views open out, and on a day such as the one we chose, it's just amazing. The views across Loch Linnhe to the Ardgour and Morvern Hills are the best you could wish for. There's a few little shingle beaches and coves where you can get off and search for crabs, watch the cormorants, or simply take a snooze.

Carved stones and impressive ironmongery add to the atmosphere of the route.

The Sustrans route will hopefully continue beyond the Holly Tree Hotel, all the way to Oban and beyond. When it does it will be a superb journey. For now, you need to join the road again as far as the bad corner at Lettershuna, where you can join another section of track past Castle Stalker and the Strath of Appin. Further on, there's also a complete section from Creagan Bridge to the Sea Life Centre.

I just want to jump in!

Time to head back again

In the meantime, take a while to enjoy the view (and a beer!) at the Holly Tree before jumping back on your bike and doing it all over again in reverse!

Bikes and bows

2010-06-18T01:13:00.000-07:00

Glencoe Mountain Resort very kindly invited as many of us as could make it to come and see what's on offer during the summer months. And it would be rude to decline such an invitation so we played around with the diary a little and set off up the glen .

Can you spot Kingshouse?

The centre has been through difficult times of late. But under new ownership, a new lease of life has been brought to the longest established ski centre in Scotland, and there's already evidence that the centre will soon become a year round activity centre, with something on offer for everyone. The snow conditions for years this past winter have certainly helped and the momentum gained is now clearly continuing through the summer months.

I never knew that uphill on a mountain bike could so easy!

Sitting in the log cabin cafe with large picutre windows looking straight at Buachaille Etive Mor was an activity within itself. Coffee and cake was far more appealing than the Downhill Mountain Bike Course which was looming on the hillside just above us. However, Dangerous Will was up for it. He still had use of all of his limbs at the end but did mention something about going to the bike shop to replace some broken parts.

'Dangerous Will' looking confident

For the lesser mortals amongst us, we opted for a nice gentle ride up the chairlift with our bikes. We made a quick exploration of the plateau before opting for taking the weasel track down. Overgrown and washed out, this track dates back to some of the early days of gaining access to the hill, but is earmarked for development into a more formal biking track. In fact, speaking to Andy and the team, and listening to their ideas is both enlightening and refreshing.

Keep on through the snow fence to find the weasel track.

The weasel track has bags of potential and even in its current state was a good bit of fun. There's a few wash outs and bottomless swampy bits, but there's also long sections of good cruising and a few more challenging sections, including a couple of rock slabs. Great fun! And the view..!

Blasting the return to the centre, with the access road and Kingshouse clearly visible.

The tracks onto Rannoch Moor are begging to be explored by bike, and with a fleet of new Kona mountain bikes available for hire, Glencoe Mountain Resort is the ideal base from which to start.

Out of the black, into the red, nothing in this game for 2 in a bed. Smashing, super, lovely...

Back at the centre, we tried our hand at archery, a new activity for this summer.Strangely addictive, especially when your arrows end up around the centre but not in it. Just one more go! I can see a Clachaig staff tournament coming on. In fact, I've just had a brilliant idea for Octoberfest!

The value of feedback - part 2

2010-06-17T03:56:00.000-07:00

Read our recent post about our guest feedback process and you'll know that it's a subject close to our hearts. Learning how to use it, how to interpret it, has been a learning curve over the last 18 months. If you take it too literally, then it could either lead you to complacency (you're wonderful, don't change a thing) or conversely drive you mad (you're terrible, get your act together).

The new cooker in situ at Quarry Cottages, Ballachulish

The best example we can give is on the subject of the comfort of our beds, as it's quite possibly the most subjective of all opinions that we receive. Tracking our forms we've discovered that completely opposite opinions can be forthcoming on the same bed within a matter of days. The solution? First and most obvious is to test out a negative comment to make sure something hasn't suddenly gone horribly wrong. And second, is to maintain a register of all our mattresses with replacement dates, so that we can tell exactly how old a mattress is and whether it's due for the next round of our rolling replacement programme.

One area where we have acted directly on feedback received is on the cookers at Quarry Cottages. Knowing quite how well these perform is a bit tricky unless we're told, and recent feedback suggested that they weren't performing well at all. And rather than risk acting on just one of the properties, we've replaced all 3. So, Quarry cottages are now equipped with some rather nice new cookers with double cavity fan assisted ovens and ceramic/halogen hobs.

Next up, 3 new flat screen TVs. These should be in within the week!

Tempting fate?

2010-06-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

I took these photos of a couple of fairly classic viewpoints in Glencoe to help demonsrate the lack of water in the rivers in the Highlands at the moment. I read Martyn's piece (below) and reckon that the photo of the Coe must have been taken on one of the wetter days recently.

The "river" Coupal and Buachaille Etive Mor from near Glen Etive road end.

The pinky bits are so coloured because for the majority of the time they're under water.

The Three Sisters, Glencoe

And here, just by the A82 above the gorge, there's definitely water flowing, but it's a little hard to spot! Again, pink coloured rocks where more often than not you'd be wading to cross the river.

North easterlies forecast for the coming days. Chilly perhaps, but a generally outlook into next week.

How low can you Coe? - It's all downhill from here!

2010-06-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

Our staff at Clachaig certainly work hard enough and when it comes to leisure time they can normally be found taking advantage of the hills & rivers for some action. Some even take time off to VOLUNTEER to work elsewhere.

Last weekend Martyn, our assistant bar manager, took time out to help at the Mountain Bike World Cup at the Nevis Range. He spent a glorious four days sitting on the hillside maintaining the track and marshalling the downhill course. This was his 3rd year volunteering at the event and probably the best yet, helped by the weather and Gee Atherton winning the men's downhill with his sister Rachael coming second in the women's.

As well as being a part of the creation of the event, volunteering also gets you that bit closer to the riders with the likes of Steve Peat, Greg Minaar and the Athertons stopping to chat and ask who's taking which line. Not to mention meeting lots of like minded people to have fun with …..and of course, some shiny free kit.

Our sister pub, The Grog and Gruel in Fort William, was ram packed on Saturday and Sunday nights with riders, press, volunteers and fans as Fort William exploded into a massive party over the whole weekend.

Some people may think he's a bit daft taking a holiday to go 20 miles up the road to work for free and spend his evenings in The Grog and Gruel. Truth is he's a 'paddler' and he's bored…. There hasn't been any significant rainfall since the second week of April and the River Coe is possibly at the lowest we've ever seen!

OK! so a lot of kayak clubs will be out enjoying the sunshine and snow melt of the French Alps at this time of year (not that he's jealous.) but as long as he's stuck in Glencoe Martyn will be doing rain dances for the next few weeks!

I see trouble ahead!

Lost Property?

2010-06-15T03:11:00.000-07:00

I was out rescuing again the other night. A familiar story. A couple out on the Aonach Eagach and decided to descend to the glen from half way along. Got into the gully systems on the south face, had a bit of a scare and got on the mobile phone.

I think it might have been an orange sling at one point in time.

With only minimal information to go to pin point their exact location we were sent up different bits of the hillside . I was tasked with the big boulder gully above Achnacon Farm. You can't miss it. Going up was tricky. 2 steps up 3 steps back. Everything's so mobile up there; I was glad that it wasn't pouring down. Anyway, Rescue 137 arrived, flew over my head, and quickly located the pair in the next gully to the west of me. Turning down the slope, the fun really started. Imagine scree running when some of the scree is as big as TV sets!

In amongst all the boulders I found a bit of climbing gear and I thought I'd see if the rightful owner want to reclaim it before I put in on ebay. I reckon I could get a few quid for it.

And speaking of mountaineering and stuff, here's the confirmed speakers for the 2011 Winter Experience Lectures. More on the What's On pages for February/March in due course as we confirm FebruaryFest and the winter programme.

Tuesday 1st February - Roger Wild

Tuesday 8th February - Roger Wild

Tuesday 15th February - Adele Pennington

Tuesday 22nd February - Adele Pennington

Tuesday 1st March - Tom Gilchrist

Tuesday 8th March - Tom Gilchrist

8pm Bidean Lounge and they are FREE!

So near, yet so far!

2010-06-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

It could be a rather cryptic start to a review of last night's footie match. But We're actually referring to the Isle of Lismore. Quite literally translating as "big garden", this island is very easily accessed from Port Appin, just 20 minutes down the road from Glencoe, and yet it's taken about 15 years since my last visit to get back to the island.

The monument to Waverley Arthur Cameron, son of the founder of the Oban Times

The island is just large enough to be too big to explore properly on foot, though you could easily walk around Port Ramsay for a couple of hours. The scenery and the views are stunning, and it's always great to get close to the water. And there's a little bit of history too with the lime kilns and the old cottages. However, the island is better explored by bike, and they are free on the ferry. Other forms of transport are available!

Pre-book a ride on a horse and cart.

The gradients on the modest hills aren't too steep, and there's plenty of side roads to go and explore. And you can do as we did, and try connecting a couple of the roads with a little 'off roading' adventure. Nothing quite like a loch side picnic and the promise of an ice cream at the island's cafe to keep the little legs going!

Stopping for a picnic

Good weather certainly helps, but there's plenty of exploring to be done on Lismore. I've already got a couple more trips ear marked for further exploration of the island, both with the bikes and on foot. And if it looks like the sun is going to shine again next time remind me to pack the sun cream!

The view north towards the point and the ferry pier.

Kids will love a trip to the island too. Whilst there's the history of limestone quarrying and lime kilns, castles and brochs for the adults, the sea shore is a great place for searching for all sorts of crabs, shells and other sea shore goodies which seem much more abundant on the island than even just over the water at Appin.

For more information see the Isle of Lismore community web site or see WalkHighlands for a number of suggested routes with easily viewed maps.

Want to buy a bike?

2010-06-08T05:20:00.000-07:00

Want to buy a great bike, dirt cheap? Don't we all! But should you happen to be offered a "too good to be true" deal on a Kona then you might like to get in touch with Glencoe Mountain Resort. Here's a little press release...

A £1500 Mountain bike was stolen from Glencoe Mountain Resort on Saturday. The bike, a 17” 2010 Kona Stinky Six, was on loan to the resort from bike manufacturer Kona as a demo bike for riders to try out on the black graded downhill track. The bike was stolen around 11am from the front of the main building where it was on a rack alongside some of the resort’s 20 hire bikes.

Great to see Glencoe Mountain really getting back on it's feet again. Not great to hear that some miserable *^%$£"!(^* has been helping themselves.

Feedback & Reviews

2010-06-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a message from a happy chappie that we thought we'd share with you...
----------

Dear all at Clachaig Inn,

You probably don’t remember us but we stayed with you on 4^th and 5th May during our walk of the West Highland Way.

I just wanted to say ‘Thank You’ for a great place to stay. The food and hospitality was excellent, the staff also were friendly and helpful.

We managed to complete the way in our allotted 6 days and are well on our way to raising the £5000 we set as a target.

Anyway to remind you who we were here is a link to our website:

http://www.stgeorgesreunite.com/news/wogle-walkers-complete-the-west-highland-way/

Many thanks again!

Best regards,

Bill & the Wogle Walkers
---------

Great to hear from our customers, not only (but perhaps especially) when they've enjoyed themselves (yes, we do remember you, Bill.) We do hear these little bits of feedback quite a lot. Mostly at the front desk as our residents depart or at the bar during the course of the idle chit chat that is central to the convivial Clachaig atmosphere.

Service with a smile!

The only problem is, we're not very good at sharing this feedback. And therein lies the problem.

A little note like this can boost morale on hot, tiring nights in the Boots Bar tremendously. Go on, try a shift here, sample the adrenaline on a busy night and see all the happy faces and you'll know why we love being here so much. But, equally, some negative feedback can really bring us down.

You get what you deserve? From our point of view that's very true. Lots and lots of happy customers. Over 50% of our hotel guests are in the 'repeat business' category. And yes, the (very) occasional bit of negative stuff, sometimes deserved because we got it wrong, but sometimes just a case of not quite getting what Clachaig is all about.

Its been a hot topic here of late, mostly because we've had a bit of a knocking on a certain review web site. Hands up when we get it wrong, and why shouldn't the world know too? But where's the balance? It does seem a little skewed. And just what is the point in a review 3 years after your stay? Just who does that help? And how many folk have I spoken to who create an identity or ask a friend to put in a good review to put the bad one further down the list? No, we're not impressed.

Head in the sand attitude I hear you say? Not at all. We actively solicit the feedback of our guests, and for the last 18 months have been running a very detailed and methodical feedback scheme. We ask 11 questions and also leave plenty of space for the 'free text'. Every week we collate the returns and 2 directors and a General Manager review each and every form. Name another business where that happens! Specifics then go on to Department Heads, and front-line staff as appropriate. We also convert the results into a score. The number itself is fairly arbitrary, but the week on week, year on year comparisons of the scores give us a very good indication of how we're doing.

To date we've had nearly 1,000 returns. They're all here in a bulging file! Our "satisfaction rating" has risen from 73% in 2009 to 77% in 2010. Out of the 11 questions asked, 10 have shown similar and consistent improvement. The only one decreasing is the question about our web site (which has got us puzzled) and is the area that would concern us least.

So, we think we're doing a good job, and so do our customers. We just need to share this information a little more.

And nmny thanks for the email Bill. Really appreciated. And if you happen to be visiting any review sites in the near future (or the next 3 years come to that), do us a favour and give us a mention!

Hedge your bets

2010-05-24T03:09:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that we're offering £10 for your photos of a Clachaig t-shirt in an interesting location. You send us your photo. We put it on our web site and you a £10 voucher to spend on assorted goodies, refreshments, whatever at Clachaig.

Something not quite right...?

But it does seem that, for some at least, the offer of Clachaig freebies is a little too tempting. Check out the latest entries in the gallery and see if you can spot what we mean!

Which way to Land's End?

2010-05-23T03:55:00.000-07:00

Our reception team always ask departing guests 'where are you heading today?', standard replies range from 'heading back home', 'off to find the lost valley ' or 'finishing the last leg of the West Highland Way'. Not often do we hear 'Continuing my walk from John O'Groats to Land's End'

Pictured above is Patrick Fleming who is doing this epic journey of 1600 miles over 80 days and is hoping to raise £30,000 for The Gurkha Welfare Trust, which supports Gurkha ex-servicemen and their families. These fighting men of Nepal are well known for their bravery and courage. For nearly 200 years the Gurkhas have fought alongside Britain as a friend.

To support Patrick's cause or for more info on his walk & The Gurkha Welfare Trust check out the following link. http://www.justgiving.com/patrick-fleming-walking-for-nepal

Refreshed & fighting fit after a night at Clachaig we waved farewell to Patrick and look forward to welcoming Joanna Lumley any day soon. Good luck Patrick.

MayFest

2010-05-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

Mayfest is just 24 hours away now and while the staff are all psyching themselves up inn house (if you'll excuse the terrible pun) preparations are preceding a-pace.

The bottle store is so full you can hardly see the floor, the spirit store is full enough to make every move a careful one in case you trip over a box of wine and put your head through a bottle of whisky.

Meanwhile (the important one, to me at least) the cellar is rammed full of beer. With 6 different breweries providing 23 different ales for the first weekend alone we hope we have something to cater for everyone’s taste. There's everything from Williams Brothers' wonderful light hoppy Harvest Sun to An Teallach's fantastic caramel 80 shilling style An Teallach Ale to the Isle of Skye's deliciously dark Black Cuillin.

Also, we're going to be springing some new products on you over Mayfest. We've got a Holston alcohol free beer, bottles of Peroni lager and, as an initial trial but (with your support) continuing through the summer, Westons cider on hand pump. Having had difficulties getting hold of the Thatchers we've had over the last few years we've been looking for a change. I was going to make a political joke at this point but as they say alcohol and politics don't mix.

Hope to see you all over the next few weeks.

Martyn.

All the Munros in 40 days?

2010-05-18T05:06:00.000-07:00

Here's an act of madness for you. I used to think that running the Ben Nevis Race every year is a physical challenge to be proud of. Ohh.., how tired my legs are after all the up and down. Now I'm thinking what a big jessie I am.

Stephen Pyke is attempting to complete all the Scottish Munros in around 40 days. That's some going given that there's 283 of them. Passing through Glencoe this weekend, at least the weather gods were kind.

Enjoy the daily blog entries as he heads further north, and how about Just Giving in view of the tremendous effort. Good luck, Spyke!

20,000 Readers!

2010-05-18T02:13:00.000-07:00

Just a very quick post to note the landmark of 20,000 readers since we moved the blog to Blogger just 17 months ago! Amazing!

Hope you like it. Keep telling us what you want to hear. You can join Clachaig on Facebook.

Winter Experience Lectures 2011

2010-05-17T04:41:00.000-07:00

Most of you are no doubt thinking about what to do now that there's a bit of warmth in the air. But for us, we're already a season ahead and we're looking a the details for winter 2011. And to help you with your advance planning, here's the dates for the Winter Experience Lectures run in association with the Mountaineering Council of Scotland.

Alpenglow on Stob Coire nan Lochan, Glencoe. Copyright James Roddie

Lectures will run for 6 weeks on Tuesdays commencing 1st February 2011, the last one being Tuesday 8th March 2011. Bidean Lounge Bar. 8pm. Free Entry (but bring some small change for the collection bucket).

We're also organising a repeat prescription of superb winter weather for you!

Back to Winter

2010-05-12T03:44:00.001-07:00

Or is it forward to Summer? Who knows. It's all seasons in one day at the moment.

Throwing back the curtains this morning revealed quite a heavy frost. Saturday also started with a frost and at 6am I had to scrape the ice off the windscreen before heading north to Shieldaig for the day. But this morning, it was a proper winter frost. White over. Middle of May!?

Glencoe: Frosts and flowers!

Not only that. Davy from the An Teallach Brewery delivered another van load of beer yesterday and brought further proof that winter is still refusing to let go. Leaving the west at an unearthly hour he'd passed by Ullapool where he'd had to drive through a couple of inches of 'proper' snow on the road.

And then last night we had to endure a power cut for 2 or 3 hours. Fortunately, at Clachaig it came after food service and so for most it made for a pleasant bit of atmosphere in the pub. On Facebook I see that there were a few suggestions of increased demand for midwives in 9 months time (names withheld for fear of incriminating those with a filthy mind). Fortunately, I'd just returned from a 25 mile time trial and was much more interested in how I was going to microwave my TV dinner and get a mug of tea with no electricity. The idea of a lie down in a darkened room had an altogether different appeal.

But before you all cancel your trips to Glencoe for fear of getting stuck in deep snow drifts and having to battle through blizzards (yes, at Easter plenty of you did exactly this didn't you?), I can also tell you that by 8am the sun was over the mountain tops, the frost was gone in 10 minutes, and it's now a glorious sunny day here in Glencoe.

A Tale of 2 Bike Rides

2010-05-10T05:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend I have mostly been cycling. And what a real treat it has been, getting out and active in the sunshine in the Scottish Highlands; a winning combination of stunning scenery, clear skies, adrenalin, fresh air, and good fun.

A sunny afternoon at Castle Stalker, Port Appin

Fun, however, is probably not a word used by many to describe the Bealach na Ba Sportif. Starting and finishing in the small coastal village of Shieldaig, the route takes in the highest road pass in the UK, the (in)famous Bealach na Ba and 43 miles of the most stunning scenery. Did I mention that it also includes 6500 feet of ascent?

The route profile. Can you spot the top of the Bealach?

Ok, so after a while, the climb does start to hurt a little bit. Quite a lot in fact. But then there's the downhill on the other side, and whilst not everyone's cup of tea, I personally do rather enjoy it. I'm sure the view is fantastic, but at 45mph on skinny tyres with steep hairpins I can't say that I saw much more than the tarmac in front of me.

With the makings of a cyclist's sun tan and 15 minutes shaved off last year's time, we headed back home to Glencoe, well satisfied and slightly fatigued. Nothing that a little cake and beer couldn't sort out.

Compare and contrast the ride we did yesterday. A little more relevant to a Glencoe blog, and a little more 'inclusive'.

Following the route of the old Oban to Ballachulish railway line by Castle Stalker

Every now and then we mention the new Sustrans cycle route being developed between Oban & Glencoe. Some sections are now complete, and so we decided to head south to Appin and enjoyed a very leisurely 14 mile loop.

Breathe in when crossing the narrow Jubilee Bridge

The best place to park is at the long lay-bye at Lettershuna, just before the road takes the sharp corner and steep incline up to Castle Stalker View Cafe. Here, you can join the old railway line and follow it round the corner (at low level) past the picture postcard backdrop of Castle Arggghhh. The track continues through the Strath of Appin but alas ends before Creagan Bridge, where the next section of track picks up.

Another narrow section by the Jubliee Bridge

However, crossing over the main road takes you onto the very quiet back roads and round by North Shian, and on to Port Appin. And when in Port Appin, the thing you have to do is sit on the terrace at the Pier House with a cold beer, taking in the sun and the view across the sound to the isle of Lismore.

The views are so good it's best to stop to take them in

From Port Appin there's another short road section before cutting off on a narrow track to cut the corner off over the Jubilee Bridge. This track soon meets up with the railway line again, from where it's just another mile back to the car, with one last look at the view of Castle Stalker.

All told, the ride is about 14 miles and with one exception (a short walk if you're out of puff!) has very low gradients.

Glencoe Clean-up

2010-04-28T00:49:00.000-07:00

Following the successful efforts of previous years Clachaig staff once again 'volunteered' to assist with our annual litterpick along the old village road as part of our Environmental Impact commitment.

Once again we teamed up with Keith & Davina from the Glencoe Independent Hostel and the Highland Council who helped us out with some signage, rubber gloves and bags. Thanks also to Claymore garage, Glencoe for the safety gloves.

We covered the road verges from the junction with the A82 at the new bridge right the way down to the Green Pool at the Forestry car park, just this side of Glencoe village and included the popular picnic spots on the riverbanks too. A good morning's work done with good humour and thoroughly deserving of the bacon rolls our kitchen provided when we'd finished.

Here's hoping that Glencoe is looking clean and litter free in time for the summer onslaught (and here's hoping that it stays that way!)

Thanks to all for their contribution.

The winter that was.

2010-04-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

A rare guest blogging moment as James adds a few words and a couple of pretty pics regarding the winter just gone...
-----------

After the harshest winter for decades, has spring finally arrived? With daffodils starting to bloom in the meadow and the snow melting, perhaps now is a good time to look back on a remarkable three months in Glencoe.

The first major snowfall of the winter came just before Christmas, and was followed by Scotland's coldest January since 1914. The snow remained on the ground on Rannoch Moor for almost 100 days, which meant the best season for skiing at White Corries for years. It came as a bit of surprise one day in late February when the BBC reported Glencoe ski centre as the "world's snowiest"!

It was good news for winter climbers too. Conditions were consistently good for almost three months, with several first ascents taking place in Glencoe. New ice routes were even climbed on the crags just above the Inn! Nice to see that none of it was wasted on Clachaig staff either, who were often out enjoying the snow, climbing, hill-walking and even snow-boating during their
breaks from work. You know it's a real winter when the staff are cutting steps in the snow with ice-axes in order to walk the 30 yards to work in the morning.

It hasn't been all fun and games though; several huge avalanches occurred in Glencoe between January and March, one of which could be seen all too clearly from the windows of the Lounge bar in the Clachaig. Even after the rapid thaw and heavy rain of the last few days, the remains of the avalanche debris can still be very clearly seen.

So three months and several hundred burned logs later, winter appears to be finally coming to a close. Easter is almost behind us, but with the May Beer Festival not too far away, a change of pace and the summer are just around the corner.

Eyjafjallajoekull

2010-04-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

Last week it may have looked like an impossibly difficult hand to play at Scrabble. This week, the unpronouncable is the scurge of travellers the world over.

For the most part, you watch the news and it's all stories about things that affect other people. And then slowly you start to realise that some of these world events actually affect things much closer to home.

Fortunately (I think!), we had just flown into Glasgow from Geneva just before the airport was closed. Travelling with young children is hard enough, particularly in the EasyJet chaos of GVA on a busy ski weekend. But just exactly how do you cope when your flight is cancelled? In the first instance, give them chocolate. That keeps them quiet for about 30 seconds. The remnants of an Easter Egg would do the trick.

Just exactly what would we have done with ourselves if we'd had to stay in Argentiere for another week or two? Now let me think about that...

Spot the skier!
The view over the Argentiere Glacier from 3300m -
guaranteed spring skiing at these altitudes.

But the effects are being felt much closer to home. Already, we've received a number of cancellations from customers who were flying as part of their visit to Glencoe. I don't suppose we'd ever really thought about the proportion of guests who use flights as part of their travel, as we'd always thought of ourselves as a road destination. But with Glasgow airport just down the road, and cheap flights in from across Europe, it shouldn't be such a surprise.

Whilst many travellers are still trying to get home, we also know that there's plenty who just aren't going to book a flight until they know more about how long things are going to be affected. So, challenges for tourism again, as we potentially lose on the 'long haul' markets, but look to gain on our domestic market. Life's nothing if not a challenge!

Warm & sunny - skiing anyone?

2010-04-14T03:15:00.000-07:00

Can't see a cloud in the sky today. Again. A bit of good old high pressure has found the right place to sit for a few days, making it simply gorgeous. Warm (though getting cooler), clear, bright, quiet and midge free. And I'm stuck in the office again. Joy!

However, I'm easily distracted, and with emails the one just in from Glencoe Mountain, my sedentary status may well be short lived.

Still a great cover on the top of the mountain......

All upper runs still have an excellent cover of spring snow on a firm base. the forecast for the next few days is for an overnight frost which should firm up the snow and provide lovely skiing.

There are still many great off piste opportunities on the hill, including some great routes between the main basin T-bar and Rannoch Glades and there is still some great skiing to be enjoyed down the East ridge, and radio gulley (area around the Flypaper).

Middle runs are very sketchy now although it is still possible to get down Mugs alley as long as you don't mind a bit of combat skiing.

The plateau run and the low road are disappearing fast.

The Plateau Poma uptrack has had it's day. Transport to the Cliffhanger chair is now in the posh new Glencoe taxi. The very old bouncy Argo has been upgraded to a posh "new" Landrover Discovery.

The Poma uptrack is now available to ski back down at the end of the day.

The weather for the next couple of days is looking great. Don't forget the T-shirt, shades and suncream.

Adult day passes now only £20. (Juniors £15).

Andy

P.S We are still looking for more people to enter the MacMillan event on the 25th April.
Register for MacMillan Cancer Support Ski and Snowboard Summit Spectacular

Spring is in the air - What's in a name?

2010-04-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

Just as the Easter break comes to the end the weather finally decides to brighten up, the daffodils sprout through the snow and lambs are popping out all over the place. Ah! Spring is in the air and that can only mean one thing...eh! well, two things then, if you include our Spring beer festival, Mayfest.

Our male staff are especially looking forward to it (Mayfest that is!) if the newspapers are to be believed. The Independent & the Telegraph (therefore it must be true) recently carried two separate articles about the fairer sex discovering cask ale. Now we occasionally raise our heads from deep beneath the sand and are aware of the current industry trends but this is surely not news. We've been serving the 'ladies' with cask ale for years without any fanfare.

However, Annabel Smith, Britain's first and only female Cask Marque beer inspector says, ''if you want women to drink beer, whatever you do, don't call it "bitter". Try "brunette", "blonde" or "golden" instead, or mention "floral", "honey" and "caramel" flavours. "We've been brainwashed into thinking it's not right for anyone with heels and lipstick to drink beer,"
''So bring on the golden beers with names such as Organic Honey Dew, Waggledance or the award-winning Triple Chocoholic chocolate stout''

Anyone for a pint of Sheep Shagger, Lusty May or Dogs Bollocks then?

Rock & Roll: The true meaning of Easter?

2010-04-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

The North face of Gearr Aonach and Stob Coire nan Lochan

We've had one of the best winters for years and climbers and skiers alike were licking their lips at the prospect of great conditions come the Easter break. It looked like there would be some disappointment after a week or so of mild & wet weather, however, prayers have been answered and the snow returned with a vengeance as blizzards hit the Glen earlier this week. OK!, so it blocked a few roads and delayed the trains but anyone heading this way will be well rewarded.

Alpenglow on Coire nan Lochan

Our staff, as usual, are pulling out all the stops at Clachaig and the Boots bar will be 'rocking' to Lyra Celtica and Bonnie & Jim over the weekend.
The two Roddies, Alex & James, our in-house aficionados on all things craggy, jagged & icy have both reported wonderful conditions on the Mountains - with the usual safety caveats of course.
Skiers will be heartened to hear of fresh snowfalls overnight at both Glencoe & Nevis range with the forecast for more on the way making excellent conditions this weekend....and no queues.

If you don't fit in to either aforementioned categories you can still enjoy the Easter break and get into the hills as Glencoe Mountain are having an Easter Eggstravaganza 3rd, 4th 5th April with face painting, duck racing & egg 'rolling'.... something for everyone.

And when you've had enough excitement just relax with a refreshment, or two, in front of our log fire....Happy Easter from all at Clachaig.

Clachaig Customers Donate £517

2010-03-24T07:34:00.001-07:00

Got any small change, mister? So the saying goes as we ask you to donate your change at the bar once you've bought a round. And let's face it, we don't give you a lot of it.

Rescue Team members out training in some wild conditions

So, all the more pleasing to know that we've just handed over £517 to Glencoe Mountain Rescue, raised through the collection boxes at Clachaig Inn. Thank you from us, and thank you from them.

Handing over your small change is one way of donating to the voluntary team. Signing up with EasyFundRaising and donating while you shop online is another and it won't cost you a penny. More details on our web site.

Bolder! Hungrier?

2010-03-24T04:31:00.000-07:00

Definitely bolder. Perhaps hungrier? With a general rise in the temperatures now chances are the grass and the green shoots are going to think about making an appearance, particularly at lower altitudes. And these guys look ready to munch as soon as it does!

Book a stay at Clachaig Chalets and you never know who you'll see in the garden!

(Not so) Smart Cars

2010-03-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

Aren't Smart Cars brilliant! With little wheels in each corner they're really manoeuverable and can park just about anywhere!

Smart cars; not so smart owners? (Yes, you know who you are - and so do we!)

And relax

2010-03-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

Does your life go flying past at 100mph? Do you ever wonder where another week has gone? Despite the fact that it's fairly steady here in Glencoe at the moment, in that lull between the peak of the winter and the Easter holidays, it's still all go. So much to do. So much to organise. So much to plan. The truth is that I doubt that we would have it any other way.

However, every now and then you've just got to step back a moment, take a deep breath and relax. And no better place than the beach - the first visit of the season.

The west coast by Arisaig is still waking up. The only camp site open is Invercaimbe, but with camping right on the beach and views like this (and no one there) who cares! And while it might not be quite warm enough for sunbathing, there was barely a cloud to be seen and the wind was perfect for an hour or two with the power kite.

And so back to the grind...

Tiger or Sheep?

2010-03-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

Looking at the Glencoe hills today, it doesn't look there'll be much in the way of avalanche activity. After months (yes, months) of cold weather, we've finally had a good old west coast thaw, and it's all looking a little spring like out there.

No, not a view of Glencoe today

The rather exceptional conditions of the last couple of weeks have passed (though it's still very much winter at 1000m). And there were plenty of exceptional avalanches. The upper part of the west face of Aonach Dubh, the face to the north of the Red Burn on Ben Nevis, a huge slide on Creag Meagaidh, and some tree-busting snow on the approach to Sgurr a'Mhaim in the Mamores to name just a few. And all these avalanches have something in common, apart from the fact that by Scottish standards, they were fairly big. The debris from each one crossed onto usually 'safe' paths, and this has created much discussion in the hillwalking world. But this blog isn't about that debate. Instead, it's about my holidays, quite a few years ago.

Summer in the Hushe Valley, northern Pakistan

I know, it's supposed to be about Glencoe. There is a link, albeit tenuous. And the link is avalanches that encroach into 'safe' locations.

Moonrise over K6, or K something or other anyway

It was a trip to a small trekking peak in the far north of Pakistan. We were a small group, and 3 of us had just flown across from India where we'd been biking over the highest road pass in the world, the Kardung La in Ladakh. We were fit, going like express trains (until we took the porters on at a game of cricket at 14,000 feet at least), and the sun was out. It was a superb trek into some of the most spectacular scenery on earth.

Crossing the glacier, early morning on summit day. Masherbrum behind.

One of our number had transferred to our trip from another one which hadn't run. That one was a trek. This one was a trek with a bit of a climb in it. Climbing wasn't on the agenda and so there wasn't a huge amount of enthusiasm for taking on the climbing bit, despite the fact that we were effectively 3 experienced climbers and just 3 trekkers. Whilst certainly not 'guides', we had it fairly well covered when it came to keeping an eye.

Off the glacier and up the ridge to the final steep section

As summit day came, we were still hopeful that our trekker could be persuaded to come along. Go on, find the Tiger in you we thought. But no. Our trekker coudn't be persuaded to come along for that 'dangerous' climbing carry on. No, instead, they'd enjoy a nice safe day catching some rays back in Base Camp.

Just about to 'top out' on the summit ridge.

Off we went. It was a ridiculously early start. Headtorches for the first couple of hours, a stunning dawn on the glacier beneath Masherbrum, and then a morning ascent up to the steep bits to the top. And what a view! Base Camp was clearly visible on the glacial moraine below. The views from Trinity Peak down to Layla Peak and beyond were just something else. As we sat in the warmth of the sun, we thought about our trekker who'd decided to stay in Base Camp.

The avalanche came down from high up on Trinity Peak - and kept on going

And then we spotted the avalanche. It came from high up on Trinity Peak. A huge cloud of snow rolled down the mighty face, billowing and growing as it went. Cameras clicked and we looked on as we witnessed it's progress. But then we realised that it wasn't stopping. The big cloud reached the bottom of the slope and then continued across the glacier, over to the far moraine and straight on towards - Base Camp.

Base Camp - there under that white cloud!

We were relieved to find that the experience in Base Camp hadn't been too harrowing. They too had watched the avalanche tumbling down the slope. And across the glacier. A huge wind blast hit the tents and for several minutes everything disappeared in a blizzard of icy crystals and snow. By the time we returned the sun had melted all evidence of the incident, and the porters had sorted the tents out again.

But it left us all wondering. Tiger or Sheep? Which life to lead?

Oh! Deer.

2010-03-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

We've heard a few stories recently about how this harsh winter has been affecting the local deer population. Being a deer can't be a whole lot of fun at the best of times. Dodging cars at 70mph on the A82 across Rannoch Moor, being rained on constantly and not being able to apply enough Skin So Soft to escape the midgies.

However, this year its even less fun. With all the snow and the persistent frost, we're told that many red deer are in danger of starving to death, as the food supply is frozen. No surprise then, that the deer are coming down lower and getting a bit bolder when it comes to getting a nibble of grass.

These guys have been around the car parks and the chalets at Clachaig since Friday, and don't seem that bothered about the many photographers queuing up to take their photos. Redcurrant Jelly anyone?

On the write track!

2010-03-12T07:06:00.000-08:00

Here at Clachaig we're fairly well versed on the events of the morning of 13th February 1692, so when a new member of our team announced she planned to use The Glencoe Massacre as the backdrop to her new book we were pretty impressed. Well a couple of years have passed, several dozen beer mats, napkins & waitress pads have been collated and our 'newby' has finally completed her magnum opus. "In Corrag, Susan Fletcher tells us the story of an epic historic event, of the difference a single heart can make – and how deep and lasting relationships that can come from the most unlikely places.”

We are all very proud of Sue and raise a glass - or two - to her literary success. However, as the saying goes 'life imitates art' Sue has sadly moved on to pastures new, leaving behind some great memories and many new friends. We all miss her cheery smile here at Clachaig and hope she'll return to write the sequel very soon.

Why do my days never go to plan?

2010-03-10T09:01:00.001-08:00

It all started off so well. I had a plan and I was going to stick to it. In fact, so confident was I of my plan, and the need to get a few things on my 'to do' list ticked off, that I even told people I'd be at my desk all day. After all this time you'd think that I would have learnt that when it comes running this show things never go to plan.

Today's little interruption was a rescue call out to No. 2 gully on the west face of Aonach Dubh. Either oxygen bottles are getting heavier and I'm getting slower, or helicopters are getting quicker. Regardless, my attempts to beat it to the scene fell a few hundred feet short. However, it was a nice day to watch some fairly impressive flying as the chopper flew deep into the depths of No. 2 to winch the casualty, and also to admire the view and take a couple of photos.

Here's one from the approaches to the Dinner Time Buttress looking across the foot of the west face into Coire Beith. Its hard to capture on an iPhone camera, but the avalanche debris at the foot of the face is just amazing. Huge long run outs beneath no. 4 and no. 5 gullies, and it just keeps on going all the way down over the waterfall and lower.

And then the sun came out so I thought I'd try something a little arty. Which was nice.

The view down to a frozen Loch Achtriochtan and the Aonach Eagach was nice too. Although the snow at this altitude was softening slightly, the ground under foot(boot) was rock hard. That'll be the permafrost then!

Finally, a view back down the glen. Can you see my office window?

And to all those I told I would get that job done today, definitely, I promise I'll get it done tomorrow. Probably.

P.S. See the STV News report (including my 15 nano seconds of fame as I pack a rucksack!)

Licensing, and time for a wee rant

2010-03-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry folks, but I had to get this off my chest.

Some two years ago now, in readiness for the new Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, we spent a huge amount of time and money making sure we got our renewal for our premises licence in by the deadline of 7th March 2008. Full drawings for the hotel had to be redone from scratch, forms were filled in, hoops were jumped through, "i"s were dotted and "t"s were crossed. Fees were paid. But given the importance we made sure it was done correctly and on time. All to make sure we were ready for 1st September 2009 when the new Act was due to take effect. There were also numerous other things to have in place by this time which I won't bore you with now.

So why tell you this? Well today (5th March 2010), we finally received our Premises Licence. That's the one that by law we had to have 7 months ago. Okay, we'd been assured we were legal and the licence had been approved if not yet issued. But that's two years to issue a license! Two years? And the funny part? Clachaig was one of the first wave of applications that had to be made. We're one of the first businesses in the area to get the licence issued. Most others are still waiting. The time, the stress, and the hassle this caused us back then. Ooh, it makes me mad! Two years! Does anyone have contact details for the Guinness Book of World Records?

Okay, rant over. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Time perhaps to chill over a pint or a dram, (now we can officially sell them).
Or better still, both. I see tonight there's a new beer on tap. A 1488 Whisky Ale from Traditional Scottish Ales. At 7% ABV I'd better take it easy, but I'm feeling better already.

Going Commando

2010-03-03T02:31:00.001-08:00

The peace of a lovely spring-like afternoon was shattered when the Boots Bar suddenly went 'Commando'.

Taking a short break from their 10 day mountain training course, 42 Commando Royal Marines from Plymouth popped in for a quick refresher.

Having recently returned from a tour in Afganistan, the more wintry and slightly less arid conditions of Glencoe probably provided a stark contrast. In the morning they completed a quick run up Bidean Nam Bian and during their course they will be doing night navigation exercises & cliff assault techniques.