AVAILABILY

July 1st

Availability

Mostly now the site is full untill 22nd Aug but there are always last minute cancellations and tent pitches for tents that are 4 man size and under. Best to call a few days in advance for these. Texting is best please. Thanks

New Foal. I got a colt foal from Amber of Westbank by Kyle. He could turn out to be black. Hes lovely and very friendly

June 13th 2010

Sorry for the lack of updates. It has been so busy with the VERY good weather here in Arisaig. The ground is burnt dry from lack of rain. Its not so easy in May and June because everybody wants to arrive outwith sat to sat , but thas fine, it just gets tricky organising exact pitches for those who want specific pitches. Anyway if you want to check tent availability please call me on a Sunday night by which time I should have availability worked out for the commencing week and weekend

Last sunday I got a pretty foal from Kyle and Winnie, shes a mouse dun, Coral of Caimbe.

The sunny dry weather has meant lots of wildflowers...pink island below

May 5th   2010

Its a great forecast for Arisaig this weekend !

April 21st 2010

Its a beautiful day here...but only 3 guests tonight..forecast is good for the weekend ahead

AVAILABILITY CARAVAN SITE

Feb 28th 2010

If the good weather continues I hope to open from the end of this week

Please note that  Whit half term week is fully booked now  and Easter weekend s[Fri till tues]is full for caravans and motorhomes but I still have tent pitches.  I have stopped taking bookings now from 3rd July until  21st Aug  until further notice as it looks as though I am mostly full for these weeks and  will hold onto any available pitches for regular guests. I do have a cancellation list. Tents can book as last year by texting me a few days in advance. I no longer take large tents [ 6 man]

Feb 13th 2010

Im making the caravan site bigger and better so I hope you will be pleased. Oh and if you look closely at the picture taken today this shows the perfect weather we have had here all winter. Calm and no gales or rain.

Bookings 2010

The caravan site is fully booked now from the 24th July until 14th Aug

July Aug bookings are from Sat to Sat unless you ask me and are for a weeks stay minimum for caravans and motorhomes

Tents are always welcome if you call email or text me I can take tent bookings for the quiet times but during the school holidays prefer to take tent bookings a few days in advance

I am putting in two more hard standings at pitch 12 and 13. Will have finished extending pitch 8 and 9 and levelling both by Easter [maybe]

Hope to have wi fi installed by Highland Wifi  and hope to be able to take switch cards this year as well.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2009

I took these today ..xmas eve...its lovely ! The weather has been great here for ages

 Weather update October 12th

Well  to be honest the wind didnt really ever go away in September, but now it most defiantly has ! Infact the forecast is so good now for the next week or so with a big area of high pressure in charge. Lucky for you if you can get away because its peaceful and settled, no midges, less traffic and the ferries are running at the summer timetable until the 24th October. I will be closing around then too.

Weather update Sept 9th

We will have wonderful weather now for the forseeable future. The wind has gone, the sun is out. This is also a good time of year to come if you want to see Otters

Weather update Sept 4th

Well it seems as if the weather is deterring people this weekend with the cancellations I have had..yet its not as bad as they say, infact its dry here justnow !

Here is little Cowrie, hes getting his winter woolies now, hes still as friendly as ever !

     Availability and weather update Aug 23rd

The weather has been 'unsettled' ha ha ..for the last two weeks. But guaranteed its nothing like as bad as further inland, the rain blows over quickly. The met office like to issue weather warnings for a little bit of wind and rain, but in between the wind and rain there are lovely days, afternoons and mornings ! Its still August not January !

The caravan site is sandy soil and really free draining so there is no mud or getting stuck. The forecast for today was bad but its lovely outside.

There are pitches available through this week and from next Saturday onwards

Availability and Weather update

July 20th

Weather is still fair, mixed this week but always with sunny spells. Due to improve again on friday.Up till now it has been amazing anyway

Availability

I have reached saturation point with the volume of telephone calls, emails, phone messages and texts.

The site is full until the end of Aug but there are one or two tent pitches that come and go. Text or call me either the day before or in the morning for these. Best not to call me after 9.30 pm as I get up at 6 so like to be asleep by then. If there are cancellations I will mention them on my phone message or on here.

News Page

Weather update June 30th

Its too hot this week. 26 degrees and not much less at night. Really hard to fill in the potholes in the road in this heat.

Availability

Text me the day before or the morning of, for tent pitches. There are one or two pitches available over the summer but I prefer to do short notice when its busy

Weather update June 27th

Weather is very hot and sunny and set to continue for the week

Availability

I have some pitches available for the coming week and the week beginning 4th July. Tent, Caravan or Motorhome

Text me on 07919872309 if you cant reach me on the phone

Weather update June 16th

The weather is still beautiful here, always sunshine, today with a warm breeze to keep the midges away. There is a change forecasted though but we are badly needing rain.

Orchids

An Orchid with the most beautiful scent is the Greater Butterfly Orchid, I sent some photos of the ones that are opening on the croft justnow to SNH and they identified them as being GBO's. There are several other species on the croft at the moment, Im not very good at identifying them if they are hybrids but I think some of them must be as they have blotched leaves but features of the Northern marsh Orchid. There are a lot of NMO's on the verges justnow, as well as a clump of LBOs or GBO's [ I still have to check their little faces]  and I have asked the council to please not cut the verges this year where they are growing.

my Greater Butterfly Orchid. Sorry I cant bottle the scent.

Maybe a heath spotted orchid?

Chicks

There are red shank, ringed plover and lapwing chicks down on the sand beside the Caimbe bridge. I nearly ran one over ! Its mum was leading it across the road from one side of the Caimbe to the other, because it was so small it wouldnt have been able to get under the bridge. I had to brake suddenly and its mum flew off and left it ! Luckily no other traffic came along until the redshank baby and its mum were safely down the other side in the reeds.

Whales and Dolphins

Lots of them about justnow, a pod of over 200 dolphins  sighted by people on the Sheerwater and a minke whale  just off Mallaig reported by John Morrison  when he was out  fishing for mackerel.

Weather update June 12th

Its still very hot here, wall to wall sunshine, everything is burnt dry. I cant believe I had some people cancel because of the 'bad forecast' ha ha, you dont know what your missing !

This foal still looks ridiculous, someone tell me he is a mushroom and will grow overnight, he is very skinny, like a waif, but he is a first foal and sometimes they are small. He does think hes big though. He is called Cowrie of Caimbe.

Weather update June 10th

The sunny weather continues every day. Unfortunately for those of you who were here during Whit week the good weather you had on the last two days of your holiday has lasted right through until today! And don't listen to the weather forecast  either for here ....any predicted change in the weather to rain and wind wont happen in Arisaig. I have checked the pressure charts  and the best of the weather will  still be in the north west. I hear it has also been very good out in the Hebrides as well

Winnie has foaled today, a small colt who took all day to learn to drink milk, hopefully once he has unfolded himself he will look more like a foal .

. He will be Kyles first foal for me.

Weather update May 15th

The weather has been amazing all week, just perfect. Please ignore the metoffice nonsense forecast and check here instead ! Forecast for the week ahead is very good according to me. I will keep updating this page .

May 5th 2009

The weather this spring has not been at all like last year. A lot more rain but when the sun comes out [as it still does most days] it  can still be lovely. The Met office have decided to tell everyone that its to pour here all week but I think they are trying to put people off, its never as bad as they say.

Never mind the grass is growing and there are other visitors here who dont mind the rain. Curlew, redshank and lapwing are all breeding, and there are wheatear, twites, windchat and stonechat all over, some breeding some passing through on their way to Greenland. Kyle the stallion also has had mares visiting him, all very lovely and  hopefully will all soon be in foal.

Availability for 2009 .

Please check the Holiday house pages for availability  for Caimbebridge House and Studio.  The Caravan Site Availability is as follows

Easter      Fully booked for Easter weekend for Caravans and Motor homes, some tent pitches available

May  Some Availability until the 23rd then full until the 30th

June   30th May to 6th June Fully booked

6th June to 27th June Fair availability

27th June until July 4th Availability

July until 18th  Fully Booked now

July 18th until Aug 1st  Fully Booked now

Aug 1st until Aug 8th  Fully booked now .

Aug 8th until 23rd Aug  Fully booked now

22nd Aug onwards   Still fair availability

March 28th Weather not good for camping at the moment  but it is going to improve in time for the weekend [April 3rd]

Opening Date

 March 20th Weather amazing.

Caravan site opens 19th March . Weather forecast is good for the middle of the week onwards. Weather has been really bad,enough to make me want to move to a drier place for me and my livestock.

Sat 7th March  Made a long journey to Perth Mart with the stallion for The National Stallion Show and managed to get champion highland pony. Took the wrong turn and came home by Lochearnhead but at least we were able to get fish and chips at Bridge of Orchy and at least my car didnt break down again like it has done twice now when Ive been away getting hay. Thanks Mandy who came with me to help

.

March 1st

Sad to say that Missy lost her foal. The foal [a filly] was already dead inside her but about 6 weeks early. The vets couldnt turn the foal into the right position so I had to take her to the Vet hospital where they eventually got it out. Missy survived but cant go in foal again.

Availability for 2009 .

Please check the Holiday house pages for availability  for Caimbebridge House and Studio.  The Caravan Site Availability is as follows

Easter      Fully booked for Easter weekend for Caravans and Motor homes, some tent pitches available

May including Whit  Now Full

June   Availability

July until 18th  Fully Booked now

July 18th until Aug 1st  Fully Booked now

Aug 1st until Aug 8th  Fully booked now .

Aug 8th until 22nd Aug  Fully booked now

22nd Aug onwards   Still fair availability

Feb 8th 2009

No snow here but cold and quiet, very nice.

New Road open

Maybe not officially but the new road is finished apart from tidying up, its BRILLIANT ! .It takes about 10 mins of the journey to Fort William and  makes towing 100% easier. Bringing a caravan or trailer tent will seem much less stressful .

Jan 23rd

The damage wasn't too bad from the storm, just some slates, it defiantly wasn't a force 12 like they forecasted.

Now they are forecasting snow over the weekend and beyond. This is more of a worry as I'm running out of hay and had planned to go north to get enough to do me a few weeks. I took another cow to Dingwall  sale on weds and came home via Kyle to pick up some hay there. It was a quicker route to get home but I had to pay for the ferry and fill in a dangerous goods form for the hay ! A bit mad that. Also 6 Calmac men made me reverse the horse trailer onto the ferry and watched me doing it. I would have liked to have seen them try icing a cake with a load of women staring at them....So although its nearer to go to pick up hay at Kyle I might be less bother going elsewhere

Jan17th 2009

Jan 17th half past two in the afternoon. Ive already lost two slates and its hours until the worst is expected. The wind is gusting to about force 9 already, from the south.Ive moved papers and stuff out of the conservatory and Ive tied down the dingys. I put the ponies in but that might not be the best idea. But I dont want them getting hit by something. The tides aren't expected to be that high so my Mum and the boats should be okay. I expect with these two slates gone the wind will take a load of them off now but its too dangerous for me to go up on a ladder.

Expecting hurricane force winds tonight from a southerly direction. I expect I will lose slates and or conservatories if it is as bad as it looks on the charts. At least I wont have to feed the cows in it on Sunday morning. I had to sell them the other day, one more to go on tuesday, its not something I wanted to do but I had to.

Jan 6th 2009

Happy New Year to all.

It has been much colder here this winter, gales proceeded by a very quiet and still fortnight over Christmas and New Year, good weather.

 Tents Please note. I no longer take tent bookings in advance for the busy holiday periods. However it is possible to reserve a tent pitch if you call me on my mobile a few days before you hope to come. I know that this is not helpful if you are trying to organise a holiday but it usually is successful in securing a pitch. I can take tent bookings for other times out with the busy holiday period, if you are only coming for a night or two it is more helpful to me if you contact me by text on my mobile a few days beforehand. If you plan to stay for a week or a long weekend then if you make contact by phone or email I will try to accommodate you and will take a formal booking.

Very Big Tents  I no longer take the very big cottage style tents as they are damaging to the grass and take up too much room.

Dec 24th.

Merry Christmas and All the Best for 2009

14th October

Things are much quieter and the weather has been poor all October. With the bad weather and less people about the wildlife have started to be about more. A family of Otters have been about the Caimbe  most of the month, eating shore crabs and playing. Curlew are really shy but now they are about the estuary with the place being much quieter. Widgeon are here now too for the winter.

9th September

Weather is always good here ! Consistently we have had lovely weather all summer. I heard today it has been raining elsewhere, sorry to hear that.Really it is only good here, the sun shines all the time. Memories of the summer are of sunshine and sunsets.Its still good and set to continue. You are all very welcome until the end of October.

19th July

Weather is bad ! Site is full until 23rd August but call in the morning for tent pitches

Took Kyle showing and managed to get 2nd.

July 11th

The weather is still really good here, no idea what its like elsewhere but its good here.

Availability

The site is full now, apologies for not replying but I have reached email and phone call saturation. If you want to bring a tent call in the morning of the day you are coming and I will let you know if there is a space. Caravan pitches are full until sometime mid august

June 22nd

Two things to tell. Theres another pony, Winnie, shes here to have a foal with Kyle and go back to her owner in Cumbria in foal , shes a pretty girl and nice and quiet. I think she will match with Kyle and make a nice foal. And the heifer calved, well not on her own, we had to take her in to get her in the crush. That wasn't her plan so she jumped over the wheelbarrow and swam across the water with the tide in to the other side. Eventually got her in and had to pull it out with a lot of pulling  Now they are fine, think she wants to adopt next time though

Most pitches are booked now for Saturday 28th and will stay booked now for the summer, however there are cancellations and  a few tent spaces that will come and go

Weather has turned changeable and not so good now but it will come back again

June 18th

I haven't had much time to update things here, and having a missing 'a' key on my laptop didn't encourage me to type either. Back to normal now.

The 2 months of dry sunny weather broke last weekend and now the ground and the vegetables are being watered. Its not all that bad though, the sun comes out in between the showers and  everything looks bright clean and washed.

Happy news; The Shell ducks managed to raise nine babies. They kept them well hidden and I was worried that the fox had taken them, but early one morning I saw them all in the water at Traigh. Other  babies to note are lots of lapwing, plover and redshank chicks feeding about on the estuary. Curlews defiantly have nested ,I can hear them calling at night when my windows is open. Skylark, Windchat, Greenfinch and Goldfinch seen round the croft, a flock of Mergansers' following fish into the Caimbe at high water, a Cormorant tonight trying to eat a big eel outside the house with the tide in, and earlier on in the month about 7 Golden Plover in summer plumage just feeding around a neighbouring croft [ one with livestock in..]. They were on their way north.

June flowers are abundant, Marsh, Heath and Butterfly orchid [had to stop the road verge man today from cutting them ,grrrr, made me mad...] ragged robin,cowslip, ladies smock , but No ragwort ,well not much. All these years of taking it out have made a difference, maybe I will have it all pulled by mid July or even sooner, then I can enjoy the summer.

Butterfly Orchid  Pearl Bordered Fritilary[both pictures taken here]

June 11th

sorry the site is full for this coming weekend [ fri and sat] 

June 3rd

availability for this weekend

sorry the site is full now for this coming weekend

could be something to do with this

Its constant sunshine here, sorry. That's 6weeks now. Don't believe the forecast, it doesn't rain.Maybe twice but it was at night. It rains at Glenfinnn but it doesn't rain here.

anyway what you have to do when its like this is take the  horse to water. not me but Marty riding Kyle.

24th May 

Still really hot and sunny, and no end in sight with  sunny weather forecast for the week. Ignore the talk of rain it wont happen here. There are a  few spaces from Tuesday onwards

May 20th

The site is fully booked for the Bank holiday weekend . Try the Croft 01687450200, across the water . Or Portnadoran  01687450267,just along the beach

The weather continues to stay hot and sunny. That will be 4 weeks now of hot sunshine and no rain. The ground is very dry and we need rain for the grass now. There are  few spots forecast for Friday night but it will come to nothing as the wind is in the east. The forecast for the weekend is for more sunshine, lots of it. Enjoy ! But think of my grass and my seeds !at least the peats will be very dry and everyone has a suntan.

May 15th

availability for this weekend.

The forecast is still good and it will not rain.

Most of the spaces are now booked for Friday and Saturday.  there are a  few tent pitches but they wont be on the beach side. Will update this page for next weekends availability.

Summer has had her foal, a  lovely black filly. The sire was lost last year to Grass Sickness and it my be his only filly as he was only three. His legacy lives on in Glenbruar Summer Thyme

May 13th

The weather is so hot ! How lucky we are, such a long spell of good weather now, into our second week . I have been schooling Kyle and cutting peat to dry out in the sun. The Inquiry into Crofting has issued its report to the Scottish Parliament, for me it sounds very good. There may be an end in sight to the croft speculation that has threatened our way of life and culture in recent years. Crofts may now attach burdens of residency to them and crofts must be worked to produce food  . I hope the proposals  become reality

May 11th

availability for next weekend [16th May]

There is still plenty of availability through the week and for next weekend. The weather is still hot here and looks good for the week ahead.

May 10th

Naturewatch 

Various guests have spotted the following; Otter down the shore   at Loch Morar, just feeding and looking for crabs. Red deer in close proximity down the Rhu road;  flock of feeding Terns just at the mouth of the Caimbe and a  rabbit swimming across the Caimbe at full tide !

Goldfinches, whinchats, greenfinches, and I heard a curlew, they must be breeding, they are very elusive during the breeding season but I did hear one

Great Northern at  Camasdarach!

I also hear that there  are Mackerel about, further north   anyway. lots of them, it must be the heat bringing them in

May 9th

The girls in swimming tonight .27 degrees here today 

Sorry the site is now full for Friday night.

May 8th

Its so hot here and  perfect for camping !No midges and no wind. Beautiful.  There is still some availability for the weekend, call me on  my mobile. The forecast for the weekend is rain but if its anything like last weekend when they forecasted rain for the  Sat and Sun and all we had was 2 hours rain on the Sunday, it might be worth ignoring .

Shellducks and Whimbrels are breeding , Swallows are here,  Redshank and Lapwing breeding as well

April  30th

The weather is so good here in Arisaig. Even if its raining in Fort William its still lovely and quiet and sunny here on the caravan site.

April  22nd

availability

The site is fully booked now for July until 16th august. The first May holiday is also full and the 23rd May is full for that week also    

April 17th

Forecast is really good for next week as the cold wind at night is to go away and temperatures are to soar to 15 degrees  .Now thats good news,the grass will grow

More sunsets but each one is different. Last nights one

April 16th 

Summer is here. Not just the weather but the pony as well. My friends mare called Summer has come over to foal then visit Kyle the stallion. And since she has arrived the sun has been shining non stop Such perfect weather ! The ground is drying out   at long last. The forecast for the weekend is perfect sunshine and there is plenty of availability on the Caravan site . Just call me on my mobile to keep you a place

April 11th

The twites have arrived. I heard them 'jingeling' then saw a little flock of them. Also someone on the caravan site saw two pair of swallows.

The weather is lovely and to stay good all week. Hope you can come for a visit.

Missy is settling in with the rest of my ponies. Fingers crossed she can run with the stallion soon [ Kyle below]

April 10th

The weather has been much more acceptable for the last few days and the forecast for the weekend is  not bad at all . Well there was even a mad person swimming in the Caimbe the other night.

Birdie news; the Widgeon are all still here, I don't know, they are winter visitors ? They should be away by now but there's still a flock feeding off the eel grass, they might be like the geese and stay over. That's okay because unlike the geese they don't feed of reseeded fields, and new growth in the crofts. The Whoopers swans, they have gone north, up early the other morning I saw maybe 20 or so fly past. Beautiful and evocative.

Lapwings are here, Redshank too, Wind chats and Skylarks, all summer breeding visitors. And the Shell ducks, my favourites, there is a pair that come every year and feed when the tide is high, early in the morning. This morning driving to the ponies I had the window down and saw them so clearly and close up, they have such bright red bills ! So pretty. And the Curlew too, my second favourite bird, a pair have stayed over the winter to breed ! I see them every morning. There haven't been any breeding pairs for a long time here. Twites are still to arrive, too early yet maybe with this dreadful cold we have been having. Not a blade of grass and no germination. I've planted up most of the vegetable garden under fleece. I'm way ahead of myself this year.

I bought an old mare for breeding. She's a mare with nice bloodlines and has good limbs, good feet, nice topline and very pretty head. She will  suit well with Kyle and  the bloodlines cross match in the right places. Shes 19 but  bred a foal 3 years ago and she will bred again. Unlike women  ponies  can breed into old age.

 March 29th

A handsome boy has come to live in Arisaig. His name is Turin Hill Kylemor and he travelled a long way from Holland to be back in his native Scotland hopefully to have some wives and  highland pony children.

He had a long journey and lost a lot of weight, but he will build up again.

Special boy,Shared between his beloved mum in Holland , Marty, and Mairi Page and myself.

March 25th

Em, if you made it here for Easter and stayed, congratulations for being so hardy. If you stayed at home where it was warm here's a picture just to make you feel better.

Come on its not often Im wrong about the weather.Your job is safe Carol...

Anyway that's the last of winter out of the way, its going to be all good now

Forecast for Easter weekend

Arisaig weather will stay fine and dry but chilly at night. Ignore all the warnings of snow they do not apply to Arisaig.

   We are open  now and Pup is waiting to see you...

March 14th . Easter Availability

There are still Caravan and tent pitches available over Easter and until the end of March but for the week beginning  the  5th April possibly limited availability now.

Caravan site is more or less  open and ready now .

This has been the first real day of spring like weather and  I'm predicting it to improve by the middle of next week and for a dry and warm spell lasting a fortnight.

Lots of Bird life here on the Caimbe just now, still winter visitors that haven't left [ flocks of teal and widgeon, flocks of yellow hammers]  Curlew that have seemed to have stayed on this winter and must be breeding now, flocks of Lapwing just over that are pairing up, pairing Mallards, pairing Shelducks and  flocks of Skylarks just over.

Cattle have wintered well and not due to calve until may, no foals due this year, ponies have wintered well too but numbers have been reduced here.

Look forward to seeing you all !

March 9th Update

There is still availability in the caravan site from 20th March and over the Easter half term. For tent pitches please send me a text on my mobile  a day or two in advance and I will  either get back to you with a weather update  or book you a  tent space. Sorry that I cant really do advanced bookings for tents as they are so weather dependant.

We've had nothing but rain and wind here now for weeks but that's maybe a good omen for a long dry spring, starting in a fortnight.

Jan 29th Update

The old static at the entrance to the site has been demolished. Sorry I will not have any caravans to let this year as I had hoped.

The weeks from mid July until mid August are now fairly booked up for  touring caravans. There is still availability for the Easter holiday

I now have my new brochures and sent out today to all who had requested over the last few months

                                                                                                          Merry Christmas from all at Invercaimbe

                                                                                                                            Christmas Eve 2007  

News Page!   Joyce's Blog !                                                                                                                                                                                  

Dec 11th

The time is flying by and it will soon be Christmas. The weather has not been settled and it continues to rain, no bad gales just monotonous wind.

Sad news for those who will know Tara my mums dog. She was put to sleep at home, it was planned as she had collapsed a few times and was failing fast, so she did not suffer any.

My Mum was upset before hand but relieved afterwards.

The news of Bill is that he only stayed at Cathys for a few days. If anybody knows where he is can you get in touch as I have a lot of mail for him here. Hope he is well.

Nov 23rd

We have had the first snow on the hills so it is feeling a lot colder now. Rhum looks lovely with a dusting of snow  and  at sunset and sunrise the hills are bathed in a pink glow. The weather is settled here and has been for the best part of a week now. Everything is easier when the weather is dry and settled.

Down at the wilks to day I had to think how lucky I am to be outside in the fresh air, with noone to bother me, plenty of wilks and easy conditions. Mergansers, Widgeon, Curlew all doing their thing round about me and  well the price is very good justnow so every wilk looks like gold to me.

Roslin and Lewis were very excited  the other night when they followed a big fox all the way home over our road in Tammys car, they are not so keen on the idea that he might be wanting to eat the white rabbits who live in the holiday house garden. My husband Ruaridh came across an otter  on the way to Mallaig[ a live one] but nobody in this house has seen the 'Puma'  yet. That will probably be sighted more around New Year time....

Nov 9th

Bill did not go far..he is staying at Cathy's site.  Well, he will have more shelter over there.

I often get asked the question 'What do you do in the winter?' You know, when the Site is closed, what do I do ?

Well here you go, its winter now and here is a summary of my day today

6.30 am  Get up and go and feed the mares and foals in the stables, hay, water, breakfast, then put some hay and feed in the back of the landrover and go of and feed the cows out on the moor and three other sets of ponies.

7.30 come in and have some toast and jump in a bath if Ive time

8.30 Ros and Calum out to school by then. Set the fire and prepare the dinner, do the laundry feed the dogs

9.00 away to the wilks down Back of Keppoch. I leave the car and walk about a mile across the beach and pick wilks for about 3 or 4 hours, sometimes its rough weather and you have to battle against the wind to find a sheltered bit. Thee are not many wilks there now ,15 years ago I would get twice what I get now. Then I carry them back to the car and thats the worst bit

1.30 After eating something I go and muck out and get in coal and veg or potatoes for dinner,maybe make pancakes or bake if theres nothing in the house

Then its getting dark so I light the fire and put the dinner on and put the mares and foals in for the night.

After dinner I can do what I like and Ive started knitting but usually I iron the sheets for the holiday houses or clean or whatever  because its usually blowing a gale and thats it for the day.

When theres no wilk tide I have a pony or two to break in, Ive done Yogi Isabella and Aisling this autumn but I need to finish Aisling off now and that will give me something to do untill xmas

So there you go and Im quite happy so long as Ive got the company of my children as theres never a dull moment with the two of them

Tues Oct 30th

Today  'Bill' has left the caravan site.......

Mon Oct 29th

Winter is here. Geese are flying south, we had the first hailstones last night and its dark by 5 o clock.

The wind and rain are back and the animals are all needing fed. The Caravan site is closed and  the ponies can graze down there now.  I light the fire at night and  the mares foals are inside .

Thats Bunnacaimbe in the winter. Soon I will go down the shore and collect wilks as I cant be idle during the day. The money will help for Christmas. Its sore but I need the money as they say, ha ha.

Weds Oct 11th

We have had some amazingly warm sunny days lately, a perfect October  and for the children on holiday from school a last chance to play on the beach  and ride the ponies before the November gales and rain set in. The bird life on the Caimbe has been increasing with winter visitors arriving. About 20 Whooper swans flew over heading for Loch nan Eala [Loch of the Swans] at Mains Farm in the village and I was very excited to see a small flock of Goldfinches feeding on thistleheads at the side of the road, I've never seen them before and thought they were just lovely, I had no idea they came as far north as Arisaig. There are Curlews and Widgeon here for the winter as well.

All the cows are going away to the Black Isle this winter, just the old cows and the calves can stay here. Its just the price of feeding this year with the bad summer  for making hay its hard to find good hay and the cobs are up by about 40%, so they can eat silage up there, I think it will work out cheaper and less work for me feeding so I should have time to knit  some tea cosies . Well in reality I will probably justify my existence by going to pick wilks like I used to do before I got married.

The ponies will still be here and I will start feeding them soon, the breaking in is coming on well, Yogi is ready to go to his new home now and Aisling is riding out on the beach. Thank goodness for the good weather so I could break them in when it was quiet.

Audrey Portnadoran's pony Aisling, that was the first time he had a rider on [me]

Mon Oct 1st

For those of you who were here in Sept when the weather was bad, apologies for the picture. This was today, the good weather continues and the site is very quiet. The sun sets are amazing too, setting behind the Squrr of Eigg at this time of year. Perfect weather for a cruise round the islands as well

Fri 28th Sept

The peaceful calm weather that  has come in with the high pressure is perfect for breaking in young ponies. They don't have the excuse of being suddenly startled by a gust of wind or something flapping to take of down the field with you and throw you off. I don't land so well nowadays so I need to be sure of the pony before I slide onto its back for the first time, Usually I can tell by signs that the pony is ready, he blows quietly down through his nostrils, has his ears and eyes 'soft' and responds to you when you give him a comforting scratch. So then I just sit on and give lots of praise and scratches.

Today I had spare time to go over to Audrey's and sit on her home bred 3 yr old, Aisling for the first time. He was really happy and relaxed about it all so I will do this kind of thing every day now until he is riding out quietly on the beach. Yogi was good today as well , I was able to do a little bit of schooling in the field with him, teaching him the basics. Its so rewarding bringing on young ponies and horses, you feel that you are giving them a good start and they will then  find an owner who will give them a home for life.

With  a third of the gardening done [ weeding, pruning and mulching up with well rotted horse manure]  I came in this evening and with the help of Roslin  I  set about doing a baking for the weekend. Well I washed my hands first, Ros whisks the eggs and puts the flour through the sieve, she remembers all the recipes and can just about turn the pancakes on the griddle. So now there's plenty in  and I can make soup and stew tomorrow. I cant be bothered traipsing all the way up to Fort William every week for  a visit to the supermarket, when there's plenty vegetables and potatoes and basics. However my teenage son has other ideas, he seems to think that there's nothing in the cupboards but he doesn't realize that there's plenty there it just has to be transformed by his mother .

Thurs 27th Sept

As promised the weather is now perfect. There should be a very slight frost tonight but after that temperatures will rise slightly and a really good weekend is in store with no wind and warmer temperatures. There is plenty of availability in the Caravan Site!!!!

I have loads to do in the good weather, store potatoes, manure the gardens, and heaps of cleaning etc outside and in. My cabbages ,carrots and potatoes are immense !It must be all the poo from Champion Highland ponies. Anyway the calm sunny weather here is also great for breaking in horses so here is Yogi with Tammy on ,hes coming on really well now

Sun 23rd Sept 

Its been a wet and windy week for the  few intrepid guests in the Caravan site but I promise after the Full  moon comes in this week the wind will settle down. [Tuesday] The Autumnal Equinox is today

unsettled weather and wild skies [see below] are expected.

I have been breaking in Yogi, the part bred, this week. Its not usually a great idea to break horses in when the weather is bad, but he has taken it all in his stride. So far so good and we took our first steps yesterday without a handler on the ground, he listened to me and wanted to please. Photos to follow of his progress

.

AVAILABILITY FOR 2008   

Caravan Site availability is limited now from 27th July untill August 10th but not altogether fully booked yet.

Mon 17th Sept

The sun came out today but along with it a cold northerly wind. Winter is here but the Caravan site is busy tonight, Richard from Cumbria is here in his converted Landrover/ambulance thing, its really cool and has a heater that doesn't use my electricity !

We brought Yogi down from Newtonmore yesterday and he is in the stable getting regular visits from me and starting his breaking process, he wore a bridle today and followed me around at the end of a rope listening to commands.

We dosed the Highland cattle yesterday against parasites especially Liver fluke, anyway the size of Bo the calf who couldn't suck because his mums teats were too big! He looks amazing now on all that milk

He might be good enough to be a bull and show at Ingilston

Ruaridh's Highlanders beneath Ruthven Barracks                                                                   'Bo' and Donna

Sat 15th Sept   The weather is particularly bad today and not suitable for camping !

Our Otter is back, a biggish male has been sighted, he usually appears when its murky and wet and can be seen from the caravan site down in the Caimbe looking around for crabs under the seaweed.

Hopefully I will have some photos too post soon.

Tomorrow I am heading up to Newtonmore to collect a 3 yrold gelding from my father-in-law, he has been bought by my friend Heather and I will start him for her over the next few weeks then he's going south . Yogi is a reg part bred by the Cleveland bay stallion out of a Tersk/Highland mare and looks about 15.1hh. I hope it stops raining as I need good weather to break in youngsters

Thurs 13th Sept

Forecast for the weekend ahead . A good day on Friday and dreich  on Saturday [as usual] then clearing up on Sunday and hopefully staying good for a few days.

Plenty of availability so no need to 'phone in advance. I will be here all weekend

Weds 12th Sept 2007

Hurrahh !!!I have finally learnt how to edit my own website. Now I need a cup of tea. Look forward to the excitement of catching up on all my news and news of the caravan site and croft 

Meanwhile here is a picture of my darling daughter Roslin riding her pony Holly at a show on Sunday. They were 2nd and 3rd and Remee, our other Shetland pony was Champion Mountain and moorland  with Roslins little friend Edward Lee showing him . Great fun was had by all.

 Willie Weasel who came to visit the caravan site a month ago. Thanks to Richard for the picture.

An outdated Map to show you the way