A great thing about living here on Loch Ness is that we are within a relatively short drive of Fort William and access to the truly wonderful Fort William to Mallaig railway. It is infact so stunning that it is regularly rated in travel magasines as one of best railway trips to take in the world ! Today, two of our guests made the 1hr 15min trip from Evergreen to Fort william and caught the Jacobite Steam train, which operates between June to mid -October, north west to the fishing village of Mallaig. En route it passes over the magnificent 21 arch Glenfinnan viaduct made famous in the Harry Potter films. Not long after it passes the silver sands of Morar before arriving in Mallaig... fantastic!!

Interesting day yesterday. Got a call in the morning from the PR company working for the Baxter's Loch Ness Marathon. As a five time runner of the marathon, would I be interested in doing a piece for BBC Scotland ? Never one to shy from publicity, of course I said yes. So a few hours later there I was running ( nearly flat out I have to say!) behind a car being filmed and talking at the same time, along the shores of Loch Ness! As I wheezed and gasped for breath I asked if it was 'ok', to which Brian and Jackie who were doing the filming, replied yes you're a natural!!
Well we will see... If the piece is used, I guess we will see it on TV in the next week or so.

Now I must contact my agent again...

Past few days it has been pretty windy on Loch Ness, infact looking down towards Fort Augustus from Inverfarigaig it has looked more like the sea with 'white horses' breaking over big waves. Today it was so rough that Jacobite Cruises were not sailing. I suppose though we should not be surprised as the strong westerly winds stream in unchecked, right up the Great Glen from Fort William and up until two years ago safety on the loch was the responsibility of the Coastguard which really says it all... this is one wild stretch of water when the wind builds up! Here are a couple of photos which I think demonstrate how rough it can get.

Beautiful day again today so I a took quick run up the 'Corkscrew' as it is called. This little known road is only 1/2 a mile from Evergreen and, in a very short distance, spirals up several hundred feet to a rocky outcrop from which there are wonderful views down Loch Ness. I absolutely love this route despite the fact that it was on the rocks here six years ago that I had a serious climbing accident! The road was built in 1815 by Lord Woodhouselee of Aldourie and apart from now being a tarmac road I guess it has not changed much.. The photo is the view in spring from top of the Corkscrew.

Big day today - my last long run (20 miles) before I run the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon ( www.lochnessmarathon.com) for the sixth consecutive year. It went ok although I was pretty tired at the end. However, when you are running through beautiful scenery the pain is worth it(or so I keep telling myself!) The stretch from Whitebridge down to Foyers is my favourite stretch as it passes through mixed woodland and today it was very clear that autumn is in the air. The birch tree leaves are turning yellow and the bracken is now mostly a rich browny yellow. I saw a few deer and of course red squirrels frantically gathering hazelnuts. Even the weather was autumnal - not rain but just pleasant, dry and not too warm.

Ok, I know, the rain is becoming somewhat tiresome! It's all very well to go out in it one or two days in succession but thereafter well.. So here it is, 10 things to do in the Loch Ness area when it rains:

1. Go to the new Culloden battlefield Visitor Centre. Even if you are not a history buff this is a fantastic place to learn about the most bloody episode in modern Highland history.
2 Visit Leakeys Second Hand bookshop in Inverness. An absolute gem!
3. Stop for a coffee at Girvan's in Inverness - the place where Invernessians all go.
4 Take in a film or theatre production at Eden Court ( http://www.eden-court.co.uk/)
5 Visit Urquhart Castle - you don't have to get wet to learn about these ancient ruins!
6 Go swimming at Inverness Leisure Centre
7 Visit the Loch Ness Exhibition Centre in Drumnadochit
8. Visit some of our many excellent art galleries ( Kilmorack Gallery Beauly, or Castle Gallery Inverness, to name a couple)and treat yourself!
9 Take a Jacobite Cruise on Loch Ness ( http://www.jacobite.co.uk/ )
10 Or alternatively relax here at Evergreen and read a book!

Here at Evergreen there are always large numbers of small garden birds such as robins, wrens, chaffinches, coal and blue tits feeding in our back garden. It's a joy to watch them through the kitchen window each morning feeding at the bird table. No sooner have we filled it up with food than they descend on it from above like... planes descending from the skies above an airport! Yes, one after another they drop from the branches above until as many as 40 birds can be feeding at any one time. Occasionally there is the odd crash as one poor bird flies directly in to the window but for the most part Evergreen Airport continues in much the same fashion every day!

Took an hour out of my schedule today to go out for a run with my friend Ed. We decided to do the Foyers circular which starts from Evergreen and is a popular walk for many of our guests. The route rises sharply from Evergreen, goes over the top of the hill before descending down to the loch shoreline and back to the house. It is a beautiful trail and well worth doing. Today however, as we set off, it was raining heavily and I had some trepidation about it, particularly as we decided to do it in reverse and hence faced quite a brutal uphill run! But you know what, it was fantastic - running through the lush green woods with it all to ourselves - truly invigorating in every sense! By the time we got back we were soaked through and covered in mud but thinking heh what's a bit of rain...