It has to be said that these days Nessie is somewhat camera shy but not it appears back in the 1930s. Some archive film has emerged, which can be viewed at http://ssa.nls.uk/film.cfm?fid=0373&cid=75247333, which clearly indicates that Nessie really did use to show off for the camera. This 'amazing' footage made by Scottish Film productions (1928) Ltd is wonderful in its simplicity and conviction. I particularly like the part of the film where a map is outlined of Loch Ness demonstrating where most sightings of the monster have been seen as guess what, there is a big arrow pointing at Inverfarigaig !!

Well if we needed any reminders that it's well in to autumn now, the change in the clocks and a good downfall of rain has done just that. It's 6pm pitch dark outside and just a bit wet... At the weekend I went for a run up a nearby hill in the Monadhliaths. First 1000ft- fine, but then came round a corner in the track to be confronted with a torrent of water thundering down the hill where there should have been more track!!

However autumn does also bring some wonderful calm days here on Loch Ness. As they say, here are some photos I took earlier...

Down in Edinburgh last night for the Scottish Tourism Thistle Awards. Evergreen was one of three buisnesses shortlisted as finalists in the customer care 'Going the Extra Mile' Category. Unfortunately we did not win but nevertheless we are immensely proud of getting to the final three. The Thistle Awards are the premier tourism awards in Scotland for which only the very best are considered. The winner in our category was Pilrig Self Catering Apartments in Edinburgh and our congratulations to them.
In addition to the awards there was of course a meal and entertainment which was provided by Midge Ure. Those of a certain age will remember Midge from his Ultravox days in the 1980's. Well, he did a short acoustic set which was quite simply brilliant. If by chance it appears on You Tube watch it - he finished by singing the 1985 'song for Ethiopia', 'Do they know it's Christmas?'which had all 600 people in the audience on their feet applauding!!

Good news out the other day that Scotland's first official canoe trail is to be created between Fort William and Inverness. A partnership of public agancies estimate that it could be completed as early as 2012.Canoeing on Loch Ness is becoming increasingly popular and it's easy to see why - it's big and it's challenging. Also it offers great potential for those attracted by the idea of 'wild camping'. However a word of caution to anyone thinking about canoeing on Loch Ness- it can get extremely rough, even in summer, and therefore you should always always check the weather conditions before venturing out !!

Have just added another addition to our website which we hope guests booking accommodation with us will find useful - there is now a link from the navigation bar which takes you to the Event section of www.visitlochness.com where you will be able to book on-line events that are on around Loch Ness. The facility has just become available so there are not many events as yet, but I am confident (I'm also exec director of Destination Loch Ness who are responsible for the visitlochness website)that it will develop rapidly so that by the time next summer comes we hope to be able to offer tickets to all the major attractions and events around the loch.
In the meantime if you are coming up to the area in the next few months why not take a look... I would certainly recommend the Old Blind Dogs on the 12th December..awesome music!!

Yesterday I took a trip down to our self catering cottage, Fairhaven, on the west coast at Colintraive. On this occasion the purpose of the visit was simply to get our boat out of the water for winter and normally the 4 hours drive each way is tiresome to say the least. But yesterday the sun shone all the way there and back and it was glorious ! Infact, on the way back I stopped at Benderloch near Oban to watch a blood red sun, set across Loch Croran... absolutely stunning.
The photos are of Fairhaven from the sea and one of our little boat!

Well it's the time of the year again to make my sloe gin! Every year I collect berries off the blackthorne trees at the bottom of our drive, and mix them with gin and sugar. You then leave them for a couple of months and hey presto, at Christmas you have your own sloe gin ( or 'rocket fuel' depending on the quantity of gin you mix in!) The berries this year are plentiful and on Saturday afternoon I very quickly collected enough for a few bottles, infact truth be told if I had a licence I could go in to production, so bountiful are the berries! May be not such a bad idea - we offer our guests a complimentary 'taster' which has proved remarkably popular this year.

As some of you may know, aside from running Evergreen with Fiona my 'other' job is heading up an organisation called Destination Loch Ness whose aim is basically to improve the tourism product in the Loch Ness area. At present one potential project we are involved in is to create a walking/horse riding trail that extends from Fort Augustus all the way to Inverness. Today as it was a beautiful autumn day, I headed off in to the wilds to check out part of the proposed route...and what can I say - if it happens it will be fantastic ! The section I walked was near to Whitebridge and follows the side of a small meandering river with plenty opportunities for picnicing, before rising up on to a glacial terrace with the remains of a settlement probably dating back to the 18thC.
Hopefully the photos give some idea of it!

Bit of a rant this morning.. The other day Virgin Money Travel Insurance published the results of a survey that said 'Bournemouth is the UK's most holiday-friendly town...check out Brighton, Portsmouth, London and Scarborough as well but don't check in to Loch Ness'. Well no destination is perfect and I know Loch Ness can do much to improve it's facilities but...

1. by what criteria can you possibly draw meaningful comparisons between major resorts such as Bournemouth and a wild, low populated area such as Loch Ness?
2. why is it necessary to use such inflamatory language as 'don't check in to Loch Ness' ?

I guess it's because in doing so it draws peoples attention and raises the awareness of Virgin Money, which is to say the least, a sad and devious approach to gaining market exposure!!

I read again, that another plot of land close to Boleskine House, just along the road from Evergreen, is up for sale. Boleskine house was the home of the infamous Aleister Crowley for 15 years at the beginning of the 20thC. By the 1960's the house had gained a terrible reputation as a place of evil where bad things happened - no surprise then that the house was bought by Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. As it happens, it was my best friend's father that sold the house to Page and I remember vividly as an impressionable teenager, passing by the house and almost being unable to look at it such was the feeling of evil that surrounded it !!
Fortunately that is not the case now - today it is a beautiful house with wonderful views over Loch Ness.... and Boleskine Graveyard.

Ah yes, in the end another fantastic Baxter's Loch Ness Marathon and on a personal level another consistent performance. As predicted the sun shone from the start, the atmosphere around the finish area and along the route was fantastic and the course record was broken by Simon Tonui who completed in 2hrs 20mins 13secs - 46 secs better than the previous best ! With success like this I have no doubt that the event will continue to grow and continue to raise substantial money for charities. All credit to Malcolm Sutherland and his team who have organised the event since it's inception back in 2002
For those curious I staggered home in 3hrs 59mins 2secs - the third time I have gone under 4hrs !

Yes, it's the day before the Baxter's Loch Ness Marathon and guess what, I don't fee too good.. On Thursday night I had a sore throat and yesterday felt lousy and spent most of the day sleeping ! Feeling better today but not great. Should I run tomorrow ? I will no doubt, if only because I've been training for so long and because it is such a fantastic event. The weather is looking good for tomorrow also, with sunshine but not too warm for running. Every year bar one since the Loch Ness Marathon started back in 2002the sun has shone.
So here is hoping for a good day tomorrow. Some of our guests are also running the marathon so even if I don't run to form I'm sure it will be a great weekend