Well there I was yesterday morning having a quiet coffee after our guests had just left when Ed phones - 'fancy a run up in to the hills Graeme?' I looked out the window and was vaguely aware that overnight it had ben snowing on the hills but it didn't look too bad. 'Sure', I said. Two hours later we are high up in the Monaliath Mountains, it's chucking it down with snow, shin deep underfoot and we are in the midst of a unique wilderness - absolutely fantastic! The landscape in these mountains is almost primeaval, dotted with small lochs but nothing else and with the heavy snow, I relied on the good navigating skills of Ed! That said, we saw large numbers of red deer drawn down to lower levels by the weather.
After 3 and a half hours we got back to the car satisified that we experienced hill running that was a little bit different from the norm!

At this time of year when the days are short it is nice to do something different. Yesterday I did just that - along with friends Ed and Leah, as well as Fiona, we headed down to the Ice Factor at Kinlochleven near Fort William ( http://www.ice-factor.co.uk/ ) The Ice Factor is an indoor climbing mecca, with the largest indoor ice wall in the world and over 600sqm. of climbing walls. It is many years since I did climbing on indoor walls but I 'rolled back the years' and had a great time climbing knowing that if a fell off I was perfectly secure and would simply dangle in mid-air! The arms got rather tired after a while but I would recommend it for anyone that wants to experience something a bit different when they are up here on holiday. To reach the Ice Factor is takes about 2hrs from Evergreen.

Up early this morning for the inaugrual meet of Stratherrick Athletic! Yes, at 8.30am this morning I joined a few hardy souls for a short 4 miles run through the woods behind us here at Evergreen. Fortunately it was a beautiful crisp morning, and after a quick warm up we hit the trail at a good pace but not so fast as to not enjoy some good banter with good friends!
Recently the Forestry has been felling mature woodland in the area and it's revealed two beautiful little lochs which have been hidden from view for many years. As we past one of the lochs we saw a fox ambling along with the confident gait of a well feed animal!
Finished up at Alex's house and rounded it off with two steaming mugs of tea before heading back home. What better way to start the day.

The days are sure getting short now here on Loch Ness. Round about 3.30pm you notice the light suddenly fades and then a mere 20 mins later it is dark, and when I say dark I mean dark. With no light pollution here and not even streetlights, when it's overcast it gets pitch dark! Not that we are complaining, because with winter and short days a peacefulness and tranquility descends on the area which is very soothing for the soul! All we hear at night are owls twittering away in the woods or occasionally rutting sika deer.

Took a run today up over the Fair Haired Lads Pass. This trail passes over the highest point on the south side before plunging 1300ft down to the shores of Loch Ness. It is an exhilarating trail to run (or walk) with fantastic views in all directions. More than that it takes you up through an area where you could sit all week and not another person would pass you by - surely what wilderness is about !
Here are some photos of Loch Ness that I took from the pass earlier this year.

This is the heading to an STV tv. news article today ( ) It actually refers to plans by Scottish & Southern Energy for another huge hydro power plant on Loch Ness. I was asked for a quote by a local newspaper on the story when it first broke a few days ago and, as always happens in these instances, before you know it you are being quoted in articles all over the place of which you have no knowledge. I don't have a problem with this but what I do object to is the incorrect spelling of my name!! a)I am not a Graham and b) since when was my surname Amrose?

Yours Mr Angry

Beautiful November day today - cold but with clear sky and plenty of sun. As usual on a Sunday, I was out running doing my favourite hill run. From the summit at 1500ft I was able to see clear across to the snow capped mountains of Kintail approximately 50 miles away - absolutely fantastic. At the same time directly below me Loch Mhor, a small loch just a few miles from Evergreen, was as flat as a mill pond and sparkled in the sun. To top it all, as I descended I was treated to the sight of two red deer stags, unfazed by me, slowly drift off in to the woods. It's perfect moments like these that remind me how lucky I am to live in this part of Scotland!!

In the past few days the newspapers have been carrying news of the death of Robert H Hines at the ripe old age of 87. Hines was an inventor,lawyer, physicist, composer and most famously, Nessie hunter. He appeared in several TV documentaries about the monster and devoted considerable time and money researching the creature. He claimed to have seen the monster in the early 1970s. Such was his influence that Gary Campbell of the 'Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club' is quoted in the Inverness Courier as saying 'Robert Hines took the whole of Loch Ness research to another level in the 1970s. Ah yes, such were the days when Nessie made regular public appearances...

Here at Evergreen we have always gathered customer feedback through review websites such as Trip Advisor, and through our own bespoke customer feedback forms. Over the past year the biggest single request we have had is for a shower in the master bedromm ensuite in addition to the jacuzzi bath. Due to the cost of making any such change we could not do it last year, but finally we have decided to take the plunge (no pun intended!) Over winter we are completely upgrading the ensuite and putting in a luxury shower and seperate bath. Thus guests will be able to enjoy the best of both facilities in the one room - a shower when you get up in the morning and a bath to luxuriate in after a day out and about!