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Damon & Renate's Holiday Cottages

Damon & Renate's Holiday Cottages: October 2011

Damon & Renate's Holiday Cottages

Beautiful stone cottages near Oban and on the Isle of Mull

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Location: Taynuilt, Argyll, United Kingdom

Monday 24 October 2011

Highland rescue

We seem to be in a phase where the Oban Mountain Rescue team is on tv regularly. Next one coming up : Highland Emergency on Wednesday evening at 7.30pm on Channel 5 will feature Oban MRT doing a daring rescue on Cruachan! Www.chanel5.com/shows/highland-emergency/episodes
And it's episode 7.

And soon there will be the Landmark show, another Scottish one, with a simulated cave rescue where Damon was interviewed. Probably mid November.

The weather has been very mild here, but fully autumn. Plenty of rain and very gusty winds today. Last Saturday I didn't think there was any rain left in the sky, and sure enough Sunday started dry.

We are all preparing for the onslaught of autumn festivals. Halloween, the enchanted forest in Pitlochry, lantern festival in Lochgilphead, bonfire night, winter festivities the last week of November in Oban with an ice skating ring and Victorian theme. For us it's then St Nicholas as celebrated in Holland on the 5th December. Then finally it will be Christmas, and I'll be organising the Hogmanay party for Taynuilt in the village hall.
Renate

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Sunday 23 October 2011

Adventure show

Only 2 more days to see the adventure show on iplayer featuring Kerrera. An excellent programme. The ferryman, Duncan is also part of the mountain rescue team.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016d8hc

Also my photo of Kerry MacPhee the female winner and 5 overall. She was awesome.



Renate

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Monday 17 October 2011

Carsaig arches on Mull and Iona

The adventure show on Tuesday 18th oct on BBC Scotland at 19.00. This one features the Craggy island triathlon that was in aid of Oban Mountain rescue.

We had a few days on Mull last week staying at Torr Na Locha, and walked along the coast to Carsaig arches. The guidebook time is 6 hours, and it certainly took us that time. The terrain varied between crossing streams, boggy, awkward rocky, boulders on beach and eventually grassy.











We saw lots of wild goats, this one stayed asleep while I photographed it.

The arches were spectacular. Damon climbed down so he could go through, and popped out at the more impressive arch beyond. From where I stayed you could just see this first arch.





On the way back we found nun's cave. The roof drips down on you as you enter, but it's very impressive inside.






We went over to the Isle of Iona the next day, where we went to Martyr's Bay, and up to the highest point, Dun I, only a 15 minute detour from the road. We could see right the way to the Isle of Rum and Skye, even though it was quite a rough day. Then to the St Columba hotel for tea and scones.
The Abbey has finally had it's scaffolding taken down.





Renate

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Saturday 8 October 2011

Turning Japanese and first snow

Oban is turning Japanese. A new restaurant is set to open, just off the main street. It is advertised as an organic, vegan and japanese, their first outlet beyond London. So I went for upside down too!


The menu is advertised as



We had our first snow on the hills on Thursday morning. Not a great photo I know, but I had to pull over while driving to Glasgow and it was still dark.



This is from just east of Dalmally going up to glen Lochy, looking at Ben Lui.
We are off to Torr na Locha on Mull tomorrow for a few days with the kids. Part holiday and part doing jobs. And of course the kids will be seeing their 3 chicks!
Renate

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Sunday 2 October 2011

Weather

While England has been basking in sunshine, we have been more modest up here. Plenty of variations on cloud, blue, rain and sun. Today started dreich and Cruachan was firmly clothed in cloud all day, but by late morning it was rather nice in Oban and it stayed nice all day.



View from Pulpit hill over to Kerrera and Lismore.



Pulpit hill with Oban in the background.




The North Pier with Piazza. This pier was built on top of a ship that was sunk there first.

Update on our chickens: of our 4 hatchlings we've been having a spot of bother with the one we kept, Poppy. She doesn't want to go in the hutch and stays out all night in any weather unless we force her in. The other 3 were banished to Torr na Locha on Mull, as I thought they were cockerels. BUT, they have all started to lay.... I'm in serious trouble!
Renate

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