The weather has been fantastic the last couple of weeks, with bright blue skies and sunshine, we have been spoiled!!! It has been quite cold with still a lot of snow about on the hills and the skiing at Glencoe and Anoch Mor
(http://www.nevisrange.co.uk) resorts has been some of the best in 10 years. The scenery has been spectacular with plenty of lovely daffodils cheering us all up. Still no sign of any leaves on the trees but it is sure to start warming up and they will appear soon.

This is a lovely time to visit the area with the fields full of new lambs and the light nights stretching to about 8.30pm, it gives you plenty to look at and the time to do it. The wildlife is out and about around the site with the Pinemarten making a few appearances on the balconies to get his bread and honey and the Red Squirrel making the most of the full nut feeders.
(http://www.glencoeselfcatering.co.uk)

Ian has been busy building a new rockery in front of Salmon chalet, so hopefully by next year the heathers and schrubs will start to flourish. He is also busy putting new roof tiles on all the chalets, so thats keeping him busy!!!

This season looks as if it is going to be a busy one with the diary filling up quickly, so if you are thinking of coming for a visit give us a ring, email at enquiries@glencoeselfcatering.co.uk or check the website for details on availability
we would love to see you!

We have just finished reviewing all our Customer comments from the comment cards which are completed each week by our guests for 2007.

The results are fantastic with 100% of the guests who completed the forms happy with their stay at Loch Leven Holidays and met or exceeded their expectations. Customers felt our attitude was very friendly & helpful and the welcome on arrival was excellent.

They said the accommodation was very clean, comfortable, spacious and homely. A few people commented on the need for a more powerful shower, sky tv and internet access but on the whole most people were more than satisfied with the facilities and understood that the location ie. private water supply sometimes limited us to what we could provide. Internet access and Sky tv or freeview will be things we will certainly do in the future.

On the whole everyone loved the location and views and agreed we had a 5 star location!

Some other interesting points that arose was the fact that 57% of customers found out about us from the internet that is an increase of 4% from 2006 and only 10% from the Freedom Brochure a decrease of 4% on 2006.

We thank all our customers who completed the comment cards and take on board the positive and negative comments and hopefully we can continue to give them an excellent level of accommodation and service. www.glencoeselfcatering.co.uk

Other information that we have collected over the year shows that there is almost an even split between couples and families staying with us and 30% of our business is from repeat guests (we must be doing something right!).
Approx. 75% of our visitors are from England, with most of our foreign visitors from Germany & The Netherlands.

Chalets re-open 9th Feb.2008

We are now closed until Sat.9th February 2008, but don't worry we are not away sunning ourselves on some foreign beach, this closure lets us thoroughly "spring clean" the chalets and do any maintenance required on them! We are currently replacing the roofs on all the chalets, so we are praying for some dry weather!!!! We are also re-decorating the bedrooms in the cottage and putting new furniture in them, so if you are planning a stay in Tiranui you should see some changes. A new sofa has also been ordered for the living room, hopefully this should come in March some time!

If you feel like a break in February after a dull and depressing January, why not visit us for a short break or even a full week! Short breaks can be enjoyed from as little as £185 for a minimum of 3 nights, depending on availability. We are full from 9th to 16th Feb. but still have availability from 16th!

February can be a great month to visit the Highlands, normally there is snow on the hills and if you enjoy skiing you might be lucky and get a chance to try out the slopes of Anoch Mor or Glencoe Ski resorts. If that is not your thing then relaxing in a cosy chalet looking out at the stunning views might appeal more!!

We have the Mountain Film Festival to look forward to from Fri.15th to Sat.23rd Feb.2008. This is always a brillant event, this year they have the first ever UK Slackmining Masters Contest, kayaking legend Corran Addison, mountaineer Kenton Cool, the Scottish premiere of US mountain biking film Klunkerz and legendery exhibition films. Go to the Website to find out more about the programme and tickets http://www.mountainfestival.co.uk



Give us a ring for more information on accommdation 01855 821272 or drop us an email enquiries@glencoeslefcatering.co.uk

Hope to see you soon!

These are some of the comments from the Brennan family who spent their 2nd Christmas with us at the chalets.

Emma: 2nd visit back to the chalets and we received the same warm welcome as before! The chalets are so homely and comfortable. The week has been fabulous again, although the weather a bit poorer this time, but even if we had to stay in the chalet all week we would never get bored of the spectacular view of the Loch.
We visited Ardnamurchan point www.ardnamurchan.com and saw many stags on route - magnificent!! We saw our old friend the otter playing in the Loch near his home and several eagles whilst driving up the coast. We will take some beautiful memories of the the Highlands home and hope to return again!

Rose: This is my first holiday for many years and I thank my family for bringing me! We received a lovely warm & friendly welcome, the accommodation is excellent and the views are breathtaking from the chalet.
The Highlands the views, Ben Nevis, the ferry, the drives, waterfalls, the quarry, the marvellous variety of stones, rocks & plants and the birds which are top of my list. The stags so regal & surveying!! I could go on forever about the beautiful memories I will take back home. We also had a lovely Christmas Dinner at the Ballachulish Hotel www.ballachulishhotel.com

Thank you Ian & Sharon. As for the Highlands you know my thoughts!!!!

Jasmine: We received a warm and friendly welcome and we settled in quickly. The weather was clear on arrival, with only a few clouds covering the mountains, the air was refreshing after travelling in a vehicle for so long.
We enjoyed our trip to Ardnamurchan Point (the most westerly point in the British Isles), beware if you go over there are tons of curlew on the roads!!

If you are lucky enough to visit the area over the festive period, then you will probably be looking for things to do, well don't worry there is plenty going on to keep you in the festive spirit!!

CLACHAIG INN GLENCOE http://www.clachaig.com/p/v/whats-on/december/

Fri 28th Dec
Clachaig Boots Bar
Box o' Bananas
They're a slippery bunch promising more fun than your average chimps tea party!

Sat 29 Dec
Clachaig Boots Bar
Bob Stewart
Bob provides yu with his unique brand of folk & pop covers for your enjoyment. Cheeky monkey!

Sun 30 Dec
Clachaig Boots Bar
Dakota
5 piece band from the west coast of Scotland. Varied set which includes songs from 60's and 70's up to current time.

Mon 31st Dec
Clachaig Boots Bar
The Hogmanay Hoolie!
Ghosties
A bit of a coup for us here at Clachaig as these guys are billed as one of the best unsigned bands in Europe!! A blissful blend of guitars, melodic harmonies, thumping drums and chills down the spine. Who ya gonna call?

Bar open through the bells (subject to approval of license).

Free entry.


THE NEVIS CENTRE FORT WILLIAM www.neviscentre.co.uk

Monday 31 Dec 07 - Tuesday 1 Jan 08
Times 0:20 to 0:02
Venue Nevis Centre
Details Lochabers biggest and best hogmanay show with Fergie McDonalds Ceilidh Band & Wonderland bringing in the New Year in the finest tradition
Tickets are available £16 for adults and £11 for juniors.

Lots of hotels locall all doing festive dinner and lunch menus. why not try The Ballachulish Hotel or the Isles of Glencoe details on their website http://www.islesofglencoe.com http://www.ballachulishhotel.com/
or call 0871 2223415

Have a very happy Christmas and prosperous New Year from Ian & Sharon at Loch Leven Holidays!!

Yes it is hard to believe but it is only 49 days until Christmas 2007. If you can't bare the thought of it and would love to get away from it all why not hire a chalet in the beautiful surroundings of Loch Leven. We are doing a 5 day special break for £375 and you can choose your dates from Sat.22nd to Sat.29th Dec. You can enjoy the peace, quiet and stunning scenery from the comfort of the chalets which are warm and cosy. We decorate the chalets with a Christmas tree, so you don't miss the festive spirit all together!! www.glencoeselfcatering.co.uk

The chalets sleep 4 so they are ideal for a couple, family or friends and if there are more than 4 we have our larger cottage which sleeps 8. This will cost £600 for the 5 day break, both prices include electricity, heating and bed linen.
If you don't fancy cooking your Christmas dinner, many of the local hotels are doing special festive menus, for example The Isles of Glencoe Hotel and Ballachulish Hotel in Ballachulish both offer excellent food and surroundings www.foliohotels.com

There may be a good chance of seeing some snow, as usually at this time of year, the mountains around us have a covering and you may be lucky and get some skiing in at the Nevis Range ski resort just outside Fort William www.nevisrange.co.uk

Whatever you fancy doing this Christmas, wether it is a quiet getaway or a get together with friends Loch Leven Holidays accommodation is the place to stay!!!

Send us an email on enquiries@glencoeselfcatering.co.uk for more details.

If you are still thinking about a holiday in the Highlands but think there won't be much to do in October - THINK AGAIN!!!!

It is starting to quieten down in the area as a lot of the summer tourists have gone home but there is still plenty going on.

If you fancy finding out a bit more about the Wildlife in the area, in particular Glencoe, there is a Wildlife Safari on Tues.2nd Oct.leaving from the National Trust Centre at dusk. It will give you an opportunity to see what lives in the Glen. This is sure to be an exciting trip! www.glencoe-nts.org.uk

If you are one of the many people who have climbed Ben Nevis and are interested in finding out more about this magnificent mountain, The John Muir Trust is giving a talk on Wed.3rd at the National Trust Visitor Centre. They will tell us why this mountain is so special and how they look after it. www.jmt.org

If your thing is more indoors, why not visit the Lime Tree Gallery anytime from Friday 6th Oct. to Sat.3rd Nov. where there is an exhibition from the Scottish Arts Council showing contemporary Scottish Art. This is a colletion of drawings and prints from various artists such as Joan Eardley, John Byrne, Nathan Coley and many others. You can also enjoy a lovely meal in the restaurant while you are there www.limetreegallery.com

From Fri.12th Oct. to Sat.29th Oct. The Royal National Mod comes to Lochaber. Am Mòd Nàiseanta Rìoghail (The Royal National Mod) is Scotland's premier festival of the Gaelic language, arts and culture and is held annually in October at a different location in Scotland. The Mod is a competition-based festival which celebrates the Gaelic language and culture through music, dance, drama, arts and literature.
The mod attracts visitors from all around the world and is enjoyed by all! www.lochabermod2007.co.uk