Bayview at Christmas

18 year old Jake Bench took these lovely shots at Christmas around the Kentallen area. You can see the cottage, Cuil Bay, the ice fall in Glen Nevis, and a very cold tree on Ardsheal. Thank you Jake, take your rightful place with the best photographers.
This is a bit cheeky, but I want to get Google to index my new page in a Jazz website. This has nothing to do with holidays, or photographers, or holiday cottages or short breaks or self catering, so please ignore. It is just a link to our new website page. Jazz Smugglers playing at the Brighton Festival gig
Thanks.
John

Glencoe photographers driving in snow and ice

We added some tips on driving on snow and ice, but most of you are so experienced at the pre-dawn starts that you know it all.
There may be a little pointer you could have missed though.

Four Don'ts
Don't allow the battery to run down. It is very vulnerable in the cold.
Don't use washing up liquid in the screen wash
Don't run on thin tyres
Don't overtake on snow and ice
Don't rev the engine or accelerate quickly

Ten Do's
Drive very slowly, particularly around corners
Avoid steep hills, particvularly those with bends
Go into corners slowly
Accelerate very slowly
Use 2nd gear if possible on ice
Keep the driving wheel as straight as possible
Leave a massive amount of room between you and the car in front
Fill the petrol tank more frequently than usual
Keep your mobile phone topped up
Use WD 40 to ease the door locks
Watch out for extra cold temperatures in low lying valleys, and on tree lined roads
Choose a coastal route if possible rather than an inland route.

Take 11 things with you
Old bits of carpet, clothes, or cardboard for getting the car out of snow
Wellington boots - carried inside the car
Shovel, to dig out the car
Emergency first aid kit
Spare clothes
Scarf
Hat covering the ears
Gloves
Chocolate and something to eat
Flask of hot drink
Charged mobile phone
St. Christophers charm, you never know.

John
Masses of information about the area in our Site map
This is about Fort William
Appin is beautiful
Bed and breakfast and hotels from Oban to Fort William
Walks around our cottage
Autumn short breaks in Glencoe
Ben Nevis walking is a slog, but worth it
Cottage holidays Scotland in the Autumn, Winter, Spring
The highlands of Scotland
Find holiday cottages anywhere
Gorgeous photographs of Glencoe
Hill walks in Glencoe
Munroes in Glencoe
Port Appin
Barcaldine
Accommodation in Lochaber
Kentallen
Ballachulish
Onich
How to find cottage owners self catering websites

HISTORY PAGES.
The story they don't tell you about the Glencoe Massacre
History around the cottage in Appin
Did the Vikings stage a battle in Glencoe?
The Pictish broch in Lismore
West of Scotland millions of years ago
Robert the Bruce and the Ardchattan parliament
Robert the Bruce and the Knights Templar
The story of the MacDonalds of Glencoe
Ancient roads of the Highlands
Glencoe, the 4th Wonder of Scotland
Castles in the Glencoe area

GLENCOE OUTDOORS
The best walks in Glencoe
Ben Nevis, go climb it
Munros are over 3,000 feet
Some Munros are easy
Glencoe rock climbing
Skiing in Glencoe is excellent again
New cycle tracks around Glencoe
There are lovely beaches and bays around Glencoe
Accommodation Fort William
Golf on the West coast
Tour the Highlands
You can cruise the West coast
Driving around glencoe on snow and ice - Tips

BLOGS
Travellers Tales from the highlands of Scotland
Find your ideal holiday cottage anywhere
The most beautiful photographs of Glencoe
The achingly beautiful area of Appin, Scotland
Special offers for self catering in Scotland

COTTAGE ATTRACTIONS
Lochside cottage near Glencoe in the Highlands of Scotland
Last minute, late availability Glencoe, self catering cottage
20 brilliant walks around our cottage area
Easy hill walks in Glencoe
Why not walk up Ben Nevis one day?
Easier Munroe walks in Glencoe
Skiing Glencoe and Nevis range, cottage is midway between the two
Video. Skiing on Glencoe mountain
Weather in the West of Scotland
Rock and Ice climbing in Glencoe
Cycling and fishing Glencoe
Spectacular wild life around our cottage
Golf in the Highlands, Dragons tooth golf course, Glencoe
Cruising the islands, using Glencoe as a base
Safe, beautiful beaches and bays in Glencoe area
Touring the Highlands by car from Glencoe,
Spring breaks, March April May Glencoe
Winter breaks, Jan Feb March in the cottage
Autumn breaks November December in the cottage
Our new Appin blog site

FOR LASTMINUTE BOOKINGS
Short breaks in Scotland, Last minute cottage holidays Scotland, Autumn, Winter, Spring
Weather month by month Scotland summer
Weather month by month Scotland Autumn
Weather in Scotland Winter, month by month
Misunderstandings about Scotland's weather
Scotland's rain
Advice on driving in Scotland. Several Scotland driving pages are linked to this.
Honeymoon cottages in Scotland
Scotland for Christmas and New Year
The unofficial Scottish tourist Board
Cottages in Scotland permitting smoking
Cottages in Scotland welcoming pets

FOR WEST OF SCOTLAND SITE
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in the West of Scotland
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Oban
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Glencoe
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Fort William
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in the far West of Scotland
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Appin
Port Appin and Lismore B&Bs
Barcaldine B&Bs and hotels
Duror b&bs
Kentallen b&bs
Ballachulish b&bs
Onich b&bs
How to find cottage owners self catering websites

MISC
Misunderstandings about Scottish weather
Get off those speeding fines on Scottish roads

Dougie is the winner of the free holiday in Kentallen

I put all twenty names of photographers and our guests who had sent in pictures into a list in random order. I asked Gillian to pick a number between 10 and 50, and she picked 28, Dougie Lee's number. So he wins. Congratulations Dougie, and thank you sincerely to everyone.

We decided that everyone would have the same chance no matter how many pictures they had submitted. This is a draw not a competition - come on, how could anyone choose a winner from these stunning photographs?

John and Gillian

Don MacLeans shots are grand don't you agree? The little trees make all the difference

If you click on the blog title you'll find Don McClean's website. More gorgeous shots there, and his services. Don says, "Its frightening the amount of photographers around now as all the uni's and colleges run courses so the market is saturated with too many photographers" He poromises to send us any more shots he gets in Glencoe.

One on the most wonderful things about the Rannoch Moor and Glencoe is that each place looks totally different from the last time you saw it. Different from the last hour, sometimes. So when you get all of Scotland's top photographers covering the place daily, every shot always looks different from everyone else's shot.

I've seen many shots of Rannoch Moor in Winter, but none looking just like Don's. Thanks Don for letting us have these two.

John
Christmas cottage available in Glencoe, Scotland

Masses of information about the area in our Site map
This is about Fort William
Appin is beautiful
Bed and breakfast and hotels from Oban to Fort William
Walks around our cottage
Autumn short breaks in Glencoe
Ben Nevis walking is a slog, but worth it
Cottage holidays Scotland in the Autumn, Winter, Spring
The highlands of Scotland
Find holiday cottages anywhere
Gorgeous photographs of Glencoe
Hill walks in Glencoe
Munroes in Glencoe
Port Appin
Barcaldine
Accommodation in Lochaber
Kentallen
Ballachulish
Onich

I couldn't do what Dougie does. Well, all of you come to that.

Dougie was in the Kentallen area near Glencoe area last week - wonderful weather. He might have taken a shot of our cottage, hope so. He also is a member of Paisley Colour like Karen. Dougie I don't have a regular mailing list, but you could sign in to this blog as a follower. That would be nice. Then you'll be advised of new postings.

The professionals in this game have got a real problem with you folks around. I would never be able to compete with you. Dougie has no website or flickr page - can't link to you, sorry.
John
Best walks in Glencoe
Ben Nevis, climb it
Munros in Glencoe all over 3,000 feet
Some easy Munros
Glencoe rock climbing
Skiing in Glencoe is excellent once more
New cycle tracks, Glencoe
Beaches and bays around Glencoe
Accommodation Fort William
Golf at Ballachulish
Tour the Highlands
Cruise the West coast

Gosh that looks cold Karen, two beautiful photographs, though, thank you

Karen Noble is a member of Paisley colour, part of the Scottish Federation.

Karen if you have a Flickr page, or a website I'm happy to post the links here for you. Thank you for these shots. Winter is coming, ouch!

John

Christmas cottage is still available Glencoe

The truth about the Glencoe Massacre
History around Appin
Viking battle in Glencoe?
The Pictish broch Lismore
West of Scotland in ancient times
Robert the Bruce and Ardchattan
Robert the Bruce and the Knights Templar
The rise and fall of the MacDonalds of Glencoe
Ancient roads of Scotland
Glencoe, the Wonder of Scotland
Castles around Glencoe area

Glencoe reflections by Bill McKenzie. Click for his Flickr site. Wonderful shots

Loveliest shot of this Loch I've ever seen. We all know the place - the ranger's cottage in the distance. Thank you Bill. If you have a Flickr page or website to link to let me know and I'll do it.

John

FROM THE LASTMINUTE COTTAGE HOLIDAY SITE

Short breaks in Scotland, Last minute cottage holidays Scotland, Autumn, Winter, Spring
Weather month by month Scotland summer
Weather month by month Scotland Autumn
Weather in Scotland Winter, month by month
Misunderstandings about Scotland's weather
Scotland's rain
Advice on driving in Scotland. Several Scotland driving pages are linked to this.
Honeymoon cottages in Scotland
Scotland for Christmas and New Year
The unofficial Scottish tourist Board
Cottages in Scotland permitting smoking
Cottages in Scotland welcoming pets


FROM THE WEST OF SCOTLAND SITE

Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in the West of Scotland
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Oban
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Glencoe
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Fort William
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in the far West of Scotland
Holiday accommodation, B&Bs, hotels in Appin
Port Appin and Lismore
Barcaldine
Duror
Kentallen
Ballachulish
Onich
How to find cottage owners self catering websites

Matt has 157 photographs on his Flickr page, all of them striking. Click here.

Also Matt John shares a web site with his brother. http://www.houstoncolour.com/ Clearly defined and very striking images, don't you agree?

Wonderful images, I love them all. thank you Matt
John

Our Site map
Fort William
Appin
From Oban to Fort William
Walks
Autumn short breaks
Ben Nevis
Scotland in the Autumn, Winter, Spring
The Highlands
Find cottages anywhere
Hill walks
Munroes
Port Appin
Barcaldine
Lochaber
Kentallen
Ballachulish
Onich

Message and photo from b_cairn duff.

First time I've had a pic sent by Blackberry. "Hi John I took this pick two weeks ago it was a lovely day and I saw the boulders  with sunlight at the Message and photo" From nearby Kingshouse, I guess.

John

GLENCOE OUTDOORS

The best Glencoe walks 
Ben Nevis, go walk up
Munros are mountains over 3,000 feet
Some Munros
Glencoe crags rock climbing
Skiing in Glencoe is excellent
New cycle tracks from Glencoe
Lovely beaches and bays around Glencoe
Accommodation Fort William
Golf West coast
Tour the Highlands of Scotland
Cruise the West coast

Lovely galleries on Clive's website. Click here

Don't you find it difficult to get really good shots when the sun does not come out? The shadows are softer and sometimes the colours are better. Very moody the mountain shot - just as Glencoe feels like much of the time. The art is to show not what it looks like, but what it feels like, and for me these shots do just that.

Clive Watkins is a member of the Townend camera club, n ear Irvine. The galleries in  his website are really nice, and very varied
John
Some pages of local Glencoe history:
The true story of the Glencoe Massacre
History around in Appin
Vikings in Glencoe?
The broch in Lismore
Millions of years ago
The Ardchattan parliament
The Knights Templar in Argyll
MacDonalds Glencoe
Old roads of the Highlands
Glencoe, the Wonder of Scotland
Castles in the area

Garry's photoezine site is wonderful. Click on this to see it.

Garry McLeod kindly sent in these photos. Thanks, they are great shots.

Thanks Garry.
John
ps. Garry I think I need to get an SLR with a really long focus lens - I used to have one. I don't want to spend a fortune, I'm just an enthusiastic opportunist. What shall I look out for and is it Ebay I should be going for?
If you could post any comment, others might be interested, possibly?

Masses of stuff about Glencoe in our Site map
This is about Fort William area
Appin all around here is beautiful
Accommodation from Oban to Fort William
Walks around our lochside cottage
Autumn short breaks in Glencoe
Is Ben Nevis walking it?
Cottage holidays off peak
The Western Highlands
Find holiday cottages anywhere in the world
Hill walks 
Munroes 
Port Appin and Lismore
Barcaldine
Hotels etc in Lochaber
Kentallen
Ballachulish
Onich

Bob, tremendous photographs, thank you

These lovely shots come from Bob Falconer who is the secretary of the Bon Accord Camera club. They are classically beautiful. The lovely thing for Gillian and I about the Moor of Rannoch, is that it changes every time we cross, and it changes hour by hour. The light is amazing. Thank you very much Bob. The link to your camera club is on the post headline, clicking on it will get there. For those of you puzzling about the Bon Accord name, it is the ancient motto of Aberdeen. Legend has it that when Robert the Bruce besieged the castle and took it from the English, back in the 14th century, they used the motto to describe the operation. So it stuck. I tell you what, it feels cold on Rannoch when these shots were taken. What time did you start out Bob?
John
About the area in our Site map and home page
Fort William information
Appin so lovely
Bed and breakfast and hotels from Oban to Fort William
Walks in the Lochaber area
Autumn breaks in Glencoe
Ben Nevis is a slog.
Scotland in the Autumn, Winter, Spring
The Highlands
Find holiday cottages around the world
Hill walks around Glencoe
Munroes of Glencoe
Port Appin the Highland village
Barcaldine accommodation
Accommodation Lochaber
Kentallen information
Ballachulish information
Onich information

David, why don't you do it professionally?

If you click on the title to this post, above, you will get through to David Watson's website. There you will see wonderful shots and he is an amateur!  I know many people who are gifted amateurs in so many different fields. Many of them say at some time that they would like to make their hobby their living. I once heard someone say that if you do this you will either make a poor living or you'll end up hating your hobby. I think there is something in that. Congratulations David, and thank you for the permission to use them.
John
The true story of the Glencoe Massacre
History of Appin
Vikings stage a battle in Glencoe?
The broch in Lismore
West Scotland millions of years ago
Robert the Bruce and the Loch Etive parliament
The Knights Templar in Argyll
The MacDonalds of Glencoe
Ancient roads of Scotland
Glencoe, one of the Wonders of Scotland
Castles in Argyll

Sue Brierley's pic of Three Sisters is lovely. Like one of those Victorian paintings

So good to have this picture from you Sue, thank you. I think you are from Cromarty, is that right? I bet you've got some very moody photographs from there as well. Glencoe Three sisters looked like this, this evening.

John
The best walks in Glencoe
Ben Nevis, go climb it
Munros are over 3,000 feet
Some Munros are easy
Glencoe rock climbing
Skiing in Glencoe is excellent again
New cycle tracks around Glencoe
THere are lovely beaches and bays around Glencoe
Accommodation Fort William
Golf on the West coast
Tour the Highlands
You can cruise the West coast

Some of the most beautiful photographs of the Glen and Moor I've ever seen

It is so difficult to pick an order for showing these shots. I love the black and white ones - we don't see enough of them these days. The feel of the place is beautifully conveyed. William Mills, Willie, is out of the top flight of landscape photographers. He is the assistant secretary of the Mid Calder Camera Club and we are privileged that he has let us use them in our blog site. I wish I could take shots half as good as these. Click on the title to this post for more of his photographs on Flickr. On there he has a rich variety of wild life shots and even portraits. 

Thanks Willie.

 Highland Fall

 The road to Glen Etive

 Wet day on the moor

Lighthouse and Mist

 Buachaille Etive Mhor

 Last light Rannoch Moor

 Stag on Rannoch Moor

 Stormy Black Rock

 Rannoch moor

 Rowboat on slate

Autumn colours

John
The story they don't tell you about the Glencoe Massacre
History around the cottage in Appin
Did the Vikings stage a battle in Glencoe?
The Pictish broch in Lismore
West of Scotland millions of years ago
Robert the Bruce and the Ardchattan parliament
Robert the Bruce and the Knights Templar
The story of the MacDonalds of Glencoe
Ancient roads of the Highlands
Glencoe, the 4th Wonder of Scotland
Castles in the Glencoe area

Ed's pictures, truly nice.

Aren't these nice? Top one is my favourite. Can't think why. Yes, I can , its fun.
Ed and his family came to the cottage in January last year. Remember when we had that brilliant winter of snows in January and February this year? Let's hope for another one - well in Glencoe anyway, I'm not sure that the rest of the country want it repeated.
Thanks Ed for the pics. I'll be doing the draw for the free holiday break at the end of October.
John
Christmas cottage in Glencoe, Scotland

Masses of information about the area in our Site map
This is about Fort William
Appin is beautiful
B&Bs and hotels from Oban to fort William
Walks around our cottage
Autumn short breaks in glencoe
Ben Nevis walking is a slog, but worth it
Cottage holidays Scotland in the Autumn, Winter, Spring
The highlands of Scotland
Holiday cottages anywhere
Gorgeous photographs of Glencoe
Hill walks in Glencoe
Munroes in Glencoe
Port Appin
Barcaldine
Accommodation in the area
Kentallen
Ballachulish
Onich