These are photographs by our cottage guests

These two lovely photographs are by our recent guest, Ruud van Puttem. He tells me he is "just an enthusiastic amateur" Could have fooled me. They are gorgeous. Every time we see Stalker Castle captured by a true photographer it looks totally different. Thank you Ruud for permission.

We have used photographs throughout our re-designed website. Bit difficult finding one for "Avoid speeding fines in Scotland" but we did it with a bit of a fiddle.

We also added these new pages.

WEATHER WEST COAST Weather Misconceptions Glencoe Oban Fort William and West Coast
January February Weather Glencoe Oban Fort William and West Coast
March April Weather Glencoe Oban Fort William and West Coast
May June Weather Glencoe Oban Fort William and West Coast
Jul August Weather Glencoe Oban Fort William and West Coast
September October Weather Glencoe Oban Fort William and West Coast
November December Weather Glencoe Oban Fort William and West Coast
Wind in the mountains and West Coast
What to do about Rain in Scotland
PHOTOGRAPHERS GLENCOE Glencoe is the photographers paradise
Photographic locations Glencoe
Winter Photography Glencoe

John

I like Mark's pics. They tell stories

That looks like a magnificent day ahead

This is mine. Get off

No worries. I've got lunch below me when I want it.

Are we going out in a minute or not?

I personally love pictures that tell a story. These tell different stories to different people. These are their stories for me personally. Do they tell you different ones?

Mark Scott took them. You can find all his Glencoe pics here

John

LINKS TO LOCAL AREAS

Hill walks in Glencoe Munroes in Glencoe Port Appin Barcaldine Accommodation in Lochaber Kentallen Ballachulish Onich How to find cottage owners self catering websites

Fiona from CranKitupgear.

Lovely shot. We like pictures with people in them. You get one chance at a shot like this, Either your camera is moving at the same speed as the cycle or it isn't. This one was. This is Fiona, who with her husband Davy, run the new cycle hire and repair, and off piste safety equipment shop in Glencoe. http://www.crankitupgear.com/  01855 811 694 Thanks for the shot Davy
John

Scottish Highlands in January

These brilliant shots were taken by a guest at our cottage in January. John Taggart and his wife had a mixed week weather wise, but that does not stop one of the leading photographers in Northern Ireland at all. Me, I would not have taken the camera out of its case, given the weather they had. But these shots are lovely, aren't they?
(I wonder if his wife is like mine? "Oh, do we have to stop again. you won't be long will you?)
His professional website is at John Taggart, Antrim

John

The only photograph on this site taken with a mobile

We had lovely guests at the cottage a few weeks ago. Jo Mourant and her partner Colin Murphy sent me their pictures and this one stood out for me. It was taken on their ridge walk just behind our cottage, from Sgorr Bhan to Sgorr Dhearg
on a Mobile Camera! I don't choose it for technical quality, the zoom, the aperture or the speed. I choose it simply for the emotion it generates. This is the ridge I would dream of, these are the conditions I love, this the most superb scenery in the world. I love the way the tiny figure provides scale and grandeur. I'm there, in the middle of this. I know we are both a bit tired, hope the weather doesn't close in, but boy will we enjoy the pint in the Clachaig to-night.. Brilliant shot, everything you want in a pic is there. Thanks Jo and Colin.

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