February 4, 2023
February is here and one of the delights is that the sunrises over Loch Pottie are perfectly timed for breakfast, lifting the spirit with vivid colours, after dark January. The bunkrooms are open all winter and we enjoy the company of an increasing amount of visitors with an intrepid spirit enjoying the drama of exhilarating weather! Many of our guests are interested in wildlife, with winter a good time for spotting rare birds, from our resident hen harriers and white tailed eagles to migrants such as whooper swans and barnacle geese . Our resident otter in Loch Pottie has put in an appearance while the red deer are easily seen in the fields and even the road verges. The winter light here is striking with the dramatic changes in the weather, which pleases the photographers amongst our guests.
Soon it will be spring and already our April Calendar is almost fully booked. April is a wonderful month as everything bursts into life. The house martins will already be here, with the swallows soon after, wheeling overhead to feast on the first insect hatchings in the warm sun. The mournful call of the curlew will be heard on the moor and the sparrows will be gathering in noisy clusters in the hawthorn. The first call of the cuckoo will be noted with excitement, with the knowledge that eventually it will drive people to distraction, especially at dawn! Soon the land will be carpeted with primroses and orchids and drifts of bluebells turning whole hillsides blue.
Our guests will arrive and disappear into the landscape to enjoy the amazing environment in which ever way appeals to them; kayaking, swimming, walking, painting, wildlife watching, playing with the children on the beaches and taking sea trips to see the puffins and Fingal’s Cave.
