Loch Coruisk

2011-02-07T10:55:00.005Z

Back again. Country Tracks is off i-player now so if you missed it you will have to wait till it crops up again.
Really busy getting Misty ready for the season, painting sanding etc. any volunteers will be very welcome at Waterloo Boatyard over the next few weeks!! We are all really looking forward to the start of the season now and hopefully a bit of sun and warmth! Lots of snowdrops about which is lovely...spring can't be far away!
There was a really good Scottish Quiz night in the hall here on the 29th Jan which was well attended and great fun. Well done to the winners who I think were called the Faolin Fools but more so to the organisers who raised a total of £441 for the school funds.
The village is very quiet just now but if we hear of anything we'll let you know, or if you hear of anything or have any news you could let us know or post it here or on the Elgol Isle of Skye facebook page.
Catch you later.

2011-02-01T21:27:00.002Z

Hi again. Just a quick note to say if you missed Country Tracks on Sunday it's on iplayer,link below , and broadcast again at 1.45 AM on BBC1 and HD on thursday if you have sky plus or are an insomniac! It is really worth watching, a great show.http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00yb4sg/Country_Tracks_Series_2_Skye/

Jan 2011

2011-01-17T10:12:00.013Z

Hello and Happy New Year to everyone.

I can't believe that I haven't blogged since June last year. It's all down to facebook which we keep up to date but apologies to anyone who doesn't use facebook and who was promised an up to date blog!
So far the winter has been very mixed with lots of really cold weather up to the turn of the year with quite a bit of snow which was wonderful for photos.Now it's mostly wet and windy which isn't really much good for anything but means I have no excuse for not catching up on some office work..not my favourite thing.
Work has begun on the Misty Isle in preparation for the upcoming season so there is lots of sanding, scraping and painting to be done over the next few weeks. This is when we appreciate just what a big boat she is, but it's always worth it when we see her back in the water looking really smart and ready for work.
We had the BBC filming late summer and they phoned the other day to tell us that the programme, Country Tracks, is on on Sunday 30th January at 11am on BBC1.so tune in to that for a wee taste of summer.
For more on how Misty is getting on and lots more photos have a look at facebook. You can also post your own favourite Coruisk photos on the Misty Isle page.
Hope you all have a wonderful 2011 and we look forward to seeing everybody in the summer.
Anne
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Misty-Isle-Boat-Trips/113261238987

June 2010

2010-06-13T20:17:00.003+01:00

Hello again. I've been so pre-occupied by facebook that I am afraid I have been neglecting the blog a bit. it's been a pretty busy few weeks with lots of visitors about and fairly mixed weather. We've seen loads of birds about over at the loch including puffins, guillemots, black guillemots, great northern divers and eagles, but no dolphins in yet. We had a couple of minke whales in the loch for a few days and there has been regular porpoise sightings and the seals are looking great. There should be pups by Wednesday this week if they haven't been disturbed too much.
We've had lots of old friends on the boat recently along with lots of new ones which has been great.You can catch up with them on the Misty Isle Boat trips facebook page by clicking the link to the left of this blog.
Drew Sim has started his trips to Coruisk with his new vessel the Sea Eagle and we wish him all the best and look forward to working with him and his wife Mary. Good luck guys.
Don't forget that Saturday the 19th is the Elgol Gala Day. You are all welcome to come and join us for the boat race (no charge) which starts at 11am, or after you have enjoyed the activities at the hall come with us on our trip to Coruisk at 2.15pm. All money raised from this trip goes to Mallaig Lifeboat so come and support a very worthy cause.
The Elgol Gala is always a great day out and we look forward to seeing you there.

April 26th 2010

2010-04-26T21:28:00.004+01:00

Hello.
In case you haven't heard yet over £1000 was raised for the RNLI at Donald's party, and in case you hadn't twigged he was actually only (ONLY haha!!) 50. Congratulations Big Dan on both counts.
There haven't been an awful lot of visitors around but that's to be expected from now till about the middle of May. However we did have a lovely day today with a photo shoot for the autumn Boden catalogue. It was a bit windy early on so we just stayed in Slapin and they did the shoot there. They certainly took plenty of photos so hopefully the Misty Isle will appear somewhere in the catalogue. They wanted a dog for the shoot so we offered Eachann but very wisely they opted for Seonaid and Iain's wee Jack Russell Skye instead. They all seemed happy with the days work, in fact so happy they started dancing on the shore. Really nice crew to work with and we hope to get the chance to do it again sometime.
It may be some time till the next blog thing as Stuart is whisking the laptop( or toplap as Seumas calls it) of to laptop casualty as he reckons it doesn't work properly and I know how these things always end up more complicated than you think.
Anyway, it's been nice and thanks for calling by.
Anne

April 18th 2010

2010-04-18T12:39:00.014+01:00

Hello again.
Firstly Many Happy Returns to Donald on reaching the big 60...I knew you would overtake me and reach it before me. I don't know yet how much was raised for the Lifeboats but I will let you know when I find out. Sorry there's no pictures of the birthday boy here but my scanner isn't working and all the best ones are locked up in my old computer but I will post some as soon as I can. Try the link below for a photo but I don't know if it will work.

It's been a pretty busy week here in Elgol . The Misty Isle was very busy for the first few days but then it quietened down as people headed home at the end of their holidays. I hope not too many of you got stranded with the 'no fly' zone. At the start of the week we had a large singing group who entertained everyone on the boat and a group of international travel agents( or perhaps an international group of travel agents?) which can't be a bad thing,just a pity they didn't sail with the singers and they could go home and promote our musical cruises.
We had the painters in at the start of the week too so thank you Glenda for doing the high bits and Audrey for your fab ehm,... paint tray holding.The place looks really smart now with a lick of paint and the new pictures up.You should come and see it...and while you're here why not take a trip on the Misty! Heather was on biscuit duty a couple of times this week as Calum was busy with school and there's not much call for chimney sweeps these days.
Not much new on the wildlife front. We had seen our first basking shark by this time last year but the weather was a lot warmer.
We had a lovely couple on the boat who have been thinking of doing the trip for quite some time. They emailed us afterwards so I'll just put their comments on as I know Stuart is very busy this weekend so won't have the time to add them to the usual page on the web site.

What a pity we waited all those years before taking a trip on the Misty Isle! We had been promising ourselves that we would do it "one day". It has taken over thirty years for that day to come around. We know that when God made time, he made plenty of it; but we think we took this too literally. Thank you for a fantastic day. The atmosphere on Misty Isle was friendly, welcoming and relaxing - a lovely "family" feeling, and special thanks to the tiny distributor of biscuits! It was not just the fantastic scenery that made our day. It was the wonderful family Mackinnon. Thank you.

Bob(Snr) & Jackie

How nice is that?
See you next week.
Anne

http://www.trawlerphotos.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=74767&ppuser=3737

2010-04-11T23:32:00.003+01:00

Firstly well done to Melanie and the team for raising the fantastic sum of £400 for Marie Curie and Highland Hospice with their soup and homebaking afternoon last week.

What a fabulous couple of days we have had here. It's been just like summer and apparently the temperature today touched 20 degrees.
The last few days out on the Misty Isle have been wonderful with a couple of porpoise sightings and plenty of seals,oyster catchers and eider ducks. Also the deer have been seen on most days over near the memorial hut and they look like they will be very glad of the green shoots brought on by this warm weather.
We will miss having the children about down at the shore as the school goes back tomorrow. Never mind guys, it's not too long till the long summer holidays.
The forecast for the week is very good with a high settled over us so if you are still on holiday come on over to Elgol for a trip on the Misty Isle to Coruisk.
See you.
Anne

2010-04-08T19:08:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow, Friday, there will be an afternoon of soup and fabulous homebaking in Elgol Village Hall between 1pm and 3pm with all proceeds going to Marie Curie Cancer Care and Highland Hospice. Please try and make it along and help support these great causes and remember, Elgol homebaking is world famous for a very good reason!!!

2010-04-02T22:46:00.005+01:00

What a perfect start to the season. Blue sky,warm sunshine,seals and some of Hermione's lentil soup. I think Stuart has some video but here are a couple of photos from Seumas.

New Season

2010-03-30T23:35:00.011+01:00

So, here we are back in the water and ready to go. First trip due to be today but the weather yesterday was not good so we couldn't get to Elgol. However Seumas is now on his way round and tomorow Friday, we will be back in business. First sailing at 11am. Yippee!! I think they call this the 'lambing snow' and apparently after it we should have fabulous weather. The boat is looking very smart with all her new paintwork and varnish. When we were painting the hull and oiling the decks I couldn't but marvel at the craftsmanship that was put in to her building. She is a credit to her builder Percy Mitchell of Mevagissey as,it seems,were all his vessels. She is definitely the 'finest shup in the tred' as Para Handy would have said and surely the best way to enjoy this particular trip.
Hermione had an opening day at her shop/cafe on Saturday and she is now open for soup, sandwiches,teas,coffees and her famous home baking as well as a selection of local crafts and her bespoke Elgol Painted Floats.
Coruisk House is open again for meals and B&B, and John and Gail at the Cuillin View Coffee Shop have been open all winter for specialist coffees etc.
Rosecroft and Rowan Cottage are also up and running but I think it is usually a bit later for Cnoc Ban.
Here at Sealladh na Mara we will just have one letting room this year but I haven't been taking bookings so if you arrive in the village with nowhere to stay it's worth asking me at the Misty Isle Boat Trips kiosk at the shore.
The little people on the right are our awesome P1,2and3 shinty team who took part in their first tournament recently and made us all very proud with their excellent performance. Well done guys!!(that's girls and boys now apparently.) Also a big thanks to Mairi and Lorna for all they do for them.
Hope we will see you soon.
Anne

A Taste of Summer!

2010-02-19T11:55:00.012Z

It worked OK last time so I am back.
We had loads of dolphin sightings last year on Misty Isle Boat Trips and I tried to upload a short video. It didn't work very well so I have found some nice photos taken from Misty Isle by ourselves and some of our passengers who kindly sent us their pics. It doesn't matter how often we see the dolphins it is always a great thrill and we are really looking forward to having them back this year.
It's just over a month to the start of the season but at the moment we have snow on the ground. Maybe since we have had the coldest winter on record we will also have the warmest summer!! Here's hoping.
I have been given a couple of dates for "What's On" in the village:
Friday 16th April....Dance to 'Peat Cutters' in aid of Mallaig Lifeboat. 8pm onwards with donations collected at the door.
Saturday 19th June...Elgol Gala Day.
Boat Race, Bouncy Castles,Crofters Olympics(always great fun!) Baking, BBQ,Stalls etc and a dance at night.I will post more details nearer the time.
August 7th...ANDURIL..."Up and coming German Celtic Rock Band inspired by RunRig."
That's all just now.
Keep warm.
Anne
A big thanks to Bob MacMillan of www.skye-birds.com and Stuart for the great dolphin shots.

Winter in Elgol

2010-02-03T23:29:00.003Z

Iam new to this so please bear with me.I was sitting here watching the latest blizzard hiding my view of Garsbhein when it occurred to me that the new season starts at the end of next month..you can tell I am a glass half full type! Anyway, I just thought it would be nice for people who only get to see our beautiful island in the summer to get a glimpse of what it looks like in winter so I will attempt to post some pictures to give you a taste.
If this actually works I will be back.
I know it is a bit late but Happy New Year to everyone and we look forward to seeing all our old friends and lots of new ones after the 1st April.
All the best.
Anne

Loch Coruisk from the hills above

2009-05-08T22:53:00.003+01:00

I have been going through a pile of old photos to try and update the ones I have on my Facebook account. I came across this one which I like which shows a slightly different aerial view of Loch Coruisk as opposed to the more familiar Sgurr na Strigh view that people tend to photograph. This is taken from about as high as I can really get when I am working (if I am to get back down in time to make the hot chocolates!!)

Stuart

Loch Coruisk Rescue Mission!

2009-05-08T11:34:00.003+01:00

What a day we had a couploe of weeks ago! The crew of the Misty Isle were involved in 3 separate rescues while we were over at Loch Coruisk - all of them thankfully were less severe than they first appeared!

But the most intense of the rescues involved Little Boy Clue! In case you haven't met him yet, Little Boy Blue is a very special teddy bear - he came to Calum on his first day in hospital at the start of the year and has never left his side for more than about 2 minutes since!!

As you will see from the tiny video clip here, Calum and I were up a hill on that day playing at a cave (ie. a tiny crack in the rock above the Loch Coruisk Memorial Hut!) Later that day, as I was preparing some hot chocolates and we were about to leave to sail back to Elgol, we realised that someone hadn't boarded yet - Little Boy Blue!! And it turned out he had been abandoned right at the back of that cave!!

Anyway, before your heart races too much more with the drama and suspense of it all, let me reassure you that Little Boy Blue was rescued (Glenda was onboard and sprinted up the hill to fetch him). So Calum was able to sleep sound at night, teddy bear cossily cuddled into him after his ordeal.

Misty Isle has a new web site!

2009-05-06T21:42:00.009+01:00

As well as being busy getting ready for relaunching the blog I have also been preparing to put the new Misty Isle Boat Trips web site online. Well... the wait is over! It is now uploaded, though still some enhancements and additions to come (and probably plenty of spelling and grammar corrections as they are brought to my attention!). The look as very similar to the old site but the text and images has been altered in many places and there are a few new pages.

I hope you enjoy it and find it to be useful - and keep checking it for additions and updates (especially the photo gallery). The site is at www.mistyisleboattrips.co.uk

Stuart

Welcome to the Newly Relaunched Loch Coruisk Blog!

2009-05-06T12:25:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the Loch Coruisk Blog! This blog has been around for a year or 2 but without much continuity... You will (hopefully) be pleased to hear that all that is set to change! The main changes are as follows:

1. New contributors are being added as we speak! So there will be a wider variety of content coming up from people involved in various different aspects of life and work around the areas of Elgol, Loch Coruisk and further afield on the Isle of Skye.

2. I have bought a wee pocket video camera! I am going to try and take little video clips whenever I can and ocassionaly compile them into little videos like the one I have just posted... Once I get my wee tripod throught the post and some better video editing software hopefully they will improve in quality!!

3. I am going to try (with the help of climbing friends) to put photos and video up from all over the Cuillin Hills, and to show you some of the views you will already be familiar with from different perspectives and in all seasons and weathers.

4. The biggest change is simply that I am committing myself (with the help of other contributors!) to keeping this blog going and up-to-date... and ever-expanding in scope, interest and content.

Enjoy!

The Seal Pups are here!

2008-06-17T16:22:00.004+01:00

This is an exciting time to visit Loch Coruisk... The little seal pups are being born! It is lovely to see all the little bundles of seal lying around on the rocks. There is a little island we pass on our way through to Loch Coruisk which is used by the mother seals as a 'maternity island'. They tend to go there for a few days during the middle of June (ussualy in the same week of every year - they are very regular!) and give birth to their pups on that island. After a few days they return to their ussual little islands and ressume their rather relaxed lifestyle!

Dolphin Watch!

2008-05-15T21:44:00.004+01:00

We had a lovely day today. This season we have sat on the boat watching bottlenose dolphins in small numbers which is always lovely, but today we had a fairly large gathering of common dolphins with us for a good while both on the way to Loch Coruisk and on the way back to Elgol. So far we have been seeing a lot of wildlife on this stretch of water - bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins, minky whales and of course plenty of seals and birds - - to name just a selection off hand!

Back in action - at last!!

2008-05-15T21:37:00.003+01:00

Hello there from sunny (at the moment!) Skye!

At long last I have the blog up and running again. There is plenty for oyu to catch up on too! For one thing, I am no longer a 'part time crew' on the Misty Isle - I am the full-time crew! I now work every day with my Dad running folk back and forth from Elgol to Loch Coruisk and giving a bit of a guide on the scenery and wildlife. I have one of the best jobs in the world... actually a girl asked me a couple of weeks ago if she could have my job if I ever needed a few days off. When I kind of laughed of her offer she insisted she would pay me if I'd let her do it! You know you have a good job when someone offers you money to do your job for you!

Lots more to tell but I will leave it to next post. I will keep you up to date more this year!

Stuart

"Bliadhna Mhath Ur!"

2008-01-12T20:46:00.000Z

That means, "Happy New Year!" in Gaelic! I hope that you have all had a good year in 2007 but, more importantly, I wish you all a fantastic and blessed 2008!

The weather up here is a bit of a mixture - some really stormy windy nights (things falling of our shelves!), plenty of rain here and there, and a nice chill in the air! As you can tell from the photo, the Cuillins, Loch Coruisk, Elgol - in fact all of the Isle of Skye - continues to look beautiful no matter what the weather does.

Misty Isle Mailing List

2007-12-05T10:37:00.000Z

I know that some of you who read the blog have sailed on the Misty Isle boat trip to Loch Coruisk on the Isle of Skye or may be looking to sail with them - if so, it is a truely stunning trip and definately worth your while.

I have been asked by the owners (my Mum and Dad!) to put a wee note on here letting folk know that the season is finished now until they restart for Easter.

I organise an email newsletter for the Misty Isle. We only send out emails about 4 or 5 times a year so you won't be inundated if you sign up! If you want your email address added to the list for these occassional news updates please use the contact form on the Misty Isle Boat Trips web site.

A little video slideshow!

2007-09-19T14:05:00.000+01:00

Sorry - it has been AGES since I have posted on here! We have been away here and there and all kinds of things going on. However, I've got a treat for you today! Our friend and next-door neighbour Gavin Mitchell has put together a little video compilation of photos he and his son, Dan, have taken around Elgol, and of the walk between Elgol and Loch Coruisk for use on an exciting new website, "Love To Escape".

Enjoy the footage! You can find more video of the area on the "Elgol The Video" link at Gavin's website "www.wingedisle.com"

Loch Coruisk - Britain's Favourite View??

2007-08-20T20:29:00.000+01:00

I hope you caught the TV highlight of the year yesterday?! Loch Coruisk featured on ITV's "Britain's Favourite View"!

It was lovely to see a view like this made accessible to the wider public - and hopefully an encouragement to you all to come and experience Loch Coruisk for yourselves! Also, there were some really nice shots of around Skye generally and of the shore at Elgol where the school is (I think the pupils are all better behaved than I was when I was in the Elgol school ?? years ago!)

We won't know until the finale whether Loch Coruisk received enough votes to get that far, but hopefully it will, giving it the chance to feature once again.

It has also been great to hear from some of you who were passengers on Dad's boat The Misty Isle at various times - some of you saw the program and wrote in to let us know it brought back great memories... it's always great to hear from you!

Sorry - I still haven't got round to posting the photos of the walk from Loch Coruisk back home to Elgol - I am leaving it for a few days to try and get it into a kind of 3 or 4 page structured walk-through rather than just a few random photos (that's the plan anyway!)

Loch Coruisk Blogs are like buses...

2007-08-14T21:10:00.000+01:00

There are no new blogs for ages and then... well, you get the picture!

I was working on Dad's boat, the Misty Isle, doing the trips to Loch Coruisk over Friday and Saturday, and it seemed very eventful for only 2 days!

There were the previously mentioned local kids out with us for their last swim of the boat before the holidays ended, and the also-previously-mentioned BBQ, and then on the Friday morning about 5 minutes after folk had dissembarked for the walk to Loch Coruisk, 2 people appeared to let us know that someone had fractured their ankle up by the Loch. They were ferried over on a different boat but in need of help getting from the Loch to the landing steps. It was such a shame for them - half way through their holiday! But though in a lot of pain, she kept smiling and seemed to feel a little better after the ordeal of being half-carried over the rocks was over with and she was sipping a cup of Dad's strong-as-it-gets tea!

The whole incident reminded me why Dad chose to run a real boat-trip experience - staying over at the landing steps for the time people are ashore - rather than simply a ferry service. It's great to be around should something like this happen (and it happens a few times every year) or in case folk need some shelter during a sudden downpour... or simply if people just want an early cup of tea and a chat about the area.

To the lady with the sore ankle - if you're reading this, I hope it is feeling a little better now! (Actually, I still hope it is better even if you're not reading this! :-)

I'll post about this probably tomorrow, but I took the day off work today and went over to Loch Coruisk with Dad then walked back home from there. It was an amazing day of beautiful weather and I took loads of photos so I plan to share a few here on the blog.

Back to School!! We'll miss you!

2007-08-14T21:03:00.000+01:00

It's that time of year again - back to school! It's been great having the local kids coming along on the Misty Isle so often to go swimming at the Loch na Cuilce landing steps where my Dad drops people off to see Loch Coruisk and I thought I'd put this picture on - I managed to get a shot with Kyle, Robbie and Rozz all jumping of the boat at the same time! (It makes a nice change from Dad throwing them in!)

I thought about just puting in the picture with the title, "What happens to people who don't have a ticket!

Loch Coruisk BBQ for Young Carers

2007-08-14T19:08:00.000+01:00

On Friday 10th August, 9pm, Loch Coruisk wasn't as quiet as ussual for a Friday evening. The hills around the Loch became home to a group of folk from all over Skye - and further afield - enjoying an evening barbeque to the sound of some guitar and fiddle music (courtesy of Sandy and Roxy).

It was a perfect evening, and a perfect setting, for a BBQ - the red deer that gathered very close to us were really putting themselves at risk as I toyed with the temptation of helping one onto the BBQ... venison steaks!

The evening was made even more memorable by the dolphin that came right into Loch na Cuilce and put on a grand display for those present.

Marjorie Jagger of the Skye and Lochalsh Young Carers Project let us know some more about what the evening was all about - the outstanding work that the Project is involved in, providing for the area's young carers.

Who, you may wonder, are these young carers? I'll let them answer that themselves with a quote from their publicity leaflet: "We are children and young adults under the age of 18, whose lives are restricted because we need to take responsibility for the care of someone who is ill, has a disability, is experiencing mental ill health or is affected by alcohol or substance abuse."

The Young Carers Project provides ongoing support for these carers in an environment which allows them to enjoy something of the normality and fun of childhood.

I think the total sum raised on the evening, from the ticket sales and raffle, was somewhere around £940. If you would like to make a donation to this cause, or to find out more about the work of the Skye & Lochalsh Young Carers Project, email Marjorie Jagger on mjagger@slccf.fsnet.co.uk

To see more photos of the BBQ, go here.

Dolphins near Loch Coruisk

2007-08-12T21:15:00.000+01:00

No - not dolphins in Loch Coruisk but dolphins very near Loch Coruisk! (From the news this last week the last fresh-water dolphins have just become extinct!)

On Friday night at the Loch Coruisk barbeque (more in the next blog entry) those present were treated to a little dolphin display with a dolphin coming right in to Loch na Cuilce (the sea loch where boats land passengers to give them access to Loch Coruisk). It was a real treat to see that dolphin and an even bigger treat for me to see them in the same area from the boat the next day. I had been working over the weekend - the first time I have been to Coruisk for about 3 weeks so I was beginning to suffer withdrawal symptoms (!) - and while returning to pcik up a group of 6 ladies from Fife (Hello to you if you're reading!) we were suddenly surrounded by bottle-nose dolphins!

It was great! The only thing that wasn't great about it unfortunately was my skill as a photographer! I have never really used manual focus before and the camera just wasn't focusing so wouldn't take the shot. It was a little frustrating (I guess it was because of the heavy rain and the water getting on the lense but would be keen to hear if that would have affected it) but I managed to get a few shots in focus.

You can see a few more of the dolphin photos and a bigger version of this photo at www.mistyisleboattrips.co.uk on the photos section.

Return from Loch Coruisk!

2007-08-01T22:29:00.001+01:00

I have realised that I haven't put any photos on the blog yet! Sorry about that! Here is a picture of the local boat that runs trips from Elgol to Loch Coruisk sitting at the Elgol pier with a glorious Skye sunset over the Cuillin Hills. The sunset is slightly enhanced as I am trying to learn a bit in experimenting with Photoshop. (You can find a larger version of the photo on http://www.mistyisleboattrips.co.uk under the photo gallery section).

My next door neighbour, Gavin, is thankfully dragging me up Ben Chleat (above our house here in Elgol) quite a bit these days (He needs to drag me to get me started, but once up there it is unbelievable and... indescribable!!) I haven't taken my camera yet (I can barely manage up there myself let alone start taking luggage!!) but I hope to in the next few days - it is a fantastic 360 degree viewpoint (you can actually look down into Loch Coruisk from up there). I will get some photos to post - as much as anything just to prove I made it up there! (and yes, to those who know the area... I do know that Ben Chleat isn't exactly Everest, but then... I'm not exactly Sir Chris Bonington! I had to Google "Britain's most famous climber" and find out that it was Sir Chris Bonington to make that last sentance work!

Loch Coruisk - Coming to a TV screen near you!

2007-08-01T22:11:00.000+01:00

Loch Coruisk - my favourite view in Britain (or anywhere come to think of it!).

Loch Coruisk - "Britain's favourite view"!!

Could this be true? Well, this month ITV are to air a program called "Britain's Favourite View". Here's how it works: 16 contenders were picked from all over Britain to battle it out for the title of "Britain's Favourite View". Each week, beginning on the 12th of August, 4 of the 16 views will be shown with a celebrity talking about why he or she loves that view. There will be a phone vote (no program is complete without one these days!!) to find the winner of that week. On the fifth and final program, the 4 weekly winners will compete for the ultimate title of "Britain's Favourite View".

Loch Coruisk will feature on August 19th's program. The film crew chartered the local boat 'The Misty Isle' (see link to the right) because they wanted the program to have a 'local' feel and to be able to do a bit of a feature and interview with the skipper, Seumas, who has been running trips to Loch Coruisk for 40 years now. Charles Kennedy went across with the folk at Misty Isle Boat Trips and was interviewed at Loch Coruisk. And guess who got to go along to help out while they were filming? Yeah! I even fell on the rocks with a large film crew standing by! Thankfully they didn't have the cameras rolling or I guess I'd be featured on YouTube and You've Been Framed by now!

Anyway, do watch the program! And... VOTE for Loch Coruisk!! It would be great to see them return to Loch Coruisk for the finale - and even better still to see Loch Coruisk receive its rightful title of "Britain's Favourite View"

Coruisk-E-Q!

2007-07-30T23:22:00.000+01:00

Well... A BBQ at Loch Coruisk!

On 10th August there is going to be a charity fund-raising Boat Trips & Barbeque at Loch Coruisk, leaving Elgol at 7pm.

The event is planned as a fund-raiser for the "Skye & Lochalsh Young Carers Project" with all money taken going directly to the charity. I guess all that's needed is good weather, and plenty of midge cream!!

Tickets are already dissappearing very quickly (saying this is not just a marketing ploy - they really are!) so if you are interested please do book early to avoid disappointment.

The Misty Isle will sail for Coruisk at around 7pm, returning to Elgol some time around 10.30 - 11pm. As well as the food there will be a few games around for all ages and possible a little music as well, and a raffle. Tickets are £20 per adult and £10 per child.

If you want to come along (and who wouldn't - Loch Coruisk is the ideal place for a family BBQ!) then log onto the Misty Isle Boat Trips website and go to the "Contact" page. Remember to tell them that you found out about the event through the Loch Coruisk Blog!

Doggie Recovery Team!

2007-07-27T13:43:00.000+01:00

I managed to convince Jamie to take the weekend off so was out on the boat on Monday. We had a few adventures - not least our doggie recovery!! Try and picture the scene... Imagine if you can the cutest little dog in existence! Now imagine that dog wearing a tiny little life jacket! Now take the picture a step further and imagine there being a handle on the back of his life jacket so he can be carried along! Now that's what I call cute (slightly absurd, but cute!).

We'll call the dog 'Shadow' (real names have been omitted to protect the identity of the dog... actually, I can't remember!!). He had come on board for a brief visit on his way to Loch Coruisk and a few folk were back early for a cup of tea and a rest after their walk. Immediately everyone fell in love with Shadow. They kept joking that they all wanted to keep him.

While we were off the pier briefly to let another boat use the steps Shadow appeared around the steps on his own! The owner shouted to us from his yacht and asked if we could help as Shadow had obviously broken free from the friends who had taken him ashore, and he was a bit worried about him (even with his wee life jacket! A seal could swallow him whole!!). So, when we tied up again to await the return of our passengers, we took on an extra passenger, rescuing Shadow! We delivered her to her owner's yacht.

It was a nice end to the day - the only problem was that I half expected a fight to break out on the Misty Isle - no one wanted to let us give Shadow back and were all keen to take her home!!

Maybe we need to get ourselves a little 'Shadow' for a boat mascott!! Any ideas?

PS - if anyone reading this was on the boat and has a picture of Shadow, I'd love to hear from you as I had forgotten the camera on Monday!!

Welcome to the Loch Coruisk Blog!

2007-07-26T16:42:00.001+01:00

This is my first post... so what can you expect to find here? Well, the random ramblings of someone who was born and brought up in Elgol, Isle of Skye, and who loves the area and the people. I have called it Loch Coruisk because I think Loch Coruisk is the simply the most astounding place on earth - as simple as that!

In this blog - which I'll try and keep updated at least weekly - I'll be keeping you up to date with what is happening in the area, coming events, reports on past events and, most importantly... Photos!!

There is a local boat that runs from Elgol to Loch Coruisk and I occasionaly get to crew for my Dad (the skipper), so I'll try and keep updating the photos as often as possible.

To keep you going just now, here's some I prepared earlier!! Go to the Photo Gallery section.