Seil, Tourism, Uncategorized

Scarecrows and scarycrows

Our second annual (if you ignore 2020 and ’21) Scarecrow Festival kicked off today. And while we’re enjoying typical Argyll summer weather as I type (it’s pouring), this morning the sun shone for its launch.

There was music and a classic car parade

these folk are maybe a bit quiet, but the Nevis Ensemble played up a storm
Lagonda, the oldest of the cars on show today

Unsurprisingly there are a number of scarecrows with a maritime theme

And with an active wild swimmers group a number of mermaids

But we’ve also had a visit from Mary Poppins, or as she’s known around here Mhairi Popsox

And some very inventive in jokes

If there are more deer than people on Jura, I’m pretty certain there are more rabbits than us here on Seil

And inspired by last time around’s favourite. There are a number which are actually scary crows

having killed the farmer last time around they’ve now taken over the farm

We’re due a fun filled week, rain or shine.

So staying with us or elsewhere, or just visiting for the day you’ll have a great time.

See you soon

Caroline xx

Seil, Tourism, Uncategorized

February 2021

Here we are in lockdown again. Our days have resumed their pattern of walks and chores. But Spring is on its way. These are icicles from earlier in the month.

Now replaced by pussy willow and catkins.

The snowdrops are already here.

And we’ll soon have daffodils, maybe even for St David’s day.

There are other green shoots.

But lots of our plants have been chomped by the deer and rabbits

George has had his first dose of vaccine, I’ll have to wait a little while longer.

We have dates to look forward to, to meet our friends outdoors, have a haircut, visit a bookshop. Hopefully we’ll be able to welcome guests sometime in the summer.

In the meantime, stay safe. And when we can open, you’ll read it here first.

Seil, Tourism, Uncategorized

Looking forward

Back in January I wrote a post called “Looking forward, looking back”, it was a look back at our time here, and a taste of the season we were looking forward to.

Little did I know.

It’s nearly the end of the year.

Spring was sunny but we had it all to ourselves.

Our summer was much better than we could have expected. We had to make changes, but were rewarded with lovely guests once again. And we managed some family time and personal celebrations before restrictions tightened in the autumn. And then this month our community managed to deliver some Christmas sparkle for local children, with a walk through Cinderella performance.

Tomorrow we’ll celebrate alone, raising our glasses to toast a new year. And looking forward to opening our doors to guests once again.

Stay safe, stay well, and have a happy new year when it comes.

Caroline, George, and Bramble xxx

Covid, Seil, Tourism

October and on

Autumn is most definitely here, the leaves have changed colour (and started to fall) and the storms have arrived. At the moment we’re probably at the peak of colour before we tip into the faded palette of winter.

My walk reminded me of one back in the spring, also a damp day. Then the colours were beginning to develop.

Opposite sides of the seasonal spectrum.

This year more than most spring brought signs of hope; infection rates fell and we were able to meet our friends again.

Summer, well it wasn’t normal but it was freer, and we were able to welcome guests.

Now we have the prospect of winter, and a retreat back to our homes*. We’ve adapted, there’s no guising** for the children this year but windows and gardens have been filled with pumpkins and spooks for a hallowe’en treasure hunt ***.

As the nights and our lives draw in, I’m getting the sparkly lights out early to brighten up the dark evenings.

Christmas won’t be a big family gathering, whatever the governments decide. There won’t be carols at the pub, nor our panto in January. But I’m just hoping that winter won’t be too long and dark, and I’ll be watching the spring flowers in the rain in 2021, planning the season for our guests.

Stay safe. Stay well. Hope to meet you soon.

*As I was writing this Argyll and Bute was put into tier two restrictions, which means we can meet friends outdoors or in cafes, but not at home.

** dressing up and visiting houses

***Parents take their children around the island spotting the pumpkins, the children earn a treat for each they spot

Covid, Seil, Tourism

That’s all folks, ……………. until next year.

Way back in March, even before we went into lockdown I started to doubt that we’d be welcoming guests this year. And I was worried because we already had a good number of bookings which I thought might have to cancel. When lockdown came I had to decide how far ahead to cancel bookings and luckily, made the right call. Also we have the nicest guests, so everyone was understanding about their bookings being cancelled.

Bramble enjoying the spring daffs

We could have reopened mid July but wanted to spend the time planning our approach. And of course to have family visitors. So we delayed our reopening until 1st August, when we were please to welcome some return guests.

Daffs replaced by daisies

Now the leaves are turning, mornings are much darker and we’ve closed our doors for the season.

Autumn colour

We’re now thinking ahead to 2021….

We are going to retain the two night minimum stay, I haven’t liked refusing bookings but it’s more rewarding when guests stay and explore the area. Even without some of our local attractions we’ve found visitors have found plenty to enjoy on Seil and its surrounding area.

Boats in Balvicar bay

We’re going to concentrate on booking out one room. This year it was Nancy. Next year we’re going to use Flora, though we’ll book both rooms to an extended group.

That will mean guests will have exclusive use of a bedroom, bathroom, sitting room, and the dining room. Like a small apartment. Except we cook your breakfast.

Other breakfast dishes available

And as it seems unlikely that this virus will disappear any time soon we’ll continue to avoid back to back bookings.

But most of all, whether like this

Or this

Maybe without the shades?

We’ll be welcoming you with a smile

Stay safe and we hope to meet you(again) next year.

Caroline, George, and not forgetting Bramble xxx

Days out from Sheiling BnB, History, Tourism

A day out

For obvious reasons we haven’t had many days out this year. But last week we managed one. I revisited my old friend WalkHighlands looking for a route we hadn’t explored before. We’ve walked most of the Oban and North Lorn ones, well the ones that match our capabilities (the one, two and three boot ones) so I had a look at the Fort William selection where I found this one

So on a sunny morning we packed ourselves a picnic and headed off. Ballachulish is an hour or so’s drive from Sheiling. Head for Oban and then take the A828 north from Connel (over the bridge) If the tide is right you might get a great view of the Falls of Lora as you cross. The rest of the drive is scenic too, so it could take longer if you wanted to stop and admire the views.

There’s a public car park in the centre of the village next to the Co-op, public toilets, and also the Quarry Centre which sells food and snacks. (We bought ourselves some cake to go with our picnic)

The walk starts in the old slate quarry and takes you high above the village with superb views down Loch Leven

looking down to Loch Leven

The path then climbs up through trees

Bramble enjoyed all the new sniffs, and hunting for stones in the burn.

She didn’t find this one in the burn

We passed an old settlement

I searched in vain for a four leafed specimen in this clover patch.

And then headed downhill towards Brecklet.

It was probably all to the good that we didn’t spot any of these chaps*

*Actually the path turns in the opposite direction but I was feeling a bit nosey.

And then it was down into the village to enjoy our picnic lunch, and explore the old quarry areas.

It was such a lovely day that we took the long route home, passing through Glencoe, and then beautiful Glen Orchy where we had our final stop beside the river.

A perfect spot for coffee and cake

Covid, Seil, Tourism

September

September when, in the words of the song* “….the days grow short…”. Usually marking the end of our season, birthdays, stone skimming, and plans for travel. But in this strange skewed year that’s all changed. Our season only started in August so we’re continuing through, until October at least. We’ll have the new challenge of dark mornings, the stove has already been lit at breakfast time. There’s no stone skimming championships this year, but you’re welcome to have a go yourself, and when the tide’s right you can even try from the garden. Travel, well after months at home every day out is an adventure, and lockdown easing permitting, we might manage some trips to other parts of Scotland. Birthdays, well that’s one thing that still goes on.

*”September Song” by Kurt Weill, and sung here by Lotte Lenya.

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Seil, Tourism

Summer

June has arrived and more lovely sunny weather. Late Spring and early summer are often the nicest times here on Seil. This year  I’ve had more time to look around me and appreciate the flowers and the birdsong.

Here are some of my favourite pictures from my daily walks.  You’ll have to imagine the birdsong

It hasn’t been sunny all the time,

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in fact it was a bit grey the day we crossed the Atlantic.

But whatever the weather there’s always something  to enjoy.

And we’re looking forward to sharing that enjoyment with our guests again.

Stay safe. x

Covid, Tourism

Making plans

How long is it now? Lockdown? I’ve lost count,  but we should be at least six weeks into our season. It’s not likely that we’ll be open very soon but we are making plans for when we can welcome visitors again.

We’ve always prided ourselves on our high standards of hygiene but we’re going to be extra vigilant.  Because of that we’ve decided on a few changes for the immediate post Covid period.

We’re only going to open one set of rooms at a time*.  So once we know when booking can start I will open up Nancy. We’re also going to leave a day between bookings. Unfortunately  we won’t be able to provide all the usual books and magazines. But we’ll be happy to email you any local information you need and I’ll put more information on here.

You can rest assured that you’ll still find a comfy bed, delicious breakfast and a warm welcome.

Just from slightly further away!

Looking forward to meeting guests again, meanwhile stay home and stay safe.

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Caroline, George and Bramble x

Food, Tourism, Uncategorized

It’s not business as usual

It’s another lovely sunny day, it was the Spring equinox yesterday,  and a week tonight the clocks will go forward marking the start of British Summer Time. On Thursday I saw the first lamb locally – though I think it would have been an unexpectedly early arrival. It’s the time of year when I start thinking about welcoming our guests.

IMG_4780

Sorry not just now

But not this year.  Please follow government and NHS advice and don’t think about travelling, don’t ignore the restrictions. I appreciate that it might seem tempting to escape the cities in search of isolation in the Highlands but it will cause chaos in rural communities.

I’m often asked about life here on Seil,  “idyllic” is often mentioned, and yes, we are very lucky to live here, we have beautiful surroundings, clean air and a wonderful community.

IMG_0055

Spring bulbs, a “thank you” from friends a few years back, still going strong

But It’s going to be a hard time here too. So many people earn their living from tourism and hospitality and have seen their jobs disappear overnight. But you can help. Eventually the restrictions will be lifted and we’ll be able to welcome you back. In the meantime, if you can,  and I know many people have lost their jobs too, think about buying vouchers and mail-order items. That way there’s a better  chance they will still be  here when you can come back.

Everything* takes longer to get here, we pay extra for our online orders;  never mind the bridge we’re an island when it comes to delivery charges.  Don’t get me wrong,  we might complain about these things in the pub, but we do love living here.  But at the moment the pubs, as well as all the cafes, restaurants, museums and other attractions  are  closed.

We’re half an hour from  our local district hospital but our nearest  intensive care unit is nearly three hours away in Glasgow.  Our  health centre is great, but it’s designed to cope with our small population. They’ll happily treat emergencies among summer visitors but can’t cope with large increases in patients.

Our local producers and shops are working hard to maintain supplies and make sure we have food and access to it, but our supermarkets are struggling too. We love serving you our freshly baked bread, but flour has disappeared from the shelves – perhaps in a future post I can share how we’ve been utilising less common ingredients?

 

Here are a few Seil and Easdale businesses who are selling vouchers:

The Fisherman’s Kitchen

Sealife Adventures

Seafari

the Puffer Bar and Restaurant, Easdale

 

Wherever you are, stay safe and follow the guidelines.

very cute Bramble pic

 

Caroline, George and Bramble

*Not the actual post, we have a remarkable postal service, occasionally it seems as if things arrive even before I’ve sent them.