A wee bit of background into our chalets names.
When we came on our many visits to view these beautiful chalets before finally purchasing them in November 2017 we discovered that the loch was a regular stopping spot for a local dog otter on his travels homeward from an evening/early morning fishing trip in the sea.
I am, as those of you that know me, am a little Otter daft so an Otter theme seemed of course obligatory.
The Stoer Bay Otter
Tarka
The Otter who began my life long Otter obsession from the age of 5 years old. Though back then very few people even knew what an Otter was!
Tarka the Otter –A film written from the animal’s point of view.
You follow Tarkas life from birth, adventuring through the wild, coming into contact with other creatures and situations.
Set in the days when Otter hunting was legal, Tarka finally meets his untimely death in the jaws of his old enemy an Otter hound who also perishes in this final fight.
I can still remember watching this film with tears pouring down my face. To this day I have never made it through the novel that the film was based on, written by Henry Williamson in 1927.
Mijbil
Gavin Maxwell a Scottish naturalist and author, best known for his non-fiction writing and his work with otters. He wrote the book Ring of Bright waters about how he brought an otter back from Iraq and raised it in Scotland.
Maxwell’s otter odyssey began in 1956, when he set off on a journey to explore the marshes of southern Iraq with the explorer Wilfred Thesiger. There he adopted his first otter, a tiny cub he called Chahalla. Maxwell lavished this baby animal with all his affection and was desolate when it died just a few days later. To console him, Thesiger found him another otter to take home, a squirming velvet ball “the colour of milk chocolate”, which Maxwell christened Mijbil.
After an eventful flight, Gavin arrived in England with his new pet and they began the year of happy adventures together in London and Scotland that form the heart of his book. “Into this bright, watery landscape Mij moved and took possession with a delight that communicated itself as clearly as any articulate speech could have done,” he wrote on his move out of London to Sandaig, a wild and isolated spot overlooking the Sound of Sleat to Skye. “The waterfall, the burn, the white beaches and the islands; his form became the familiar foreground to them all.”
I have visited this place myself and it is indeed exactly as described, such a beautiful spot – though I saw no Otters.
Edal
Edal was another of Gavin Maxwells Otters ‘Whatever joy she gave to you, give back to Nature.’ Gavin Maxwell said about Edal. These sentiments may not be what a little more famous English naturalist, television presenter and author Terry Nutkins may have thought. As Edals most famous claim to fame was when he tore at Nutkins boots, then attacked his right hand as he reached down to stop him, severing the end of his middle finger. As he attempted to control the otter with his other hand, Edal bit his other middle finger, severing the end of the other finger. Edal was Gavin Maxwells final Otter and Gavin only outlived him by 1 year.
reviewed Stoer Bay Chalets – 5 star
These chalets, set in a beautiful and restful location, have everything you need for a holiday in Assynt. We have spent a fortnight here for most of the last 23 years and are delighted that our children and grandchildren love it as much as we do; we now book all 3 chalets to accommodate everyone! The new owners, Karen and David, are delightful! Not only do they keep the recently upgraded chalets clean, comfortable and well- maintained but, just like the previous owners, go out of their way to be welcoming, friendly and helpful. Look out for the otter fishing in the loch, right in front of the chalets!