Family time

Its been a day for reminiscing here at Stoer Bay.  My boys are growing up and on the edge of their lives as adults venturing into a big new world. Lots of looking back to care free family holidays. Many of which even if only short breaks were spend in Assynt, based at Clachtoll and much venturing to all the local beauty spots for family fun and escape from day to day work life.

Needless to say the sea was always the biggest pull, despite the coldness of the water. Both boys learn’t to swim in the Clachtoll bay, with split rock towering over guarding this amazing wee beach. Fishing off the rocks for breakfast….BBQ’ed mackerel the big favourite. And though we were never able to make Clachtoll beaches sandcastle competition Ben liked to show off his skills. One of which was this  sand turtle!

Venturing away from the beach there were many many walks. The bone caves a favourite family walk as mentioned in a previous blog. Then there was the walk to the Old man of Stoer. Starting from either Stoerhead lighthouse – always a favourite spot as it was their dads family home for a while when he was younger, their grandad being one of the lighthouse keepers there or Cuilken Stoer either way a fab walk.

Leitir Easaidh All-Abilities walk is a beautiful walk meandering round two wee lochs with paths made to enable wheelchair users to also enjoy this tranquil wee spot.
Day trips were spent further afield with visits which included trips to the Summer isles and  Handa island.
     

Stoer Bay to Clachtoll circular walk

This is a lovely walk and starts and finishes just across the road at Stoer Bay. A bay in itself full of mystery and fascination. Did you know that 1.2 billion years ago a Meteorite from outer space survived its journey through the atmosphere to reach earth? This meteorite hit Scotland at Stoer Bay and its deposits can still be found impregnated into the sandstone rocks at Stoer Bay.

Turn right again on this; further along a sign indicates the turning back to the car park at Clachtoll beach.
From Stoer Bay turn left towards the stony remains of Clachtoll Broch, an iron age defensive tower. Clachtoll Broch has in the last couple of years had much attention and excavations were carried out to discover many hidden treasures.
Go to  http://clachtoll.aocarchaeology.com   for more information. You may even spot our chalets in one of the photos.
After a wee look round the broch, carry on across the grassland area. If you look you may see that there are what look like small terraces these are lazy beds. The remains of old vegetable growing plots.

Continue round the coast line, following the huge slabs that shelve down into the sea. You will find yourself round at a wee gate that you follow through, straight ahead and through another gate. Crossing over the drive there is a third gate, through this you will find a monument to the Reverend Norman MacLeod, a locally-born minister who led his people first to Nova Scotia and then to New Zealand. He was a stern man who had no room for tolerance or forgiveness, but he was regarded by his followers as a savior.

Clachtoll beach and Split rock
The road down to the whitewashed building, which is a former salmon-fishing bothy. The poles outside were there  for drying the bag nets used to catch the fish. If it isn’t locked, the bothy has interpretative displays inside to help you find out more. You will now also see the beautiful Clachtoll beach with Split rock unmistakable across the other side. Have a wander and a paddle. Before heading back either the way you came or through Clachtoll beach campsite onto the main road past Flossie’s wee shop back to the chalets, it worth going to the Clachtoll beach car park Rangers hut. You can find out lots more about the area in here.
This walk can also be found in www.walkhighland.co.uk though they start it from Clachtoll beach car park. Either way its a lovely non strenuous walk.
       

What is self catering?

Self catering accommodation should offer clean, comfortable and  furnished accommodation for visitors.

Great for families

They give you the freedom to go about your holiday as you please, cook and eat when you want.
A self-contained home from home with  space for sitting and living ,a kitchen with facilities,  bedroom(s) and bathroom(s).
They are usually available to rent by the week or for short breaks.

Self catering accommodation can be very popular for young families or if you are looking for a more budget friendly holiday. As you do not have to eat out every night. You can prepare your own meals. Excellent if you have a particular food allergy or special diet.

There are different styles of self catering.

Lodge or chalet is  more often a wooden home  in a more rural location

Holiday cottage is a widely-used term for holiday accommodation, but can mean a small older property.

House is usually a larger, more formal accommodation with several  bedrooms and a large  living area.

  Apartment is a  self contained accommodation that occupies only a part of the building, more often in a town or city

Well behaved pets are welcome

When you arrive at your self-catering accommodation you should expect to find it clean and presented in a neat and tidy fashion. You will be expected to look after the holiday home during your stay and leave it in a similar condition to how you found it. Cleaning equipment is usually provided so you can  sweep the floor and wipe  surfaces during your stay. Whilst you don’t need to leave the property sparkling, most owners will expect you to have done the washing up and put away any dishes, empty the fridge and food cupboards and take the rubbish out to the bins before you leave.

The method of payment varies from place to place. A lot of self catering accommodation now accept credit or debit card payments. However, due to the costs involved, not all owners have the facility to take card payments and they might ask you to pay by bank transfer or through online payment systems. At Stoer Bay we accept credit or debit card payments or Bank transfers.

Most self catering accommodation  accepts pets, especially those in rural areas. If you are taking your pet with you it is worth checking what they provide to avoid doubling up on bulky items such as bowls, beds and towels. Some owners are happy to allow pets anywhere in the house, but others ask that they are kept off sofas and out of the bedrooms.

Today is the third Annual #bookdirect  Day.

Direct bookings are customers who book their holiday directly through you.

With so many travelers searching for holiday rentals, holiday rental managers and owners are joining forces for one day with a singular message to let travelers know that there are many advantages to bypassing third-party channels and booking directly with management companies and owners.
When you commit to booking direct, you can  enjoy many perks that you would not have access to when booking through a third party. Not to mention, you will pay less!

Due to the high costs associated with using big sites, some of the best homes with the highest demand aren’t even listed!

Why #bookdirect
1.When booking direct, managers and owners can become a kind of free destination guide. They know the best activities, restaurants and places of interest in the area.
2.When travelers communicate directly with the owner or manager, they will be the first to find out about any special offers, discounts or exclusive deals.
3.Managers and owners can better help guests optimize dates to fit their needs.
4. Travelers can work directly with owners and managers in a much more personalized way
5. You work directly with the property in case of changes, delays, or cancellations.

When travelers book on large holiday rental websites like Airbnb,  Booking.com and TripAdvisor, they are paying substantial fees to use these sites.

At Stoer Bay Chalets all our booking are taken direct. We like to give a personal touch to our guests. Our website has a simple to use booking system and we can be easily contacted if necessary if you need some to discuss anything before booking.

We know the local places of interest

The best pet friendly places to visit

and the best beaches

The Advantages of Booking Self Catering

Choosing where to stay for holiday can be a mine field.  We of course are biased. We believe that choosing self-catering accommodation has many advantages.

While holidaying with family/friends who  have dietary requirements, choosing the self-catering option allows you to cook what you want, when you want. Our chalets have fully equipped  kitchens. Recently  upgraded, so up to date and lovely and fresh. They are also thoroughly cleaned between guests. You are in control of  what you eat and the ingredients. As the mother of a son with a severe peanut allergy I know how important this can be. If you like to keep to your own usual  routine then you can.

Coming and going as you please at your own speed. Exploring where and when you want to Eating where and when you want to. You can enjoy a relaxing or a very active break.  Most importantly, you can have a lie in if you want…. depend on the children and or pets of course. Our pet friendly chalets  welcome pets, dogs and cats being the favorite so far.

Booking self catering accommodation usually works out to be more cost effective than a hotel Especially if you are traveling as a family or a group as you are not normally charged per person. Shopping in local stores and cooking in your self catering  can also help save you money on your holiday. Each of our chalets have a fridge and plenty food storage cupboards. We also have a communal freezer in our store. We have a communal washing machine with an outdoor washing line for everyone. There is a clothes airer in each chalet and Tarka  has a tumble drier. Though our chalets do have coin operated meters we keep our rental rates down to more than reflect this. The meters are also set below our electric suppliers tariff so guests are paying a subsidy only.

Our chalets are ideally spaced apart to offer privacy and are becoming very popular for family and friend reunions and get togethers. Everyone can meet up and mingle but if you want some time on your own this is doable without any problems. One such family brought walkie talkies with them to communicate with each other from their own chalets which worked perfect for them so no one felt pressured to have to mingle all the time.
                                      

the Beautiful Stoer Bay

Going into our 3rd year with our self catering accomodation based in Assynt north west Scotland.
This winters project as already mentioned in a previous blog, is installing new kitchens and aren’t we glad. As on the whole its been a pretty wet and windy winter.
So glad that the winters jobs are inside this year. Last winters recladding would have been a misery to do in the last few months weather.
Fingers crossed the snow will come soon. There is nothing as stunning as the sun hitting snowy hilltops and glistening icicles.
So back to our refurbs.
Whilst putting in our new kitchens we are also, just whilst we are at it. Changing all the ceiling light fittings and putting in Led lighting. Tarkas has also been fitted with a new double glazed kitchen window. We have also just ordered a new bathroom window for her too which we will get fitted inbetween Mijbils kitchen fitting. rying to do all we can to reduce our energy use and reduce our carbon footprint.
Mijbils bathroom floor had a little damage to it last year so this has now been replaced with a lovely washed wood effect laminate. Looks very beachy. Perfect when you think of all the stunning beaches in the area. Stoer Bay (of course), Clachtoll, Clashnessie and Achmelvich just to name 4. Three of these all in walking distance. We are so lucky.

We are  so excited by everyone eagerness to secure their 2020 holidays in our beautiful north west coast chalets in Stoer Bay.
As we continue with our new kitchen fittings, which so far are going great we are looking ahead into our third season.
The feed back we have been recieving has been amazing. The bookings already made for next year must be our biggest compliment that people are  happy in Stoer Bay chalets.
This means so much to us and makes all our hard work worth every moment.
        
A few wee comments left for us after guests have stayed at the chalets.

Our chalets are also becoming very popular for larger gatherings. With family’s and friends booking all three chalets for reunions and family celebrations. What a fantastic idea. With hill, lowland and beach walks. There is something for all abilities and lazy evening wanders.
Staying in the chalet grounds is also becoming popular with brown trout fishing in the loch in front of our chalets. (There are lots of trout fishing lochs sprinkled all over Assynt with permits very reasonably priced.) There are many different birds on the loch and around the chalets. Our new bird tables make some of these feathered friends easier to spot. If you are as lucky as many of this years guests you hopefully will  spy our local otters swimming in the loch or at Stoer Bay just across the road from our chalets.

        
Herons are often spotted at our loch as is this wee fellow, a wee stoat.

There is plenty of history to find close by too. Across at the Bay we have Clachtoll Broch (an iron-age defensive tower) which has recently had lots of archelogy digs carried out with many interesting finds. For more information on this, just google Clachtoll Broch and you will be inundated with pages with information on all the finds and insights. Take a walk from there along the coast line to Clachtoll beach and you will pass a  section of wet grassland which is formed into little terraces. These are lazybeds, remains of old cultivation for vegetables  Carry on through to the monument  to the Revd Norman MacLeod, a locally-born minister who led his people first to Nova Scotia and then to New Zealand. Its also worth visiting the former salmon-fishing bothy. The poles outside were erected for drying the drag-nets used to catch the fish. The bothy has information displays inside.

The Beautiful Clachtoll beach

We have been so busy the last few months catching up with friends and family. Settling eldest into college in Glasgow and having a wee rest from change overs every weekend now that we are in the quieter season. We have also sneaked ourselves out of our wee caravan at the back of the chalets and into a chalet for our winter visits….luxury!

You know this is never an excuse for us to slack off. We have also been busy measuring up for new kitchens for all 3 chalets.
Works have started in Edal. Once again David is working hard with his useless apprentice (Me) at times causing him even more work, ooops.  I’m a dap hand with a paint brush though so my time will come.

Before her new kitchen was started David put in a Solum treatment under her floors.
This helps prevent damage to under floor wood from damp. It also helps warm the chalet as it prevents damp from the ground rising up into the building.
This is a common problem in older buildings where the foundations are built straight onto the ground with no concrete base. As Davids full time trade is as a joiner who specialises in Timber treatments and rot prevention this is a job he was very happy to complete. Mijbil will also be getting this done. Tarka is already on a concrete base so doesnt need this done.

Our lucky New year guests will have a lovely shiny new kitchen to help with their new year celebrations. We will be removing the dining tables that are squeezed into Edal & Mijbil. Replacing the breakfast bar with another but will have it at table height making it easy for all ages to use with dining chairs rather than breakfast bar stools. Tarka will at last be getting a full sized fitted oven. We will also be making more storage space for guests food.

Work has already started at the entrance gate with a new pedestrian gate fitted. When we get time after the kitchen fittings the new gate for vehicles will be fitted. No more funny dances in the winds trying to close two small gates without one of them blowing open again.

We have no photos yet of works in progress so enjoy these lovely views of around the chalets.

Its been a while since I’ve made it this far and even had a chance to sit down and think about writing a wee blog. So excuse my rambling, my brain is feeling a little fried.

The main cause of this having absolutely nothing to do with the chalets but everything to do with my two growing sons. I had this idea that as they grew older and more independant that my work as a mum would take a back seat.
How wrong was I!
     
No one told me the stress of having a child who can now drive. Oh how I wish a little tykes car would still satisfy. This together with the child in particular starting college in Glasgow and heading of down on his own bearly knowing what a roundabout is never mind roads with more than two lanes and all  other matters of other things.

His tongue in cheek comment of so many people making strange gestures and faces at him made me think of people navigating our small roads and how strange and scary they probably feel to city folk.

He is also about to embark on his first solo foreign (working) holiday abroad and if he makes it to the airport let alone an airoplane I will be amazed.

Meanwhile little, or not so little brother( considering he towers over the rest of us). Has sadly once again made his annual visit to A& E. One year, just one year without having this would be lovely. You would think that after 16 years he would have learnt to be a bit more careful. His mountain bike he worked all the hours over the summer holidaysfor is now sitting  gathering dust whilst he recovers from a football injury.

I am a very proud mum though and delighted with where both my boys are at the moment. how far they have come and the exciting plans that they both have for their futures.

I’m certain in my thinking that part of their love for adventure and the outdoors has to be put down to a childhood of holidays in the amazing place that is Assynt.