91 to 100!

My final blog in the series,  (Sad smiley face here )

I am writing this from Tasmania on the northern coast at a bonnie little place called Kayena  - fabulous wildlife and view over the  Tamar river.  We have seen some fantastic  sights here in Tassie and today spent 3 hours in the treetops hurtling along zip wires at the Holly Bank Treetop Adventures. Also, we’ve made good use of the free barbecues they have at every picnic site, and there are lots of those. You just push a button and the Barbie sparks up – you throw your grub on the stainless steel  grill and, in no time at all, you have a great feast ready.

I have some great ideas for when I get home to Loch Ness.  We could do lots of things to improve visitor facilities in our popular beauty spots.  They also have a scheme here called “work for dole”  - can you guess what that is?  Anyway, these guys are out doing litter pick-ups, even on  quiet side roads,  they tend public places repairing footpaths, painting  fences,  building boardwalks and so on.  

It is odd to think that here we are seeing spring in all its glory, apple blossom, bluebells in flower, days getting longer and warmer, while at home in Scotland, I imagine by now, a riot of reds and golds of autumn as day length gets shorter and days get colder. Both are beautiful in their own way. We find comfort in the thought of a white Christmas, plum puddings and turkey,  just as Aussies look forward to Christmas dinner on the beach!!  We, being Brits, wouldn’t miss our white Christmas for anything and plan to get home to Loch Ness before the festivities begin.

91  Run over the Fair Haired Lads Pass on south Loch Ness

92  See the work of local artists at Beauly Gallery & Kirk Coffee Shop

93  Go clay pigeon shooting with Loch Ness Gun Club

94  Have a picnic on the banks of the River Fechlin at Dalcrag

95  View Urquhart Castle from across the water at the Change House lay by

96  Visit the Iceberg glassblowing studio at Fort Augustus

97   Take the kids ‘weaseling’

98  Check out the Craigmonie Centre, Drumnadrochit for music and much much more

99  Simply chill out and relax… you are on holiday at Loch Ness!!

100  your suggestions please.  E mail info@visitlochness.com

G’day mate ! – as they say in Tassie ! The people here are so friendly and helpful, it’s refreshing – it feels just like home.

What strikes me, is the number of well made and signposted wild trails there are here, all with well fenced viewpoints and interpretation boards at every viewpoint ! We did an excellent cliff top walk on the Tasman peninsular and saw families with children and grannies enjoying the beautiful scenery. We were able to take the car close to the viewpoints and the trails were good enough for wheelchair users. These trails stretch for miles not just metres ! We walked 10 miles and saw truly wild kangaroos and sea eagles close up in what seems like pristine forest. We even found a half mile cliff top boardwalk designed with wheelchair users in mind, excellent to watch Gannets diving into the sea hundreds oof feet below.

There are those in Scotland who say we should keep all the trails wild and unchanged but that’s OK if you are fit and able to wade knee deep through bog and heather but for all those people who either can’t do that or don’t want to do that, this is not an option. The Forestry Commission, plus others, need to do much more to make some of the wild places in certain popular spots, more accessible to the majority of people who don’t want to have to dress up in heavy boots and take survival blankets in order to get close to nature.

In New Zealand also, they put eco loos in almost all country car parks – something I have yet to see anywhere in Scotland. Somehow, it always seems to come down to money, or lack of it. How then do all these other countries manage to do so well in providing toilets, interpretation boards and well made dry paths for walking in their wild places?
Scotland has some of the finest wilderness and a great network of roads to give access to even the remotest parts. Wouldn’t it be just great to see many more places where you can  get out of the car and walk as a family – granny, wheelchair and all. Destination Loch Ness has started to address this by creating long distance paths around Loch Ness for the enjoyment of everyone.

One personal wish I have, is for a walk at the top of the Cairngorms funicular railway where it seems ludicrous to corral people in the visitor centre at the top, denying all access to the glorious plateau. If a well constructed short walk was made that allowed people to get out in the fresh air without damage to the fragile habitat, it would then be a thing of the past to hear all the complaints from travellers on the way down, who feel they have been cheated.

81 to 90 series featuring 10 ideas a week from Visit Loch Ness

81. Find the ‘totem’ poles at Abriachan Woods
82. Visit the historic Beauly Priory
83. Take a walk in the ancient oak woodlands at Bona
84. Find the ‘secret loch’ at Inverfarigaig
85.  Buy your favourite whisky at the Whisky Shop, Drumnadrochit
86. Cruise on Loch Ness from Fort Augustus
87. Walk to the Upper Falls at Foyers
88. Step back in time at the Kettle Hole Lochans, Littlemill Wood, Inverarnie
89. Photograph the water lilies on Loch Bran
90.  Drive up Glen Affric ‘ the most beautiful glen in Scotland’ as far as the road goes