tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35216694220292785762012-01-25T15:32:21.138Zwww.inshriachhouse.comDan Lighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14626784678398444187noreply@blogger.comBlogger2181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-54530396771571802982012-01-25T15:11:00.005Z2012-01-25T15:32:21.196Z

Phase 2 (or is it phase 5) of our winter of renewables is now underway with the wood fired boiler. The slab for the hopper went in before Christmas but the blocks had to wait until everyone left and we had a day that was warm enough. True to form it was fully dark before it was finished and the morning revealed blockwork only a mother could love. Then we needed a trench to the house through which

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-91377523389898393352012-01-23T11:17:00.003Z2012-01-23T11:26:52.081Z

Due to cancellation the weekends of the 10th and the 17th March are now available in the newly wood fired and solar powered Inshriach House. Long weekends for either of those dates can be yours for £1500, Thursday to Monday.It might even look like this, in which case the solar panels definitely wont work.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-32803428330663310392012-01-14T09:52:00.002Z2012-01-14T09:59:46.861Z

It happens earlier each year, the inevitable moment when the monster we call the Insider Festival starts demanding our organising attentions. This year is the year of the Olympiad and you can catch The Backwoods Sporting Societys Olympic rundown over on the Insider 2012 blog or you can get up to speed with plans over on the Insider Facebook page or sign up at the Olympiad event page.This year the

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-31487738209394208182012-01-11T15:54:00.005Z2012-01-14T09:52:41.405Z

Thoroughly refreshed by the traditional highland New Year of wholesome behaviour, fresh air and long walks (ahem) we have hit the ground running in January. At number 5 in the January DIY rundown are the new garage doors, they were stuck shut and all broken hinges before hogmanay and they now swing free and boast shutlines a BMW would be proud of.Coming in at 4 is the back on the cottage woodshed

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-11716827570946880112011-12-27T22:04:00.003Z2011-12-27T22:12:39.408Z

A few weeks back we hosted another Balvenie Whisky tasting, this time up in the house and attended by the UK, global and French brand ambassadors and local friends of the distillery. We had some tunes courtesy of Charlie McKerron and finished up the night in indulgent style sat in front of the fire supping drams of their new Tun 1401 edition with chasers of 21 year old Portwood.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-34196457767997359252011-12-13T02:21:00.008Z2011-12-13T12:59:26.863Z

Its not easy undertaking major works here at this time of year and if our winter of renewable energy starts to sound like a comedy of errors can we please attribute that to our limited budget, time constraints and environmental difficulties rather than slapdash project management, festive distractions and a penchant for 1950s machinery.Phase 1 of phase 2 was the fuel store for the new wood pellet

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-77259242964147159572011-12-11T18:40:00.009Z2011-12-13T19:57:15.013Z

Inshriach has a huge flat roof ideally suited to solar power and part of our winter renewables drive was a scheme to reduce our hefty electricity consumption. Then a month ago the government announced it would halve the tariff available and the entire solar buying world went hell bent on catching the higher rate. That rate expires tonight and for the last fortnight there has been only a thin

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-66954199190771652512011-11-29T13:57:00.006Z2011-12-02T20:04:03.118Z

This is a few weeks late in publishing but as the weather draws in so the Bothy Project nears completion. It has all its windows and all its lining and a reclaimed ash floor and mezzanine. Iain has lodged its measurements with a furniture maker and we are trying to work out what size of stove will best suit the varied purposes and seasons the building will experience. Back in civilisation we have

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-20141276857405098502011-11-12T16:59:00.003Z2011-11-12T17:17:56.415Z

Last weekend we let it all hang out with our second Backwoods Bonfire party. This time we were lucky enough to hang onto Paul Millards beautiful 42 ft yurt, the scene of 3 weddings at Inshriach this year, and to persuade John Langan (who got married in it here back in May) to put in a final gig before he disappears to India for 6 months. We warmed up in the yurt with our old friends Ord Ban,

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-2713173664147958152011-11-09T20:01:00.005Z2011-12-02T20:06:16.863Z

I'm going to backpedal through time a bit so as to introduce a series of works we have initiated (to run alongside all the other works we haven't finished). I will return later with tales from our last wedding of the year and of bonfire night. For both environmental and financial reasons we have been deliberating on how to update Inshriach and how to wean it off its appetite for oil. Wood boilers

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-59948960319119082122011-11-01T00:06:00.006Z2011-11-01T00:26:15.118Z

On the 5th November we are holding a Backwoods Bonfire party. Buses leave from the Old Bridge Inn any time after 5 and cost a tenner, when you get here our old friends the John Langan band will be playing and we have been lucky enough to find ourselves with the same gigantic Red Kite yurt that John got married in earlier this year, in the same spot. Then we head for the woods for a barbeque and

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-24477491293729903802011-10-29T09:50:00.003+01:002011-10-29T10:03:31.982+01:00

Last week the film circus returned to the Highlands with Emma Thompson's new period drama feature, Effie, starring Dakota Fanning. Effie tells the story of the affair between the Victorian Art critic John Ruskin's wife and John Everett Millais and there were plenty of costumes that would have looked quite at home at the Insider. I was tasked with taking Petal the Land Rover out to the west coast

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-66577186615806660872011-10-11T20:37:00.004+01:002011-11-01T00:32:33.145Z

Last weekends spoon carving course was a great success, Wooden Tom did a fine job of making sure everyone kept their fingers and got the basics required to carve a spoon. The 6 folk who came along all left promising to go out and buy themselves axes, knives and gouges. Three of them have booked for the bowl carving course we are running on 15th November (which is already sold out) but more

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-53386517313700061062011-10-10T13:01:00.003+01:002011-10-10T14:16:58.367+01:00

Friday was a quickfire run down to Edinburgh and the Royal Scottish Academy for the opening night of the Resident : 11 exhibition. The RSA have supported a number of artists through their Residents for Scotland programme. They have a network of predominantly art institute partners across Scotland and contemporary artists get to spend time in research and production in unusual locations. The RSA

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-47259189593166964822011-10-01T11:38:00.006+01:002011-10-01T12:14:19.833+01:00

Last weekend saw another bothy building delegation descend on Inshriach, now the wall cladding is on, the side windows are in, complete with beautiful oak sills and sides, and most of the insulation and lining has gone in. The architectural detail that has gone into the design is starting to tell in the overall proportions, the views through the building, the floor to eaves windows, the custom

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-32287824957644454752011-09-26T17:45:00.010+01:002011-09-27T20:11:57.266+01:00

Our second last wedding of the year took place a few weeks back so my congratulations go out to Lucy and Simon. We do seem to be picking up the alternative end of the Aviemore wedding market, each one this year (7 to date) has had its own distinctive style due to the personalities and choices of those involved, this one was pretty frantic for the last 48 hours but worked out to be a lot of fun.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-17198142919013964822011-09-23T15:00:00.002+01:002011-09-23T15:06:52.605+01:00

On the 8th October we are running our first spoon carving course with Wooden Tom. Its going to cover the basics of using the axe, knife and crook knife. You can see the full details and how to book here on Tom's website. This one is already fully booked but let me or Tom know if you fancy coming on a course and we can organise another.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-73362292423725191222011-09-14T23:09:00.007+01:002011-09-24T00:02:26.699+01:00

The building we have always known as the bothy used to be the laundry for the big house. By the 1970s it had became a summer house and workshops and gradually, as materials became available, we have been improving it. We put back a laundry that now covers the yurt and beermoth, insulated, refloored and plastered parts of it, put in a stove, a boiler and some heating. Then we came to the tediously

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-70512094848241857082011-09-07T21:56:00.004+01:002011-09-07T22:28:27.530+01:00

I have three sets of thank yous for last week. The first is to our cousin Philip (second from left) and his 11 year old Patrick (right) for coming to stay for the first time in 30 years and giving me an excuse to down tools, pick up the phone and go out to try some of the activities available locally.First up was G2s new zip park over on Alvie. Since they put in the brilliant zip line at the

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-37023495192039119062011-08-15T10:41:00.004+01:002011-08-15T23:37:36.371+01:00

It is not every day that someone offers you a bothy, pre fab, insulated, small enough to be a temporary structure, large enough to stay in. A month ago that's exactly what happened and so, hot on the heels of the Beermoth comes The Bothy Project. This is how the project describes itself. 'A cross-disciplinary art project that aims to develop a network of small-scale art residency spaces in

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-36862185646047266762011-08-10T20:25:00.009+01:002011-10-29T14:57:33.206+01:00

After 6 months of not hurrying the job it finally took a man called Kevin to get the Beer Moth up and running. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it the Beer Moth is a 1956 Commer Q4, 4 ton 4x4, ex auxiliary fire service hose carrying truck. I bought it in Kent back in February with the intention of adding it to the stable of oddball holiday options put out through Canopy and Stars. I

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-1383373331686287802011-08-08T11:45:00.003+01:002011-08-08T13:21:00.219+01:00

Big congratulations to Stuart and Rachel who had their wedding reception here last weekend, a lovely home made affair with heavy bunting, lots of hand made direction signs and they pretty much self catered it (with the help of their friends at the Mountain Cafe). They chose the traditional 30x50 marquee from Grants tent hire we used for last years Insider. Then it was a mad rush to finish the

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-79931797964696086152011-07-24T20:36:00.010+01:002011-08-07T21:48:00.129+01:00

With the Beer Moth slowly closing in and the extra pressure that will put on the bathroom, the time had come to equip the yurt with a compost loo. Next years Insider includes a historical Olympiad so a multi purpose heraldic racing composting long drop sedan chair made perfect sense...It is going to get curtains front and sides but the yurt is isolated enough that you can leave them open if you

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-66353055245502607082011-07-21T01:40:00.020+01:002011-07-26T01:21:23.326+01:00

The Hebridean Celtic Music festival in Stornoway was always in the back of my mind as one to hit but the means to do so didn't reveal themselves until it was almost too late. Aidan O'Rourke was performing with Kan among the Saturday night headliners and he threw an invitation and a place to stay in my direction, all that remained was how to get there.I asked Isobel of Bygone Drives if I could

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-69075404608188495332011-07-20T17:50:00.003+01:002011-07-20T17:54:13.470+01:00

Last time Richard Jefferies was here he looked at the game larder and said,'Please fix that - it makes me cry a little bit every time I see it.'So I am.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-82391423773203366092011-07-17T20:35:00.010+01:002011-11-10T19:43:24.626Z

A few weeks back I noticed a company was starting up in Aviemore by the name of Bygone Drives so I looked up the address and went to introduce myself. Isobel was in the process of putting together a classic car rental fleet, an MGB roadster lurking in the garage, a very pretty Mk2 Mazda Mx5 and a Range Rover sport on the driveway and a tidy silver XJS V12 up for sale to make way for a few more

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-51457117937272505982011-07-15T07:53:00.007+01:002011-07-26T01:26:40.202+01:00

Inshriach airspace has been unusually busy this last fortnight as Warner Brothers prepared aerial scenes for the forthcoming Batman sequel. An ex US military Hercules has made regular low rumbling flypasts and will apparently be filmed landing on a local B road (permission was refused to use the A9). There is also a charter helicopter, a private jet and a little single prop plane, some or all of

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-1296796240802163082011-07-05T20:38:00.002+01:002011-07-06T17:37:33.970+01:00

Last weekend was the Cairngorm Soapbox race, the fastest and longest gravity race in the UK. As a bit of variety from our usual business we had 40 of the competitors camping here in the field recently vacated by our main stage. The technology ranged from shed built rattlers to wind tunnel honed carbon fibre streamliners and for all the effort there were a few surprises in the final running order

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-43373225234129794982011-07-02T01:48:00.008+01:002011-07-02T02:09:16.743+01:00

This is some time coming because I have put a lot of writing into the Insider on the festival blog so I'm going to keep it to a few pictures here and will probably come back and edit this and be more effusive. It was an extraordinary weekend and an absolute pleasure to see so many old friends, people who have stayed here, married here or stayed in the yurt amongst the revellers. An amazing

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-25413147149182284952011-06-09T11:36:00.006+01:002011-06-11T19:51:21.653+01:00

With just over a week until the Insider you would think that we would be dedicating all our time and resources to preparing ourselves but projects are like buses round here and for the last fortnight Inshriach has been the base for the filming of 500 Miles North starring Joe Morgan (Vampire Diaries) and Matt Ryan (Criminal Minds) and directed by Luke Massey. Expect to see a lot of familiar

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-47975310640926452682011-05-27T09:30:00.004+01:002011-07-26T01:30:38.513+01:00

I have been a bit neglectful of this blog of late, the reason being that May has been the month when all matrimony broke loose at Inshriach. First past the post were Josie and J who married down by the river then christened the newly turfed main stage / main wedding field in style with 4 ten metre diameter tipis, arranged in a diamond formation with fires and fairy lights and a stage. (This photo

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-55781186333740325342011-05-13T23:41:00.001+01:002011-05-13T23:43:28.305+01:00

Im going to do something I very rarely do and copy a big thank you across from the Insider Festival website and put it here too.This really is Rufus White in the process of building our Insider website. No joke. He and Molly and Mathew have pulled a stormer with it. All the animations and squirrels and everything has been hand drawn by him and there can be no doubt it is now Victori-on.Rufus will

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-65020662213884269892011-05-02T16:08:00.017+01:002011-05-03T14:16:43.860+01:00

The new canvas for the 'moth is fast approaching so it was time to get the rest of the modifications out of the way. We raised the roof by a foot and laid an oak parquet floor which was rescued from a Tudor house and laboriously refurbished. The staircase was once a fire escape, scavenged from the tip along with the window. The back wall was part of the doghouse and the hearth is a snooker table

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-7195282308373071712011-04-26T09:20:00.003+01:002011-04-26T09:31:02.668+01:00

RISE OF THE DEAD (2011) from /danlight">danlight on Vimeo.The 2011 Light family Inshriach House motion picture, 'Rise of the Dead' - filmed last week - is now on general release.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-70737894472006983842011-04-13T09:18:00.003+01:002011-04-13T09:24:09.553+01:00

Over the last fortnight it has been all hands on deck as 700 square metres of turf arrived to resurface the main wedding / main stage field. That equates to about 15 tons and on a soggy week just getting it from the road to the field was no mean feat.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-12944976281638844012011-04-04T14:38:00.005+01:002011-04-04T14:42:16.062+01:00

The Insider website is now live and any moment now the ticket buying system will be live too. Thanks to Rufus, Molly, Mathew, Henry and anyone else who has had a say in the website, we love it and you have given us a lot to live up to.www.insiderfestival.com

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-74261143693432569142011-03-19T20:18:00.006Z2011-03-20T12:59:14.659Z

Due to popular demand we have kept the yurt available throughout this winter and I have been impressed / bemused by the willingness / foolhardiness of the folks who have chosen to spend their weekends there, the lowest recorded temperature being a barely survivable 22 degrees below. I have been asked a couple of times what it would be like and I had to say I hadn't tried it in the winter. It is,

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-5881173571900655112011-03-17T14:47:00.010Z2011-03-25T17:48:33.231Z

The first Inshriach wedding of the year took place a few weeks back. Sam and Anna chose a humanist celebration and decided, with it being February and the highlands, to have it outside without a tent. The two families spent a week decorating the house, preparing food and hanging hundreds of fairy lights and team Inshriach (Allan Heaney the chef, his girlfriend Ellie, Sophie and Nicole from the

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-38770818701311946822011-03-09T10:03:00.003Z2011-03-09T10:31:33.164Z

Last weeks ebay rambling brought to light a lovely little 1962 Bedford CA campervan in Glasgow. There was no way we (Inshriach Abstract Motoring inc.) could justify it in the petrol fumed wake of the Commer but for our friend Emma B it was love at first sight. We keep it on the road and use it as a spare room for the Beer Moth or for the yurt, Emma uses it during school holidays (she is a teacher

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-48296465621171821902011-02-22T19:23:00.004Z2011-03-17T14:53:15.653Z

Team Inshriach have taken advantage of a fortnight off to prepare for our first wedding of the year. We redecorated a bathroom in this fetching Edwardian ochre, complete with barbers shop still life on the shelves, replaced the only bed in the house which didnt meet our exacting Edwardian aesthetic standards (Miss Blacks) with a lovely distressed Victorian brass number and oiled the floors of the

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-13927274144010653532011-02-13T10:19:00.004Z2011-02-22T19:23:24.894Z

Last week I conducted a Facebook poll on whether to choose a 1950s Commer lorry or another yurt and the result came out resoundingly in favour of the truck. The milweb classifieds threw up an ideal candidate and on Sunday afternoon I flew to Manston, on the North Kent coast. A deal was done and by 6 o clock I was crunching gears and annoying roadusers, foot to the boards at 40mph. First stop was

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-88306222596309587612011-02-12T18:52:00.002Z2011-02-12T20:34:49.701Z

Plans for the Insider 2011 are now underway. The theme is Victorian, the dates are the 17th to the 20th June and you can find more details about it first on the Insider 2011 blog. We will soon have a fresh new squirrel, a website up and tickets on sale at www.insiderfestival.com.See you in June.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-36912605433888423882011-02-04T12:45:00.005Z2011-02-05T01:23:29.468Z

Due to cancellation the next 2 weekends are available in the house for £1200 rather than £1500. Its snowing too so get your last minute skiing plans in. The only other remaining dates until June are the first 2 weekends of March.Just to run another idea around, the yurt has been really popular this year but as an alternative I'm thinking of getting one of these. Its a 1954 Commer Lorry, an ex

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-74917485353283174692011-01-23T17:43:00.005Z2011-01-24T09:40:06.726Z

I have spent the last 2 days at Touch House near Stirling helping my friends from Red Kite Yurts put up their 42ft yurt. If you want to see it head down after Tuesday. It's the largest yurt in Scotland (until their elongated 30 x 60 ft yurt is ready in April) and has easily the most complicated and specialised erection process (for want of a better phrase) of any marquee I have ever seen. We are

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-56735784850891025352011-01-19T13:46:00.005Z2011-01-19T16:15:24.905Z

Were never going to go out quietly. From Wednesday there has built a crescendo of food and music as some of the attention, effort, love and entertainment that Ross and Polly Cameron have put into their business and the people around them came winging right back at them. Lau and Admiral Fallow played Sundays grand finale in the restaurant, then there was a bus and Inshriach became a Who's Who of

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-69348226787527814862011-01-11T21:08:00.009Z2011-01-23T17:41:27.642Z

With the help of Kyle (who moved here last year as our permanent mechanic) we have the latest yurt taxi up and running. JJS425 is a 1958 Landrover that has spent the last 50 years on a nearby estate but wasn't getting used now comfort and reliability win over pure pipe smoking manliness. Anything hydraulic was knackered, brakes, seals, cylinders, bearings and so on and we will carry on tidying up

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-47881491475090569182011-01-06T17:15:00.007Z2011-01-06T17:24:53.955Z

Otters must have had this monster Salmon found on the bank of the pylon pool this week (Ben's phone is the size of a brick). Any estimates as to the weight of the rest of it?The yurt last night was the scene of our first successful proposal of 2011, I wont say who they are in case nobody else knows but big congratulations to them anyway.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-75701734431095929412011-01-04T09:26:00.004Z2011-01-04T09:59:43.411Z

Thanks to those who cancelled their bookings and to everyone who joined us at short notice for demonstrating to us that renting out Inshriach over Hogmanay is pure foolish. There are more important things than the money in the bank. Thanks also to the Old Bridge Inn and the John Langan Band for a storming party on New Years Eve, to our friends at Pityoulish for being a lovely bunch of coconuts,

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-16100741749149739132010-12-23T11:32:00.006Z2010-12-23T18:15:00.268Z

Due to the New Year cancellation we are running an offbeat B&B at Inshriach from the 26th December to the first full booking towards the end of January. It is £70 per night for a double or £40 for a single over a minimum of two nights. For a few days either side of Hogmanay you can expect breakfast to be late / self serviced and there may be a certain amount of compulsory / unavoidable party

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-79902599921357139902010-12-13T18:25:00.004Z2010-12-23T18:16:04.741Z

With only a fortnight to go we have had another New Year Cancellation, concerns about snowy travelling conditions from the far end of the country being cited this time. If we don't get a full week rented out by the end of this week (the 20th) we will have our own private B&B party. The Inshriach New Year parties have become the stuff of legend, we just fancied a year off to go to the Old Bridge

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-36129523198379756092010-11-28T13:56:00.005Z2011-01-06T17:26:50.884Z

Due to popular demand we have continued renting the yurt into November (and beyond, it's already taken for New Year and the start of January). The snow came in hard yesterday with the best part of a foot falling during the day, then the temperature dropped to minus 8 overnight. Last year this sort of weather didn't arrive until well into December. The yurters who arrived 2 nights ago weren't

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-3644146856899703322010-11-17T16:18:00.007Z2010-11-17T16:31:41.389Z

For the murder mystery fans amongst you we now have this bedroom plan of Inshriach House courtesy of the lovely Henry Ryder. Next up - adapting the ground floor plan (which is pretty much exactly like a Cluedo board anyway) into the game itself. Uncle Arthur, in the library, with the French Maid etc etc...

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-1017252729739974012010-11-15T10:48:00.004Z2010-11-15T11:03:39.562Z

Its a beautiful frosty morning, the ski area opened at the weekend and we just had a cancellation for New Year which means we are going to offer the week from Monday 27th December to Monday 3rd January for £3500 rather than the usual £4000. The week over Christmas is also available at the same price and if you fancy grabbing a bargain week on the slopes there are still a couple of weeks available

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-72248404171291729642010-11-13T12:54:00.005Z2010-11-13T13:04:58.754Z

Went off with a bang. 120 odd folks came along, Dutch Indie band Moss and The Levee Strollers entertained, we had an enormous bonfire with a spectacularly priapic guy on top and we set off fireworks from the Backwoods bar. Huge thanks to Richard Muirhead and his crew for coming all the way from London with lights, PA and everything to make the party possible.Thankfully Metcheck got it wrong and

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-23081134399506457042010-11-02T14:49:00.003Z2010-11-02T14:58:37.369Z

This Friday the Insider presents bonfire night at the Backwoods stage. There are buses to and from the Old Bridge Inn and we are being joined by the Dutch band Moss plus Tom Stearn and Louis Linklater from Admiral Fallow and guest DJs. The castle bar will be open for business and we have a spit roast and mulled cider on the go. Metcheck are predicting prevailaing winds of 287mph gusting to 344mph

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-13255071554297655782010-11-01T13:52:00.007Z2010-11-03T17:37:48.412Z

We seem to be attracting the more alternative weddings to Inshriach, there are 6 already in the diary for next year. If you are thinking of getting married here are a few suggestions. One wedding is taking place at the Backwoods stage and another is a humanist celebration in the garden. One wedding is going to use these fabulous tipis from Highland Tipis and another is using this 42ft yurt from

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-55780336335789128492010-10-12T20:28:00.005+01:002010-11-16T10:40:03.361Z

This time in a BA Highlife article.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-83051945254184812952010-10-03T12:23:00.006+01:002010-10-03T13:13:00.194+01:00

We had 3 weddings here in 2009, each in a different location, a smaller tent on the lawn, a bigger tent in the field, each reflecting the style and budget of the betrothed. The locations were all well and good but it has always struck me that if we could fit a floored, 100 x 40 ft marquee where the Henhouse stage for the Insider was that would make the ideal location. We have already done

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-14700766801549408102010-09-25T15:36:00.008+01:002011-03-09T11:25:11.932Z

Another sideline that has grown at Inshriach over the last year is my status as charitable mechanic to anyone I like who is daft enough to own a classic British motor. Hot on the heels of the MGB gentleman's racer (finished but running horribly after a 2000 mile shakedown) is this 1994 mini sprite. It was put into dry storage with 5600 miles on the clock and I have recommissioned it with new

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-19878462508929537982010-09-21T21:47:00.002+01:002010-09-21T23:10:35.243+01:00

The Page party who were here last week of August (and the last week of last August, and who have promised to be here for the last week of every August) had an extremely productive time by the river. This 5lb sea trout and 8.5lb salmon were the choice fish but they also had a 5lb salmon and a monster 5lb brown trout, plus a good hundred smaller trout. They also had Allan Heaney in to fully cater

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-14453770784111655372010-09-01T10:57:00.003+01:002010-09-01T11:01:05.518+01:00

Everyone thought I was joking but the BBC now say otherwise. Then my neighbour saw it snooping around his house and I'm reliably informed that a local photographer has got close enough to get a picture of it which I will post here as soon as it is released.Now we have had a last minute spate of bookings through September. I don't yet know whether the Scottish big cat spotting community are

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-53833427315405798242010-08-27T18:44:00.004+01:002010-09-01T19:18:29.651+01:00

I meant to mention this a while ago but we now have 8 weeks during which we will be running bed and breakfast in the big house. If you fancy it it starts at £80 per night for a double and £50 for a single, climbing a little if you fancy a four poster.Very exciting news coming up on the fishing too, the party in the house right now have had a significant fish every day, an 8lb Salmon, then a 5

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-37002449182287600452010-08-16T12:24:00.005+01:002010-08-16T12:40:35.207+01:00

Spot the difference. For some reason there is loads of Ragwort this year. Ragwort contains toxins that can build up in and damage the livers of horses so we are on a concerted mission to weed out all 100 plus acres of it. Its a repetitive, physical task offset in the agricultural scale by the pounds of wild raspberries, chanterelles, redcurrants, blackcurrants an cherries that are all in fruit.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-45006005906173671682010-08-13T11:41:00.001+01:002010-08-13T11:43:24.807+01:00

This is a week for videos rather than words. Richard found himself sufficiently inspired by the Insider to put this together.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-63566936982678445822010-08-11T20:29:00.001+01:002010-08-11T20:30:37.001+01:00

Cristina and MP's Wedding Highlights from Love Gets Sweeter on Vimeo.The video kinda says it, a lovely weekend had by all.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-60201491379297010562010-07-26T13:01:00.003+01:002010-07-26T13:22:00.570+01:00

Here's one for visitors to look out for. There have been recent sightings, as reported here by the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald, of a large cat believed to be a black panther. The last sighting was in the woods near the gates of Inshriach House. We deny it was anything to do with the entertainment for the wedding this weekend and our neighbours big furry cat Sampson denies ever coming this far

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-65868883502446658302010-07-21T10:49:00.012+01:002010-08-11T20:44:02.594+01:00

July is the month of all things nuptial. First up were Emily and Simon. They took the house for a long weekend and chose a humanist ceremony so everyone could wander out across the fields and they could get married here amongst the buttercups. Big Al (our favourite chef) fed everyone back on the lawn then we took off in glad rags and wedding togs to the ceilidh in Kincraig. They then spent a

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-83456727951559281292010-07-09T00:18:00.001+01:002010-07-09T00:19:39.543+01:00

Thanks go out to the 800 odd people who made it along to the Insider, especially to those who played, worked so hard or tidied the place up. There are some fantastic pictures gathering on our flickr group and our facebook page. This is what the Scotsman had to say about it. There are further musical experiences in the pipeline for August.Two weeks of tweaking and tidying later and things were

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-15305967816645319762010-06-06T17:55:00.003+01:002010-06-06T17:58:30.933+01:00

The Insider just had a very nice write up in the Caledonian Mercury and we have built this stage in the woods from scrap and Inshriach trees which I hope will be used for all sorts of fine entertainment in the future, like a hobbity Scottish Glyndebourne.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-55032203252393039512010-06-03T01:23:00.004+01:002010-06-06T18:01:40.001+01:00

It has been a week of such activity I have been slow to spread the good press Inshriach and especially the yurt have achieved. This lovely article in the Times was the result of Tom and Catherine's visit last weekend and since then the yurt has been the scene of one fine party and one successful proposal. It also been in the Express. Some time this week it's in the Mail and rumour has it that

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-38528615540297223162010-05-24T08:07:00.005+01:002010-06-06T18:03:23.161+01:00

The latest arrival here goes by the name of Monty Zoomer and is a pure Jocker Sprussel, sporting the head of a spaniel on the body of a Jack Russell. For the time being he is making a mess and trying to run without falling over himself.He arrived just in time to be sweet and clumsy for Tom and Katherine Whipple who were writing a piece for the Times about a romantic and isolated weekend in the

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-41370257967190334322010-05-19T00:01:00.006+01:002010-05-19T00:20:24.349+01:00

St. John is a long time visitor to Inshriach and the face of the Inshriach fishing page. Yesterday he kept 4 beautiful brown trout. Maybe it's their diet, maybe the exercise from the constant current and occasional floods but the river trout taste far better than the fish from the stocked loch on the farm, firmer, fitter and with much more flavour. We include fishing in the rental here but if you

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-6416112874998614912010-05-17T11:50:00.008+01:002010-05-18T03:46:37.099+01:00

The first rental in the yurt arrived yesterday so this week has been a scene of frantic activity. We have carved out a bathroom in the farmyard for said yurters, had license meetings for the Insider and undertaken a major salvage operation on behalf of the festival (see Medieval Knieval). On top of that the Joe Acheson Quartet made an outstanding appearance at the Old Bridge Inn and to top it all

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-9007610211599744182010-05-15T09:10:00.004+01:002010-05-15T09:25:48.852+01:00

The Insider is now 5 weeks away, the license and the line up just need a polish and we are about to hit the highlands with our motley PR campaign.Get your tickets at www.insider2010.com

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-30871422828462018782010-04-23T13:41:00.002+01:002010-04-23T13:45:23.798+01:00

Last weekend Aviemore hosted the Vans Dawn of the Shred snowboard comp, a spectacular end to a season in which more snow fell in Aviemore than for the winter Olympics in Vancouver. In fact it's snowing again today and Inshriach is available for the first 2 weeks in May if anyone fancies a last minute shred of their own. Thanks to my neighbour Woody for the pic.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-8979475378519863682010-04-21T09:34:00.002+01:002010-04-21T09:35:05.281+01:00

The Firewood festival deserves a little explaining. The Insider proper and its line up starts on Friday but we are sharing some of the infrastructure with the National Park to organise a Festival of Firewood, woodworking and renewable energy. Its a free public day with talks, demonstrations, some yurts, good food and a few tunes. We will have schools in until 3 doing mask making, storytelling and

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-15559045973280116192010-04-06T12:53:00.015+01:002010-05-18T03:42:01.347+01:00

Last week was a rollercoaster for the yurt and a learning experience for myself. We had about 5 minutes of deceptively decent weather during which Helen Abraham got some lovely photos and they went into this article in the Guardian. It was a bit of a hurried mocking up for the photos and despite looking lovely the yurt was by no means finished, no door latches, not even put up very straight, and

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-26216281745773373932010-03-29T22:12:00.004+01:002010-03-30T13:07:53.859+01:00

Very exciting news from the front, the yurt is complete and has taken up residence in the woods. It is a tardis of a thing, being very tall and shaped like a Christmas cake it looks small from the outside but once inside it is spacious and domed and airy. We scratched together a Victorian double bed, a wood burning stove, a little mahogany table and all the other furniture so that Helen Abraham

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-39215578327263597242010-03-24T19:21:00.003Z2010-03-24T21:02:10.929Z

We wouldnt normally take stag parties at Inshriach but this weekend was for our good friend Tom and we were assured that we would have 17, ahem, impeccably behaved gents coming to stay. Bar a generous measure of Balvenie and a fridge full of food we didn't over plan, on Friday walking the 4 hours from Inshriach to Aviemore via the Inshriach Bothy, Loch an Eilean, tea, cakes and gin at Ord Ban and

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-46507257998491299622010-03-14T17:44:00.002Z2010-03-14T17:51:40.551Z

This time last year I was working on Neil Marshall's Roman epic 'Centurion' which was being filmed all over the Spey Valley, Rothiemurchus, Glen Feshie and up to the Falls at Foyers. This trailer has just been released which makes holidaying in these parts in February a very tempting prospect.Hopefully they will show this in the newly reopened and very smart Spey Valley Cinema in Aviemore.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-82520135648085375492010-03-09T23:27:00.010Z2010-03-10T00:44:59.100Z

Going on 6 months from the first Red Kite Yurts course at Inshriach the yurt is finally covered. It has a Victorian bed in it (just in need of restoring), from which you can see the stars through the crown. It has a wood burner made from old gas bottles, a door from old floorboards and a floor from old scaffold planks still to be polished up. The olive walls and the bothy furniture give it a real

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-14496362684662428572010-03-01T11:36:00.005Z2010-03-02T21:16:21.560Z

Malcolm Handoll from 5 senses in Orkney came down last weekend and ran a one day course on making fire by friction, a method used since the stone age. We had a forage in the woods for birch bark and bracken, made some bows and nests of (pretty damp) grass and dry thistle and then sawed away until we had made a tiny ember to then coax into flames. It was a simple yet strangely satisfying day

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-83811857570252406442010-02-25T21:01:00.004Z2010-02-25T21:11:51.883Z

The Insider, the music festival we run at Inshriach, has been nominated in the best live music event category at the ICA awards. If we win we promise to drink lots of champagne and make a very silly acceptance speech (hopefully it is that kind of party) so please vote for us here.To whet your appetite here is the facebook page for Insider 2010 - a full website is in the pipeline.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-68292013961132988742010-02-23T11:15:00.004Z2010-02-23T11:44:57.200Z

Petal (the mean looking grey Landrover which is our closest approximation to an estate vehicle) has not featured in these pages for some time, her summer of filming and adventure curtailed by steadily deteriorating health. Eventually it was the gearbox that let go, a crunch, a grind and a bang during a futile attempt to tow out a snowbound neighbour left Petal stranded in a ditch, apparently for

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-9115736131927270582010-02-22T19:37:00.002Z2010-02-22T19:52:33.648Z

THE [NEAR] THING from danlight on Vimeo.The Inshriach House / Light family Swede is showing the signs of becoming a fine tradition, having now happened twice (see last years Lord of the Rings). This year the Sound of Music was ruled out because of a heavy dump of snow so John Carpenter's 'The Thing' got the treatment even though it will be 10 years before any of the cast are old enough to know

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-33513655099960077562010-02-14T19:02:00.004Z2010-02-14T19:20:23.523Z

A couple of excellent developments have occurred. The most satisfying is that I have finally finished the yurt we started on the yurt making courses last year. It is 16ft of steam bent loveliness and the cover for it is being made as I speak. A Victorian bed, some lanterns, a chaise longue and a woodburner and we have a woodland honeymoon suite. A collaboration is underway between ourselves,

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-7134799246621573872010-02-06T12:28:00.008Z2010-02-06T12:47:18.132Z

Malcolm Handoll from 5 senses is coming down from Orkney to run a one day bushcrafting and natural fire making course at Inshriach on the 20th February. There are 4 places left on the course and they are £70 each. Drop me an email or contact Malcolm if you are interested.We are running a spoon carving course in conjunction with the National Park on the 28th February using local birch and coppiced

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-88521974771496488322010-02-01T15:22:00.003Z2010-02-05T11:55:33.105Z

Last weekend the outstanding Horndog Brass band played for Ord Ban's second birthday party and this weekend sees the Old Bridge hosting three nights of musical entertainment, with the Horndogs coming back, King Arthurs Men, Woodenbox with a fistful of fivers and the official launch party for the Insider, only, in our true tradition of not planning very well, we forgot to do a mail out telling

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-6730188903527073362010-01-31T12:44:00.010Z2010-02-01T19:56:31.628Z

I have been away from the blog for a few weeks now, largely because there has been so much going on. Last weekend was the annual husky racing championship, being held on snow for the first time in 15 years. There were over a thousand dogs, 200 teams and I pinched this photo from Aaron Sneddon who (unlike me) was actually there.I wasn't there simply because Sparrow and the Workshop were playing at

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-24154238202269173892010-01-20T10:38:00.004Z2010-01-20T18:26:39.514Z

Here we are again, this time being Wintery in Conde Nast Traveller just in time to encourage people to come here in the Spring. Click on the picture and you can see the enormous icicles that surrounded the house a fortnight ago.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-68856099387553515062010-01-17T21:08:00.006Z2010-03-14T17:58:34.862Z

There has been so much snow sitting in the trees that sometimes just the noise of a pheasant taking off is enough to break branches. The bigger trees give a biblical groan, creaking and cracking as they go. Only as the snow has thinned round the house are all the broken trees visible so a few days back it became time to dig out our elderly Massey Ferguson, gas up a chainsaw, improvise a

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-4728331102031284212010-01-09T14:36:00.005Z2010-01-09T14:52:24.532Z

The snow round the house is knee deep and the icicles in some of the windows now join top to bottom. It feels as though the whole house would be encased in a fortnight if this were to carry on. I have put some pictures on our flickr page. Conditions on the mountain are the best anyone can remember, with 33 runs open, deep fresh snow and blue skies (yesterday at any rate) and as yet none of that

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-63491410012384361462010-01-03T15:20:00.006Z2010-01-20T18:39:32.598Z

To everyone who made it to Aviemore this festive season and especially to those who joined us both for a fabulous week in the house and for an almighty party in the barn. Aviemore has been heaving all week, with musical evenings in both Ord Ban and the Old Bridge Inn, from whence the John Langan band first footed us and took us through to the small hours. The hill has been packed with skiers, the

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-62233420193635158662009-12-18T16:39:00.004Z2009-12-19T17:20:30.889Z

The article from last weeks Sunday Telegraph is now available to view online here complete with snowy wintery picture. It looks like this again today after a decent dump of snow last night.The brilliant Kirsty came up from Glasgow and rattled off a dozen haircuts at Inshriach in time for the Old Bridge Inn launch party last night. Alasdair Roberts, The French Wives and Washington Irving played

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-14182383127766575872009-12-15T13:07:00.004Z2009-12-15T14:39:29.106Z

Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to introduce the new landlords and landlady of the Old Bridge Inn. Forged in the kitchen furnaces and broiling pots of celebrity yachts, Stevie Matson is the exceptionally talented chef. Still fresh from the Insider and finely honed on the whetstone of Ord Ban is Gordon Reilly and freeing themselves from the smoke and dirt of the city in pursuit of a life of

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-7593203275496056732009-12-06T12:29:00.004Z2009-12-07T01:32:48.779Z

Thanks to the Big Domain and Caroline McGhie we appear in a little piece in today's Sunday Telegraph Life section. Due to an unavoidable cancellation a few weeks back the week over Christmas is still available and at this late stage we are offering it for £3500 rather than the usual £4500. That's the week to Sunday 27th December. Maybe some press will spur a little last minute Christmas holiday

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-51857462888758511992009-12-01T13:13:00.003Z2009-12-01T13:22:07.772Z

Woodenbox and a fistful of Fivers have just released this video 'Besides the Point' which they shot down at the March pool back in August. This week the pool looks like this.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-64622392418048959682009-11-28T11:32:00.009Z2009-11-28T15:47:15.582Z

There is another oddity nestling in the landscape at Inshriach. Whipped up from bits of discarded house and other assorted salvage, this stile now crosses the fence by the march pool, joining the japanese bridge to nowhere, the stage in the woods and the medieval spiky stile to the squash court in the list of (I think) artfully formed and quirkily over engineered objects performing tasks that

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-34705061642931366322009-11-17T13:38:00.004Z2009-11-17T13:51:44.465Z

We have a few weeks between bookings so have implemented some improvements. The first and most obvious is ditching the third sink in the kitchen in favour of this beautiful cooker, good for rentals, good for the destination dining club we have planned and I can't wait to see the merry dance of Aga and Kenwood in the hands of Big Al (the chef).There is also now a shower in Mrs. Black's bathroom.

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3521669422029278576.post-61285379726584577912009-11-15T17:23:00.004Z2009-11-23T22:44:42.436Z

Last weekend there was a hen party in the house and Tracey and Ian Pullen from Active Spirit returned to give them a crack at archery. Then I bumped into John Mason from Full On Adventure at the Cairngorms Business Conference who has invited me to go white water rafting and can take groups of pretty much any size canoeing, climbing, snowboarding, skiing or rafting. I would recommend either of

Walterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09337122827298895898noreply@blogger.com0