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Aldersyde Cottage Dalwhinnie Inverness-shire PH19 1AF

For Owner Direct Rates Tel 01729 851181 Texts 07885 211787 (7 Days)

Offering quality Self Catering in Dalwhinnie Cairngorms, set amongst dramatic Badenoch Mountain scenery. Aldersyde Holiday Cottage enjoys all modern Luxury with spacious 3 Bedroom Accommodation complimented with Full Central Heating, Wood Stove, WIFI close to Dalwhinnie village centre at the head of Loch Ericht and it’s plentiful walks and cycle trails.

Made famous by it’s Whisky distillery Dalwhinnie provides a fantastic central touring base for Loch Ness and the Great Glen to the West. Glenlivet, the Whisky trail and the Cairngorms to the East. Wester Ross and the Northern Highlands to the North and Perthshire its castles and glorious gardens to the South.

Whether you wish to hill walk, mountain bike, golf, fish, ski, snow board, windsurf, kayak or take it easy Aldersyde Cottage, offers all these activities within a cycle or drive away. Located near Aviemore, Kingussie and Newtonmore, Aldersyde Cottage is an ideal base from which to explore the rich variety of Scottish Highland country pursuits against the stunning back-drop of the Grampian and Monadhliath Mountains in the Cairngorm National Park.

• Detached Cottage, Single Storey, Sleeps 6, Village Location, Countryside Views, Fridge / Freezer, Washing / Dryer, Car Parking, TV / DVD, Electric Heating, Multi fuel Stove, Pubs / Inns nearby, All Bedding and Towels.

Loch Ericht

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Shadowed by dramatic peaks predominantly Ben Alder, Loch Ericht Loch Eireachd a freshwater loch extends out south west from Dalwhinnie. Situated at 351 metres above sea level it is difficult to believe the loch is 14.5 miles in length with a surface area of approximately 7 square miles!

Loch Ericht is the tenth largest freshwater lake in Scotland and has a great reputation for its trout fishing. The loch is part of a hydro-electric scheme and is dammed at both ends. Water flows into the northern end via the Cuaich Aqueduct. The southern end is linked to a hydro-electric power station at Loch Rannoch by the 4-mile long River Ericht. The northern dam protects the village of Dalwhinnie from flooding. There are no through roads spanning the lenght of this Loch, however there is a single track road along the West side, the surrounding terrain is great to walk in land the shore line is easy to walk along. Fishing Loch Ericht The fishing is by way of bank and boat for brown trout. The season is from mid March until October. For further information and permits contact: Loch Ericht Hotel, Dalwhinnie. Telephone 01528-522257

Dalwhinnie Whisky Distillery

On your doorstep and well worth a visit is Dalwhinnie distillery, producing Single malt Scotch whisky, classified among the Highland Single Malts. The distillery was founded with the name of the town in the late 1890s. The site was chosen for its access to clear spring water from Lochan-Doire-Uaine and abundant peat from the surrounding bogs. Set in splendid mountain scenery, Dalwhinnie is the highest distillery in Scotland. The name Dalwhinnie means meeting place, which refers to the meeting of ancient cattle drovers’ routes through the mountains.

Here you can see the distillers at work, harnessing the snow fed waters of the Allt an t’ Sluic, fresh from their journey through moorland heather, producing a full-bodied malt with a surprisingly delicate taste. You can savour a complimentary dram of Dalwhinnie during your visit, You’ll find the doors of the distillery in the mountains open to visitors all year round with restricted hours in the snowy depths of the highland winter.

Fantastic day Trips within a few hours of Dalwhinnie

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Fort William

To the southern end of the Great Glen on the shores of Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil is Fort William the largest town in the west highlands of Scotland. It is close to the beautiful Glen Nevis, Ben Nevis and Nevis Ski Range, the highest mountain and ski area in the British Isles. It has full skiing and snowboarding facilities, ski/board hire and instruction and Gondola runs all year round. The town is a major tourist centre with Glencoe just to the south, and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles. It is an important centre for hill walking and climbing due to its proximity to Ben Nevis and other mountains. It is also well known for its famous Downhill Mountain Bike Track and its connection to the Great Glen Way. From June to October you can take a day trip on Jacobite steam train from Fort William to Mallaig, passing over the famous Glenfinnan viaduct seen on the “Harry Potter” films.

Aviemore & Loch Ness

Just a short trip away is the fantastic resort of Aviemore with a multitude of activities ranging from skiing in the Winter, to walking, climbing, mountain biking, fishing, Deer stalking…..and for the less active a most pleasurable trip on the Aviemore & Strathspey steam railway or a pleasure cruise or boat trip on Loch Ness to the West.

In the 1960s Aviemore was transformed for ever by large developments for the tourist industry. The Aviemore Centre was opened in 1966, by Sir Hugh Fraser – House of Fraser. Regular visitors to Aviemore, include Prince Charles and Princess Anne whom attended the Royal Hunt Balls hosted in the Aviemore Centre’s Osprey Rooms. The very popular BBC TV show “It’s A Knockout”, was hosted within the complex at least twice. Within the Centre there is an international competition standard ice skating and curling rink, home to the Aviemore Blackhawks and Aviemore Blues hockey teams, a Santa Claus theme park featuring a resident Santa 365 days a year, a theatre, a cinema, many bars, restaurants, nightclubs and discotheques, crazy golf, many shops including “Cairdsport” (run by local man Sandy Caird, who brought the first ski shop and ski school to Aviemore) within the ice rink complex, fountains, a dry ski slope, a swimming pool and a go-kart track.

The Cairngorm Mountain Ltd Ski Area, tel: +44 (0)1479 861261 is notable for being near the freely grazing reindeer herd at Glen More, the only one in the UK. The resort has variable quality of snow and weather conditions. Aviemore also has a railway station is on the Highland Main Line with regular services to Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow, it is also the southern terminus of the lovely Strathspey Railway, a heritage steam and diesel railway, currently being extended to Grantown-on-Spey.

CairnGorm Mountain Ltd, Cairn Gorm Ski Area, Aviemore PH22 1RB tel: +44 (0)1479 861261, fax: +44 (0)1479 861207 email: info@cairngormmountain.org www.cairngormmountain.com

Wildlife and Nature

The region is fantastic for viewing birds, wildlife and wild flowers. After you have enjoyed the resident rabbits, sheep, buzzards, deer and abundant Flora and fauna which make this region a veritable honey pot for nature enthusiasts and wildlife lovers. You can also enjoy unpolluted lochs, seas and rivers, extensive native woodland and varied mountain terrain, the habitat is rich in wildlife. Admire majestic birds of prey, such as the Red Kite and the Golden Eagle; observe the native red squirrels and pine martins; or take a boat trip to spot bottle-nosed dolphins. you can explore further within this area and see Stags, Rut and Mountain Hare and with winter good timing Stoat visitors including Fieldfare, Redwing, Snow Bunting, Waxwing and Brambling.

Loch Ness and Nessie

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To the North West Loch Ness the largest body of Freshwater in Britain over 25 miles long and more than 300 metres deep in part, is home to Scotland’s best kept secret the Loch Ness Monster “Nessie”One of the most discussed and controversial subjects to this day. In 525 AD the first recorded entry of a sighting was made by St. Columba. Modern day sightings ranging from the sensational 1934 R K Wilson “Surgeons” picture…recently suggested to be a hoax, but even more recently indicated to be a hoax theory within a hoax. To the genuine cine film sequences taken by Dick Raynor and Tim Dinsdale in 1960’s. Whatever Dinsdale did film that day convinced him…he gave up his Job and family life to spend the rest of his life (the next 25 years) looking for “Nessie”. There were also others like Roy Mackal and Robert Rines of the Academy Of Applied Science with underwater images of a possible head, neck and torso in the 1970’s, plus a regular supply of Sonar and Radar readings to this day picking up strong mid-water contacts in the Loch. There are modern everyday people with nothing more obvious to gain exept than “loss of respect” ranging from local Policemen, Bank Managers, Businessmen, Fishermen, Aero engineers, Monks and of course tourist’s with eye witness accounts and further photo evidence.

The Loch Ness Monster

There have also been many hoaxers and show men to add to the confusion. Scientists alike, do not dispute that large creatures are living in the Loch, but cannot say exactly what they are, the Loch is fairly un-productive because of it’s deep dark murky, peaty waters, visibility is virtually zero 3/4 metres down, a number of species of fish, such as Artic Char “once thought extinct” have adapted to hunting and feeding with out the use of eye sight and amazingly can be found living off plankton and smaller fish up to 100 metres deep in the Loch. Original calculations put the the tonnage of fish living in the Loch at around 3 tons, hardly enough to support any larger creature! more recent surveys indicate an actual tonnage of over 25 tons. But dont go to the Loch Ness and Great Glen region to specifically see Nessie for real in the flesh as you may end up disapointed, do come to this region to enjoy the scenery and beauty and do pay a visit to at least one of the Loch Ness Monster exhibitions in the local village Drumnadrochit.

The Whisky Trail and the Highland Games

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Within an easy day trip you can explore all of the Cairngorms National Park, this spectacular region is part of the Moray Malt Whisky Trail. Sample whisky nosing and tasting in Dufftown, enjoy historic Scottish castles, idyllic fishing villages or beautiful empty beaches in Moray coast. The Cairngorms is Britain’s largest national Park and has the largest area of arctic mountain landscape in the UK at its heart, with diverse communities around it. It is home to 17,000 people and 25% of Britain’s threatened birds, animals, and plants. It includes moorlands, forests, rivers, lochs and glens. Annual Whisky Festivals are: the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival in late April – and the Autumn Speyside Whisky Festival late September. The Glenfiddich distillery is open to the public (free) while close by is the picturesque ruined Balvenie Castle with it’s renaissance facade maintained by Historic Scotland. Other local distilleries to visit and whiskies to taste include Macallan, Glen Grant, Glenfarclas, the Glenlivet (free tours), Aberlour and Cardhu. Every year Scotland invites people from all over the world to attend Highland Gatherings and Highland Games. The Gatherings are usually held in late August early September throughout Scotland and perhaps the most famous and finest Highland Games anywhere are in Braemar. It features the finest Pipe Bands, pipers, Highland dancers, and athletes in a beautiful setting surrounded by hills. The patron of the Gathering is Her Majesty the Queen.

The Black Isle and the Northern Highlands

To the North the areas of Sutherland and Caithness form the great, empty, northern wilderness of Britain; having three coasts, a vast interior, and the lowest population of any area in Western Europe. Its scenery is surprisingly varied, ranging from fantastic mountain ranges to stunning scenery ranging from the ‘Flow Country’, an area of wild mountains and almost impenetrable bogs and moorland, to the ‘machair’, coastal grassland based on old dunes of shell sand and finally the Atlantic oakwood. Their scenery varies from wild cliffs and tiny islands to lonely moorland and remote golden sandy beaches. You will find Majestic castles like Dunrobin, Mey, Old Wick and Girnigoe, dozens of ancient monuments, quality tweeds and woollens, whisky distilleries such as Clynelish Distillery. Plus tree-lined twisting roads and foaming rivers.

The locality of Dalwhinnie

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Apart from Dalwhinnie Distillery and gift shop we are a few hundred meters from the Dalwhinnie Inn, a great pub. The bar / restaurant is very comfortable with an excellent menu and there is a beer garden where there. Dalwhinnie has a further choice of Inns, Spar Shops, Cafes, Restaurants and a Railway Station with direct services to Aviemore, Inverness, Pitlochry and Perth.

Self Catering Dalwhinnie Cairngorms – Accommodation

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Warm and cosy accommodation in the Scottish Highlands

Aldersyde cottage is warm and welcoming with lots of windows to take advantage of natural light and the great views of the local area. This detached refurbished single storey cottage, enjoys all modern Luxury, with central heating, supplementary Wood Stove and double glazing throughout.

3 comfortable bedrooms – Provided by 2 Double bedrooms – light and airy with double divan beds, hanging and drawer space. One twin bunk room with full size bunk beds, with hanging and drawer space. All bed linen and towels are provided

The lounge tastefully furnished with two leather sofas and chair. A wood burning stove (wood supplied) compliments dominates the room giving it a warm and cosy feel with 32” TV / DVD player. Wireless internet is also available throughout the house, if you need to keep in touch. Fully fitted kitchen with a fridge / freezer, Washer / Dryer, Microwave, Toaster, Kettle, Iron / Ironing Board.

All the usual utensils, Crockery, Cookware and Dish ware are provided for your convenience.

The family Bathroom has bath with shower over, W.C and Wash Basin.