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Insider Festival 18th-20th June 2010

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

If you go down to the woods today…

In April 2009 the owners of Inshriach House, Ord Ban Restaurant, The Old Bridge Inn and Backwoods Productions decided to have a party. They had a venue, a bunch of friends and just 6 weeks to convince the cream of Scottish folk and contemporary artists they were serious. They sprinkled in the finest local food, washed it down with tasty ales and called it The Insider.

 

The Insider returns in 2010, kicking off on the 17th June with a Festival of Firewood - a free public day organised in conjunction with the Cairngorms National Park promoting renewable resources and woodcraft - then continues from the 18th to the 20th with the festival proper. 

 

We feel it is our duty to once again dish up the most talented of home grown musicians and serve them alongside the finest food in the valley, with whisky galore, welly-wanging, spit-roasts and bonfires, pimms on the lawn, cake-fights, lasers in the woods, ping-pong and sing songs the whole night long. 

 

But we won’t stop there… we are also throwing in river adventures, workshops, storytelling; a whole new stage, a slew of incredible new bands, yurts-galore and a heavy dash of Insider magic… 

 

Set in the gardens and grounds of the Inshriach estate, with a backdrop of the Cairngorm Mountains, the Insider promises to be a bohemian highland garden party of truly adventurous proportions. 

The sun will shine again, folk will swim in the Spey (quite against the instructions of our health and safety division!) and bonfires and impromptu woodland piano jams will light up the night.  

 

 

 

Line-up so far, in no particular order –

Sparrow and the Workshop

Jo Mango

Admiral Fallow

Charlie McKerron & Friends

Bob Hillary and the Massive Mellow

Mary Hampton

Mike and Solveig

Mike and Georgia Heron

The Injuns

Claes Cem

Mr&Mrs Smith

Rachel Sermanni

King Arthurs Men

Washington Irving

DolphinBoy

Donna Maciocia

Mike Nisbet

The Banana Sessions

Blue Rose Code

Horndog Brass Band

Joe Acheson Quartet

Three Blind Wolves

The Woodland Orchestra

Matt Bennett (Kinky Afro)

Dj Astroboy

Trembling Bells

Mammals

Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers

The French Wives

John Langan Band

Feis Spe

Jack Sandison and The Holy Ghosts

The Stagger Rats

Over The Wall

Steven Milne

Infrasound

Early Grey and the Loose Leaves

Alasdair Roberts

The Boy Who Trapped The Sun

Kill It Kid

The Bonfire Band

Chris Bradley

The Breaks

The Hundred Metre Club

Robin Lewis Adams

ProVinylistKarim

The Little Kicks

Brawth

StreetThunder

Gecko3 

 

 

“anarchic, beautiful, otherworldly and above all, really great craic. Leave your woes behind and hit the Insider – you won’t regret it!” Aidan O’Rourke (Lau)

 

“could the Insider be the best Scottish music festival this summer?” STV

 

“it’s really refreshing to see this truly independent festival coming back for a second year… if last years line-up is anything to go by then we are in for a treat” Peenko

 

 

 

www.insider2010.com

 

 

w.insider2010.com

t. 07881 906 333

e. walter@inshriachhouse.com

 

Inshriach House, the B970, by Aviemore PH22 1QP

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Accommodation Aviemore, Uncategorized, Weather, aviemore, aviemore activities, cairngorms, canoeing, festivals, food, music, picnic aviemore, records, watersports, whisky | No Responses »
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Cairngorm Mountain Update - 30-Dec-09

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

Week Commencing Wednesday 30th December 2009

The Week Ahead at CairnGorm Mountain

 

THE BEST CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SKIING FOR 14 YEARS

Over the four days since Christmas over 8000 skiers have been enjoying the excellent snow cover all over the hill and with temperatures set to remain below freezing until at least Tuesday 5th January we expect to be able to continue to offer snowsports through Hogmanay. Strong winds and whiteout conditions at the top today meant that we had to restrict the uplift we opened to the lower slopes and the number of skiing tickets we sold. Although the wind is forecast to ease slightly on Thursday, blizzard conditions are still expected. The wind however is forecast to drop to give a another good skiing day on New Year’s Day with bright sunshine and only pockets of cloud, then more snow and blizzards from 2nd January.

 

WE ARE OPEN ON NEW YEAR’S EVE AND NEW YEAR’S DAY and every day thereafter.

 

Opening times

First funicular 9am (9.30am on 1st Jan) but other surface uplift will usually operate from half an hour earlier. Last funicular up 3.20pm/down 4.00pm.

 

Car Parking

We expect to be very busy over the next few days so get here early to ensure you get into the car parks. Shuttle bus services will run from the Ciste car park if the two upper car parks are full.

 

Buying tickets

You can buy skiing tickets (but not ski hire) on-line on our website. You can also buy our great value 4 Day Skiing Tickets Vouchers on-line (£96 for adults and £58 for a child). Vouchers can be used any day this skiing season but only one voucher per day may be used. These on-line purchases need to be presented at the ranger base office on arrival and exchanged for a ticket for the day. A cash only desk for day ski tickets (no hire and no 2-day tickets) will operate from the side of the day lodge so visit a cash machine before you come on site for fast ticket purchase.

 

Equipment hire

You can hire here all the equipment you need including jackets and trousers but not goggles, gloves or hats – these can be purchased in our shops. If you don’t expect to be here early however you might be advised to hire off-site in Aviemore to avoid disappointment.

 

Instruction

Group and private skiing and snowboarding lessons are still available for most days but please book on 08455 191191.

 

Sledging

We will try to open the sledge park next to the Ptarmigan restaurant every day, conditions permitting. Buy a funicular only ticket to access this then purchase a sledging ticket in the shop at the top to hire your sledge and book your half hour slot. Only our sledges can be used in the sledge park. Please check at the ticket office that the park is open before purchasing your funicular ticket.

 

Bus Service – there will be no SUNDAY bus service to and from CairnGorm Mountain until further notice. The last bus down the mountain to Aviemore leaves at 4.40pm.

 

MOUNTAIN WEATHER OUTLOOK

Hogmanay: Wind NE 25-30mph gusting 50mph. Snow and blizzard conditions. Extensive cloud lifting and breaking in patches. Temp -4C at 900m.

New Year’s Day: Wind N 10-20mph. Snow showers and well-broken cloud. Periods of bright sunshine. Temp -4C at 900m.

Outlook: Remaining cold with snow and blizzards but some bright intervals into next week.

 

FOOD & DRINK & SHOPPING

The Cas Bar and Mountain Shop in the Day Lodge will be open at 9.00am (9.30am on 1st Jan.) The Cas Bar is now a public WiFi access zone. So get connected in comfort there.

In order to minimize queues please try to avoid peak times for lunch in the Ptarmigan.

 

The Shop at the Top & the Mountain Shop still have a good selection of discounted 2 010 calendars by Phil Banks, Colin Prior and Colin Baxter, featuring the Munros, Cairngorm Mountains, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland’s Wild Places and Scotland’s Artists.

All now 25% off. Also in stock, a wide range of hats by Barts, Serious, Screamer, Pachamama as well as gloves, Bolle goggles, balaclavas, Buffs, neck gaiters; everything you need for a snowy day on the hill.

 

Warm yourself with a nip of CairnGorm’s exclusive new 16-year-old Ptarmigan malt whisky. This fine Speyside single malt has been maturing for 16 years in a single sherry cask. It has a rich mellow character, with mulled fruits and spices, balanced with a hint of peat smoke. Available in 70cl bottles in a gift presentation tube (£29.95) or in 5cl miniature size at £4.95.

 

CairnGorm Mountain now has a Twitter.com page. We plan to tweet reminders on important topics like events and morning updates as we get into the winter season. To become a follower go to http://twitter.com/CairngormMtn

 

BUYING FUNICULAR TICKETS

Purchase funicular tickets online at http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?agency-CAIRNGORM&organ_val=24897&schedule=list&event_val=MR09

or at the ticket office in Coire Cas. Funicular tickets are also on sale at the Aviemore Tourist Office, at Aviemore Highland Resort and at Hilton Coylumbridge Hotel.

 

Have a great Hogmanay and come and enjoy the snow soon.

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News release from Ski Scotland

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

 

EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR SKIERS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scotland’s weather has delivered an early Christmas present for skiers and snowboarders, with four of the country’s five mountain ski areas already operating, and the other expecting to open very soon. And with the snow and cold weather forecast to continue through the rest of the week and over the weekend, there should be plenty of opportunities to work off the excesses of Christmas dinner, cake and mince pies with some healthy skiing or boarding at CairnGorm, Nevis Range, the Lecht or Glenshee. Glencoe is also expected to open over the holiday period; although there is enough snow, the new owners have had to condense six months’ work into a very busy six week period, and a few extra days are still required before they’re ready to welcome skiers and boarders.

 

Heather Negus, Chair of ski-scotland, said, “there has been a fantastic early start to the Scottish ski season this winter – in fact, it’s the best since 1999! CairnGorm has already been operating for a few weeks, and this is the first time since 2003 that Nevis Range has opened for snowsports before Christmas. The forecast is also really promising for some great fun and wicked sliding over the holiday period.”

 

For the first time, the five mountain ski areas are offering an all-area five-day ski pass. These are valid for any five consecutive days at any of the five areas, and can be bought at any of the ticket offices: CairnGorm Mountain, Glencoe Mountain, Glenshee, The Lecht and Nevis Range. The new pass has been produced in response to customer demand, and will allow skiers and boarders to sample each area, stick with one, or follow the best snow and road reports. The pass can be used for five days at one ski area, one day at each ski area – or any combination - the only requirement is that the five days are consecutive.

 

Heather continued, “we’d also like to remind our customers to check road conditions before they leave – remember that some of our mountain ski areas are served by Britain’s highest roads, at well over 2,000ft above sea level. This can easily be checked on the official website www.ski-scotland.com where you can also check on lifts due to open and snow conditions, with webcam images, before you leave home, or on your mobile. And if the roads north are snowbound, there’s also the chance to whet your appetite for mountain skiing or boarding, in the Central Belt of Scotland, at SNO!zone in Glasgow.”

 

 

ENDS

 

Note to editors:

·         For winter 2009/10, the 5-day all-area ski pass is only available for adults, cost £115. All five ski areas already offer good deals for children of different ages, with prices ranging from £10 for one day to £64 for 5 days, and offer family day tickets ranging from £70 to £90.

·         Owners of all-area ski passes are advised that the pass is not transferable, and they therefore may be asked to show ID at individual ski areas. Otherwise, terms and conditions of use are those applied by the ski area where the ticket is being used.

·         Winter 2008-9 attracted many people to the Scottish snowsports areas who have not visited before, or not for a long time. All the areas reported a high number of first-time visitors who normally ski or snowboard abroad – a positive spin-off from the current economic climate.

·         The number of people who skied or snowboarded in Scotland in winter 2008-9 was 159,885, worth around £4M to the snowsports centres and at least £12M to the Scottish economy.

·         Full snow and weather reports, with real-time webcam photos, can be seen in season on the official website www.ski-scotland.com

 

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Special Offers on Accommodation in Aviemore and the Cairngorms

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

If you are considering a break away why not check out our special offers page on http://www.visitaviemore.com/specialoffers Now is a great time to get away for a pre Christmas break to do some Christmas shopping and get some fresh air or even partake in some snowsports such as skiing or snowboarding at the weekends.   Get some Christmas shopping done at the Macdonalds Aviemore Highland Resorts huge ‘The Brands’ centre, or for a very unique touch Rothiemurchus Visitor Centre who will make up Christmas Hampers. There are loads of local shops and the many outdoor specialist shops thatcan cater for that special Christmas present for the outdoor enthusiast!

If you would prefer a break away over Christmas or New Year , there are some great properties with woodburners and saunas available at Silverglades in Aviemore.  Use our new Accommodation Finder to contact multiple businesses and get quotes on accommodation.

There is currently skiing at weekends on Cairngorm and as the area gets busier and hopefully more snow arrives this will become 7 days subject to weather conditions.  There are loads of Christmassy events on each weekend featuring Santa and his Reindeer - www.visitaviemore.com/whatson

The Ptarmigan on Cairngorm Mountain

The Ptarmigan on Cairngorm Mountain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a fantastic Festive Season!

Posted in Accommodation Aviemore, Boat of Garten, Carr Bridge, Cromdale, Dulnain Bridge, Kingussie, Nethy Bridge, Newtonmore, Skiing Aviemore, Skiing Cairngorm, Snowboarding Aviemore, Snowboarding Cairngorm, Weather, aviemore, aviemore activities, aviemore hotels, cairngorms, grantown on spey, laggan | No Responses »
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Cairngorm Mountain Resumes Normal Operation

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Week Commencing Thursday 26th November 2009

The Week Ahead at CairnGorm Mountain

 

Normal Operation Resumes on Saturday 28th December.

Following the annual maintenance on the railway, we plan to resume normal daily operations on Saturday 28th November for the mountain railway and the Ptarmigan Top Station. Wintry conditions are set to continue and the skiing situation is being reviewed on a daily basis. Keep an eye on the web site or sign up for Twitter and follow us at CairngormMtn.

 

OPENING TIMES

From Saturday 28th December the last train up will be at 15.20 and the last train down will be 16.00. The Cas Bar and Shop at the Bottom will be open daily from 10am. Trains run every 20 minutes or subject to demand with the first train up 10.20am. Skiing conditions are being reviewed daily.

 

Bus Service – there will be no SUNDAY bus service to CairnGorm Mountain until further notice. The last bus down the mountain to Aviemore leaves at 4.40pm

 

Celebrate St Andrew’s day at CairnGorm Mountain and pick up some great ideas for Christmas.

Monday 30th November 09. Ptarmigan Whisky Tasting. 11am – 3pm. Shop at the Top. Come and warm yourself with a nip of CairnGorm’s exclusive new 16 year old single malt Speyside Whisky. This fine Speyside single malt has been maturing for 16 years in a single sherry cask. It has a rich mellow character, with mulled fruits and spices, balanced with a hint of peat smoke – appealing to all palates and a Christmas gift with a talking point. Available in 70cl bottles in a gift presentation tube (£29.95) or in 5cl miniature size at £4.95.

Other great Christmas Gift Ideas include 4 Day Skiing Tickets Vouchers - available from the ticket office priced £96 for adults and £58 for a child. Vouchers can be used any day this skiing season but only one voucher per day may be used.

Arriving very soon….CairnGorm Mountain and Buffera have created a new Buff specifically to raise money for Children in Need. This special edition buff is available from retail at CairnGorm Mountain priced £12.50. £3 of the purchase price goes directly to the Children in Need appeal.

 

MOUNTAIN WEATHER OUTLOOK

Thursday 26th November: Wind  W or SW 35-50mph, gusting 60-80mph. Bands of showers with longer periods of snow and blizzard conditions above 750m. Cloud base will rise and fall between 700m  and 950m Temp at 900m 0 to 1C. Feeling much colder on higher slopes.

Friday 27th November: Wind W or SW 25 – 40mph, gusting 50 - 60mph. Wintry showers moving in from the West. Variable cloud and patches of sunshine in between wintry showers. Temp at 900m 0C to -1C.

Outlook: Low pressure will bring persistent wintry showers and lower temperatures until the end of the week.

 

Postponed Event. Santa’s Toy Swap Shop. Please note that this event was scheduled to take place on
Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th November 2009 and has now been postponed until the end of January 2010.

 

Public WiFi Access

The Cas Bar is now a public WiFi access zone. So get connected in comfort there.

 

FOOD & DRINK & SHOPPING

The Cas Bar and Shop at the Bottom will be open at 10am. There is no Christmas market this year but we have a Christmas shop within the Mountain Shop in the Day Lodge with lots of Christmas gift ideas. And there is new winter stock in both our shops including Pachamama jumpers and hats and Weird Fish clothing (including children’s). Also Barts hats and accessories and a big range of Sealskinz waterproof gloves and hats.

 

CairnGorm Mountain now has a Twitter.com page. We plan to tweet reminders on important topics like events and morning updates as we get into the winter season. To become a follower go to http://twitter.com/CairngormMtn

 

BUYING FUNICULAR TICKETS

Purchase funicular tickets online at http://www.cairngormmountain.co.uk/book or at the ticket office in Coire Cas. Tickets are also on sale at the Tourist Office in Aviemore and Hilton Coylumbridge Hotel.

 

 

Come and see us soon.

 CairnGorm Mountain Ltd

“A wild environment where quality service leaves you with a natural high”.

 

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Lots on at Cairngorm Mountain the week ahead

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Week Commencing Thursday 29th October 2009

The Week Ahead at CairnGorm Mountain

 

Cairngorm Mountain now has a Twitter.com page. We plan to tweet reminders on important topics like season ticket deadline dates (just passed), events and, of course, any morning updates as we get into the winter season. To become a follower go to http://twitter.com/CairngormMtn

 

November Maintenance Shut Down

The annual train maintenance period will begin on Monday 9th November 2009 and we expect the maintenance programme to run for a period of 3 weeks – re opening full time on Monday 30th November. The Top Station and Mountain Railway will be closed Monday to Friday over this three week period but will be open to the public at weekends. Please keep an eye on the web site for updates. The Cas Bar and Shop at the Bottom remain open daily over this period.

 

OPENING TIMES

From Monday 2nd November the last train up will be at 15.20 and the last train down will be 16.00. CairnGorm Mountain will be open daily from 10am. Trains run every 20 minutes or subject to demand with the first train up 10.20am.

 

Bus Service – there will be no SUNDAY bus service to CairnGorm Mountain until further notice.

 

Winter Season Tickets

Season tickets are ready for collection from the ticket office throughout November along with a copy of the season ticket benefit offers (these are also downloadable from the web site). Due to the postal strike we will not be posting any season tickets out at this stage, we hope the dispute resolves itself and any remaining uncollected tickets will be posted out towards the end of November.

 

BUYING FUNICULAR TICKETS

Purchase funicular tickets online at http://www.cairngormmountain.co.uk/book or at the ticket office in Coire Cas. Tickets are also on sale at the Tourist Office in Aviemore and Hilton Coylumbridge Hotel.

 

MOUNTAIN WEATHER OUTLOOK

Thursday 29th October: Wind S 25- 40mph, gusting 50-65mph. Drizzly rain in isolated pockets. Widespread cloud on most summits with typical base of 750m – will lift at times. Pockets of sunshine. Temp at 900m 10 to11C.

Friday 30th October: Wind S  strengthening to 40mph, gusting 65-70mph. Pockets of drizzly rain mainly in SW but constant towards dusk. Cloud base 550-700m but will lift. Pockets of sunshine on northern hills. Temp at 900m 8C.

Outlook: Unsettled but colder into next week with possibility of some snow on higher ground.

 

 

 

 

WHAT’S ON AT CAIRNGORM  MOUNTAIN THIS WEEK

 

Thursday 29th October:

History and legends of the Cairngorms with our Visitor Guide. 11am-11.30am. Ptarmigan Viewing Terrace. Free (Funicular ticket required).

History and legends of the Cairngorms with our Visitor Guide. 2.30-3pm. Northern Viewpoint or T bar Gallery (Meet at ticket office). Free.

 

Friday 30th October:

Landscape sketching workshop. 11-11.50am. Camera Obscura. Suitable for children aged 6 and over. Free.

Landscape sketching workshop. 2-2.50pm. Camera Obscura. Suitable for children aged 6 and over. Free.

 

GPS Treasure Hunt. £5 per child aged 4 and over (accompanying adults go free). Please book by calling 01479 861341 during office hours.

 

Sunday 1st November:

History and legends of the Cairngorms with our Visitor Guide. 11am-11.30am. Ptarmigan Viewing Terrace. Free (Funicular ticket required).

History and legends of the Cairngorms with our Visitor Guide. 2.30-3pm. Northern Viewpoint or T bar Gallery (Meet at ticket office). Free.

Noel Baxter Olympic Fund Raiser. Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Course. For full details on how you can support Noel please email noeliebax@gmail.com or call 07900 544375

 

 

EXHIBITIONS

Daily in the Base Station Concourse (until 31st October): Last chance to see exhibition of paintings and prints for sale by Tomintoul based artist Jane Lanagan. Free. 10am – 4pm. 

 

Public WiFi Access

The Cas Bar is now a public WiFi access zone. So get connected in comfort there.

 

FOOD & DRINK & SHOPPING

The Cas Bar will be open at 10am. Ptarmigan Restaurant and Shop at the Top will be open from 10.20am every day and close just before the last train leaves – please refer to opening times at the top of the enews.

We have new winter stock in our shops including Pachamama jumpers and hats and Weird Fish clothing (including children’s). Also Barts hats and accessories and a big range of Sealskinz waterproof gloves and hats.

 

New Telephone System. A new telephone system will be installed week commencing the 9th November. This may result in some disruption to the telephone service at CairnGorm Mountain for both incoming and outgoing calls.

 

Come and see us soon.

 

 

CairnGorm Mountain Ltd

“A wild environment where quality service leaves you with a natural high”.

 

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The Insider Weekend, Inshriach House, near Aviemore

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
The Insider Weekend

The Insider Weekend

Get your tickets quick for what promises to be a storming summer solstice weekend near Aviemore in the Cairngorms National Park.
Inshriach House, Ord Ban restaurant and Backwoods Productions are delighted to present you with a mouth-watering banquet of home-grown music, spectacular theatrics, spit-roasts, high-jinks and sensory delights…

Featuring the freshest crop of sustainably harvested artists, tastefully accompanied by the finest seasonal local food and a full Scottish bar…

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Insider.

Bombskare,
Bo Jingham,
Charlie McKerron,
John Langan Band,
The Banana Sessions,
Washington Irving,
Sparrow and the Workshop,
Ross Clark (and the Scarfs Go Missing),
The Injuns present: Dead Man’s Waltz,
Robin Adams,
Storm of ‘83,
Mitchell Museum,
Woodenbox,
Tallulah Rendall,
Will Cookson,
Black Hand Gang,

DJs

ProVinylist Karim
Captain Bakewell

Also featuring

From the Ministry of Burlesque; Malady De Winter and Viva Misadventure.
and for the kids The Imagination Workshop.

Inshriach House is 5 miles outside Aviemore so arriving by train is easy. Inverness airport is 40 miles to the North.

From Aviemore you can take a taxi to Inshriach House for around £8. We will warn the taxi people when we think you are coming or you can call Geordies Cabs on 01479 811 111 or Weirs Taxis on 01479 810 141, both are based in Aviemore.

If you are coming by car we are on the B970 between Inverdruie and Feshiebridge. Here is a map. There will be plenty of parking in a field but no entry after 10pm. We cant get caravans in and please let us know if you are coming in a camper van by emaiing me at walter@inshriachhouse.com
The Insider is held in a sensitive and beautiful area of woodland
and we want it to stay that way.

Fires are only allowed in designated areas and please avoid bringing lots of glass and packaging.

We only pay for this through the bars and the food, we are offering the best of both and very reasonably priced.

We are strictly limited to 400 weekend tickets and they are £40 each.
We open at midday on Friday and everyone needs to leave on Monday.
Because of our license we cant sell any tickets on the gate so get yours in quickly through this website. 

For accommodation off site see www.visitaviemore.com  

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Fresh Water loch wins beach award - Loch Morlich

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
Loch Morlich

Loch Morlich

A fresh water loch has become the first to be recognised as having one of the best beaches in the country.

Loch Morlich, at the foot of the Cairngorms, was one of 60 beaches to be awarded the Seaside Award by the Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) campaign.

It is the first time a fresh water loch has received the accolade.

Seven beaches - one more than last year - and a marina were also awarded the internationally-recognised Blue Flag for their cleanliness.

The Seaside Award programme has been recognising Scotland’s beaches for their litter management, information provision, risk assessment and safety procedures, and water quality for the past 17 years.

John Summers, chief executive of KSB, said: “The beach awards are becoming increasingly difficult to hold on to, particularly following two such wet summers which have caused water quality problems for a number of beaches.

“So I am particularly delighted to see more beaches joining the award schemes, especially Loch Morlich which is not only our first fresh water Seaside Award winner, it will also be the highest award beach in the country at 300m above sea level.

“I would like to pay tribute to all the hard work that goes in to achieving these awards by local authorities and communities and urge people, particularly in this economic climate, to get out this summer to visit - because we really do have fantastic beaches to be proud of.”

‘International standards’

Tourism Minister Jim Mather said the country’s beaches and coastline made an “enormous contribution” to the distinctive Scottish experience for visitors and residents alike.

“It is encouraging to see more and more of our beaches surpassing international standards for quality and cleanliness and as more and more visitors from home and abroad take part in our Homecoming celebrations, there is no better time to enjoy Scotland’s seaside for themselves,” he added.

“From our wonderful scenery to our compelling history and with a diverse range of over 300 events taking place throughout the year, there will be something for everyone during Homecoming 2009.”

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Carrbridge takes on the BBC

Monday, May 4th, 2009
Carrbridge near Aviemore

Carrbridge near Aviemore

The Village of Carrbridge near Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands famous for its pack horse bridge, Landmark Forest Adventure Park and more recently the World Porridge Making Championships and Carve Carrbridge has attacked the BBC over “inaccurate” weather forecasts which it says is putting off tourists and threatening livelihoods.

 

Villagers claim Carrbridge, which is situated in the Cairngorms National Park near Aviemore and protected by mountains, has its own weather system.

They argue the BBC’s localised weather service overlooks the area’s micro-climate and instead defers to Aviemore.

 

When people are planning their trip or day out to the area they are avoiding Landmark - a predominantly outdoors adventure park as the BBC is predicting a wet day or showers when the weather is actually sunny or dry with one or two short showers of rain.  The Aviemore and Cairngorms area could not have asked for better weather over the Easter holiday period with day after day of superb sunshine and warm conditions but this was not reflected on the BBC weather forecast. 

Danny Fullerton of Landmark said “the forecasts were not only reducing income by harming visitor numbers but causing higher costs. “We use the weather forecast to plan staffing levels, stocking levels for foods, drinks, ice creams and so on and we can be left high and dry by inaccurate forecasts.”

Carrbridge near Aviemore is a fantastic base for a holiday to the Highlands and there are many great places to stay   If you have children they will just love the Landmark Forest Adventure Park perfect for a family day out.

Show your support in backing Carr Bridge people and businesses to right the BBC by emailing us your thoughts or commenting on this blog.

Listen to the interview on radio 5 today(Monday 4th) at 4.50pm.

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