Congratulations to the team at Cobbs bakery - especially Sheena Lloyd our manager for winning the 'PARTNERSHIP FOR SUCCESS' award at the HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS FOOD & DRINK AWARDS' - a brilliant achievement.
This is a result of many years of hard work, together with our productive collaborative partnership with Fife Creamery.
Congratulations also to Jane Fraser (marketing) who put the entry submission together - a real team effort.

Drumnadrochit must have been on a roll last week as our colleagues 'FIDDLER'S MALT WHISKY BAR & RESTAURANT' won the 'SCOTTISH LICENCE TRADE - MALT WHISKY BAR OF THE YEAR' for the third time! - our hearty congratulations.

Talking about Malt Whisky's...we had a great party of 6 staying over the weekend - (the William's party). They were on a serious quest - to find the perfect Malt.
This of course would take a lifetime but a most pleasurable experience, searching!
They were very generous with their praise of myself - helping them to the best of my ability and with the assistance from the gantry with tastings - BALBLAIR, THE MACALLAN, BENROMACH ORGANIC (another award winner last week), LAGAVUILIN and many more - to many to mention - all success guys.

We had another old friend of the Loch Ness Clansman Hotel staying for 3 days - Michael Christie and Wendy from Balmedie - as usual, they sailed up the Loch and moored at the Clansman Harbour.
Michael was joined by his brother Irvine and his wife and family who stayed in one of our lodges and sailed the Loch over the weekend. A great time was had by one and all.
My only disappointment was that Irvine's daughter Hannah didn't manage to pluck up the courage to give us a display of her Highland Dancing...we even provided some cracking dance tunes - provided by the Murphy Brothers - anyway, may be next visit Hannah!

In the THISTLE AWARDS, our neighbours over the hill at Belladrum won the BEST SMALL FESTIVAL award for TARTAN HEART - our congratulations go to Joe Gibbs and all his team - very well deserved and great for the area.

So you can see as I have been preaching quality and value here in the Highlands since 'The Craic' started and all I can say now is I've been proved right by all those award winners.

So it's Win, Win, Win here at Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland - remember... if you're not in it, you won't win it - Give us a ring

Sliante
Willie

Last week was another marvelous week of autumn weather - cold mornings and glorious afternoon sunshine portraying the wonderful Autumn colours at their best - yellows, oranges and russet browns - a photographers paradise.
Many people arrived at the hotel to take advantage of a last break before Christmas and New Year.

Although we're closed at Christmas, a full New Year's package is available - so forget about house-work, cooking and entertaining - just escape to Loch Ness for that well deserved break and see-in 2010 here at the Loch Ness Clansman Hotel. Full details of the package are available on our website.

If you've already made plans for New Year how about planning a trip at Easter or early Spring. Some brilliant deals available - just go on-line to find out.
This week there are many homecoming celebrations in the city of Inverness with films, music drama and lectures. For those interested in history and heritage with a cultural twist, go to the Eden Court Theatre website.

Although it is coming to the end of the season there is still plenty to do in the area - Jacobite Cruises on Loch Ness, walk the battlefield at Culloden, scramble around the ruins at Urquhart Castle or walk in the footsteps of Bonnie Prince Charlie in Glen Affric or Glen Morriston and see the wonderful colours of the season.

For those of you with a spirit of adventure or you want to do something completely different -how about archery in the morning and gorge walking in the afternoon - this can be organised through Rothiemurchus Estate.

The excitement of white water rafting can be fixed up through 'Monster Activities' - quad biking at Bogbain Farm outside Inverness and throw in some clay pigeon shooting and finally mountain biking on the world championship course at Aonach Mor.

So, put the gear in the car, head up north, wrap up well and find that spirit of adventure to really test your skills in the great outdoors that is the Highland of Scotland.

Then look forward to a nice hot shower, a warming dram of single malt and some good Highland grub here at the Loch Ness Clansman Hotel - for example tonight's menu has everything from Arctic Char, Breast of Wood Pigeon, wonderful Smoked Haddock and the best of Aberdeen Angus Rid-eye steaks.

So make a date and come and see us.
Slainte

Tracing your roots and ancestral tourism is the new 'black' as far as the current tourism trends are concerned.
To this end, Highland Council are about to open their new archive centre in Inverness.
This impressive new building is on the west side of Inverness next to the floral hall and leisure complex.
It is also on the right side of town to base yourself at the Loch Ness Clansman Hotel to start your search into your family history.

As this is also the year of Homecoming, it is more reason for anyone with any Scottish connections to make that visit to the country of their fore-fathers.

A conference at the end of October at Eden Court will also enlighten you as to 'who are the Scots and particularly those with Highland and Islands ancestry and what impact these people have had on the world in general.
So you've been promising yourself to trace your family heritage - what better time than now.

Last week saw the successful Inverness Book Festival with a great presentation from Ian Rankin creator of Inspector Rebus - so you too can play detective and put to good use, all his tips in investigating the past of your family. Who knows what skeletons might be in your cupboard!

It's not only relatives that people want to come and trace but old friends. 2 weekends ago we entertained Walter, Ann and family from Gartmore, great friends of Fraser's Mum Marjory - they had a ball.
Marjory also had a reunion with an old nursing colleague - Helen Mackay who she has known for 50 years. So as I've said before, the Clansman is a great place to renew old acquaintances.

This weekend past, we had a group of over 30 Edinburgh golfers under the team leadership of Michael Martin. These family and friends have been meeting every year for over 20 years at various venues and playing the local courses. They had superb golf weather and had a brilliant time playing SPEY VALLEY, NAIRN DUNBAR, TAIN and finishing off at the new CASTLE STUART course on Sunday. To top this great get-together, one of the players scored a 'hole in one' at Tain... so the drinks were on him! Not bad after a night of Karaoke and the BEN ROMACH ORGANIC single malt.
They found the Clansman the ideal base for playing these superb courses.

Thanks to our good friend Steve Appolinari who plays with them for suggesting ourselves - it was a great pleasure to have you guys and we look forward to welcoming you back next year.

So if it's tracing your roots, renewing old friendships or a group of family and friends getting together for a bit of fun and relaxation - we have it all.

The October school holidays have now started and we welcome all the families with children who have come to do a bit of Nessie spotting. If you haven't decided what your doing this October - give us a ring.