Rogie Falls at last!

It snowed a lot during the night into 3rd January and is lying much thicker on the ground now. Davie and Chanel set off for home by car about lunchtime. They let us know when they were safely home late afternoon; the roads were very snowy between Ullapool and Inverness but they took it easy and got through okay. Meanwhile James, Ally and Cat went for a walk up past the quarry and along Loch Achall, while I took photos of snowy scenes around the cottage. We had mince pies that Ally and Cat had brought from Fortnum and Masons with brandy cream while sitting beside the fire. What have the cats been up to over New Year? I think that they have very much enjoyed the company and attention of the young folk, and they have loved lounging about near the fire, but are not very keen on the snow outside! 
This morning we were up early to give Ally and Cat a lift to Inverness Airport. Their flight wasn’t until 11.50 but it had snowed again overnight and we wanted to allow plenty of time. Sure enough the road out of Ullapool was completely covered in snow and James had to drive slowly, although we soon passed several snow ploughs and the road conditions improved steadily as we approached Inverness. We had time to have breakfast in Tiso before dropping Ally and Cat at the airport. Their plane was only slightly delayed and Ally sent us a photo of the de-icing machine spraying the plane; soon they were on their way back to London.
James and I decided that we should head straight back to Ullapool because more snow was forecast. However on the way we made an unscheduled stop. James and I have had a long running joke that although we pass the car park for Rogie Falls (near Contin) every time that we go to Ullapool, we have never visited the waterfall. Well today was the day! We set off down the snowy path through tall trees whose branches and twigs were heavy with crisp snow. It was so pretty! The sun slanted through the trees but it was very cold. We crossed the little suspension bridge over the falls which were cascading enthusiastically over the rocks into the Black Water which was indeed very black. The snow didn’t start until we were back at the cottage where we had a cosy evening with the cats. 

A Snow Angel start to 2026

We had an extraordinarily late night on Hogmanay at the Ceilidh Place followed by a few drama of whisky back at the cottage, so we all had a long lie on the first morning of 2026, emerging in due course to drink coffee and eat lots of toast and butter. 

The snow arrived in the afternoon, but not very heavily, leaving only a thin layer on the ground and alternating with hailstones. Some of us went out for bracing walks, some read and played cards. We had our New Year’s meal at about 4.30 p.m. and it went very well. We had very full tummies and had a relaxing evening. 

Today Ally and Cat were both working and James and I went for a walk down to the village with Davie and Chanel. It was snowing gently, and we had a look at the boat in the harbour before having filled rolls for lunch in the Ceilidh Place. Later on, we had a cozy afternoon of playing cards, watching the film Matilda the Musical, and having chilli con carne for dinner. A cozy and pleasant evening by the fire ensued. When James and I were getting ready for bed we heard voices outside so we looked out of our bedroom window; Ally and Cat were in the garden, laughing in the blizzard of snow! Cat even lay down to make a snow angel! Oh to be young! 

Hogmanay Hoolie

Hogmanay was my 63rd birthday, and what a lovely day I had. In the morning we all drove to Rhu and walked down to the lighthouse. It was windy and the sea was an amazing teal colour with white crested waves. We looked for the hump-backed whale which has been spotted off the point over the last couple of weeks, but it was not to be seen. 
Later we headed to the Ceilidh Place for the Hogmanay Hoolie. It was great! The buffet was generous and absolutely delicious, with Middle Eastern salads as well as hearty venison stew, jackfruit curry, quiches and lots of desserts. There was a worrying moment when we thought that they had run out of pavlovas, however another tray of them appeared immediately, to our relief and delight. The ceilidh band was slightly delayed because one of the musicians was missing! However he turned up and the dancing started. We all danced a lot and became rather overheated. There were some nice people to chat to at our table, including a young couple who had never experienced a Scottish Hogmanay before; I was very proud that Ally, Cat, Davie and Chanel included them and taught them all of the Scottish country dances, they had a wonderful time. Owner Jock was especially grateful to Ally and Cat for leading Strip the Willow! We brought in the New Year on the dance floor and the band (after a pause while they got themselves some beers) played Auld Lang Syne. I was persuaded into the centre of the circle with a fellow birthday girl called Nicki, which was a brilliant experience, the crowd surging towards us and away. And so 2026 began!