Struthan Cottages - Tiree Accommodation

Rare Turtle washed ashore

tireecottage — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:35:33 +0000

Amazing story in the latest edition of An Tirisdeach.

This young turtle was found freshly dead on 9th December, the day after the big storm, and was originally identified as a Loggerhead. However, experts have now re-identified it as Britain’s 36th record of Kemp’s Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii). A few days later, a second individual was found on a beach in Ceredigion, West Wales.

Kemp’s Ridley Turtles are a warm water species, and the rarest of the marine turtles. They are considered critically endangered, nesting only on a few beaches in the Gulf of Mexico. Dr Peter Richardson of the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) says these recent turtle strandings suggest there may be more turtles out there that could wash up on UK beaches. “Our advice isthat under no circumstances should stranded turtlesbe thrown back in the sea. While they may appear to be dead, they may in fact be comatose due to the cold conditions, and can be nursed back to health if immediately rescued and given expert care. If they are dead, it is important that they are collected and stored for post-mortem examination.”
MCS has a produced a UK Turtle Code, which can be downloaded at www.mcsuk.org and gives information on how to identify turtle species found in the UK and who to call if you find one. In addition, all dead or alive stranded turtles should be reported to Marine Environmental Monitoring (MEM) on 01348 875000.
MEM organises the rescue and rehabilitation of live stranded turtles; collection and post-mortem of dead animals and maintains a national database of turtlereports.

Happy New Year 2012

tireecottage — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:19:36 +0000

A warm and sincere Happy NEW YEAR to each and every one of our guests , past , present and future. May you continue to have wonderful memories and experiences on Tiree and in our cottage.

As it’s a new Year, we’ve now opened up 2013 for reservations! Be quick if you want that popular Summer time slot! All the best.

December winds & storm

tireecottage — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:15:58 +0000

From An Tirisdeach: huge storm that hit Scotland on Thursday 8th December left more than 150,000 homes without power during the day on Thursday and more than 70,000 were still off overnight. At least 10,000 homes in Scotland were still without power on the Saturday.

Here on Tiree it took until lunchtime on Sunday before power was restored to all homes! The hurricane-force storm has been described as a ‘weather bomb’, which in meteorological terms is defined as an ‘explosive deepening’.
According to catastrophe modelling specialists, Windstorm Friedhelm “began as a depression over the northern Atlantic, but as it approached the British Isles, it experienced a rapid drop of pressure that caused its wind speeds to soar”. This phenomenon occurs when cold air meets warm air and is characterised by a decrease in atmospheric pressure of at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. The lower the pressure, the stronger the winds become. Thursday’s storm was accompanied by a drop of 44mb!
By 9.50am ‘Windstorm Friedhelm’ officially became a hurricane as winds of 76mph were recorded at Tiree Airport – winds over 74mph are classified as hurricane strength. It was to get worse, with the maximum gust on Tiree being 91mph (146kmh). The mean wind speed for the day was 61mph. At Aonach Mor, just outside Fort William, there was a gust of 130mph (209kmh), whilst winds at Cairngorm Summit reached 165mph (264kmh).
Thanks to Sophie Isaacson for the photograph and to all the hydro boys for restoring our power in such horrendous conditions.

Been to our Cottage Recently?

tireecottage — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:11:15 +0000

Our Struthan Cottage Business relies on good word of mouth and satisfied customers. Sharing your holiday experience and kind comments is vital to our business plan. If you’ve been to Struthan Cottage at all, please take 1 minute to sign our Online Holiday Guestbook leaving a brief comment or two. It would be most appreciated not only by us, but for other website visitors too. We want to hear about your holidays!! Thanks. http://struthancottages.co.uk/about/holiday-guestbook/

Calmac to Raise ferry fares in March

tireecottage — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 12:46:38 +0000

Calmac have announced their ferry fares are increasing by 6.5% on March 30th 2012. This is in response apparently to rising fuel costs. You can read the full story here

http://forargyll.com/2011/12/curiosities-in-6-5-argyll-ferry-fares-rise-by-2012/

Thankfully Struthan Cottages are going to keep the same prices in 2013 as 2012 prices!

Merry Christmas from Struthan Cottages

tireecottage — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:10:24 +0000

Well, it’s that time of year again! After the excitement of last week’s wind and weather, Christmas is upon us again and thoughts turn to holidays, and being with family. It’s been a fantastic year for the cottage with more people passing through than ever before, leaving some very welcome and kind comments in our cottage guestbook. What’s more many of you are booked again for next year, with 2012 selling out very fast indeed! Repeat business is great for us, but it’s also wonderful to see so many people enjoying Tiree and the cottage itself. We’d like to wish every one of our past, present and future guests a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tiree Windfarm Casestudy

tireecottage — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:49:48 +0000

With some nice panaromas of Tiree as it is today.

RET Ferry fare scheme extends

tireecottage — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 10:09:44 +0000

The Scottish government is to extend the Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) scheme, which aims to reduce the cost of ferry tickets to the equivalent of travelling the same distance on the road. The programme will become permanent on Western Isles and Coll and Tiree ferry services. Plans have also been announced by Transport Scotland of a roll out of the scheme to the Sounds of Barra and Harris services in an attempt to improve connections. From October 2012, the RET will be expanded to Gigha, Colonsay and Islay ferries, while a pilot scheme is due to start in 2014 in Arran.

Western Isles journeys have been boosted by the pilot scheme by almost one-third, benefiting tourism and local businesses. Minister for Housing and Transport Keith Brown says that the pilot has had a positive impact since its introduction in October 2008, boosting local tourist trade and local economies. They want that same positive impact to continue, which is why they are expanding the scheme to include new ferry routes. Tourism is only one of the benefits resulting from the pilot, and they expect it to bring more positive results to the additional routes being included.

Highlands and Islands MSP Mike MacKenzie welcomed the news, saying that the announcement is fantastic, as the move will further boost local businesses and tourism. The cheaper fares have largely boosted travel, tourism and business in the Western Isles. Anyone using a ferry to the isles or running a tourist business knows the difference lower fares make. Passenger numbers have increased 20%, room occupancy in the Western Isles is up 24% and car journeys have risen 31%, he noted.

Western Isles Council leader Angus Campbell said that the Comhairle has lobbied for the RET to become permanent and be expanded to the inter-island routes. He is delighted that this has paid off. They supported a discount scheme to demonstrate its viability, and they will make the case that the proposed 25% reduction in fares be extended to the new routes.

Also welcoming the decision was Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan, saying that the commitment to expand the RET to the Sounds of Barra and Harris is well beyond the party’s 2011 manifesto commitments, and he believes it will be a real benefit to both islanders and tourists. The scheme has proved itself since being introduced in 2008, and it will make life easier for travellers and transport between the islands stronger. Allan added that, considering the large cuts that the British government has made to Scotland’s budget for the next three years, the renewal and expansion of the RET is a serious commitment to the islands and their economies.

Tiree Wind Turbine

tireecottage — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:21:01 +0000

Tiree Xmas Party Night

tireecottage — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:00:26 +0000

Get into the festive spirit at An Talla on Saturday 17th December 2011. 7.30pm for 8pm . Bring your own bottle. £25 a head. Enjoy your dinner and complimentary wine and then dance the night away to Cornaig Ceilidh Band.

Massive 20% off all Winter Holiday Prices!

tireecottage — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 08:28:20 +0000

Struthan Cottages most AMAZING Winter promotion has started! Great news if you’re looking for a winter break. Yes! We’ve just announced a massive -20% off ALL our Winter prices (right through until end of March 2012). The website has already been updated to show the availability and revised prices. All we need is your call. First come first served! Where else can you pick up a week’s holiday in a beautifully renovated cottage for under £250!! Click on the banner to check out the rates and dates.

Tiree Wind Farm takes step closer

tireecottage — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:58:57 +0000

The Crown Estate has approved a further five offshore renewable energy sites in Scottish waters.

It said the projects had the potential to deliver 5GW of electricity between them.

The total capacity for projects awarded agreements for lease in Scottish waters is now nearly 10GW, which is in line with Scottish government targets.

Final consent for each development is controlled by the regulator, Marine Scotland.

The Crown Estate’s Scottish commissioner Gareth Baird said: “The Crown Estate has already invested £16 million in offshore renewable energy in Scotland, and plans to invest another £20 million in the next five years, funding ‘enabling actions’ such as environmental studies and engagement work that help de-risk the projects and attract investment.

“We’re very pleased to achieve this important milestone, and will continue to work closely with Scottish Government and developers to progress projects and attract investment, with the aim of helping meet Scotland’s ambitious targets on renewable energy production.”

Of the five new sites, two are off the west coast: Argyll Array, 5km (3mls) off Tiree, and Islay, which is located 13km (8mls) off the west coast of Islay.

The Inch Cape project is in the outer Firth of Tay, approximately 15km (10mls) off the Angus coast.

The Beatrice offshore wind farm will be in the Moray Firth, close to the Beatrice oil field.

The final project, Neart na Gaoithe, lies 15km (10mls) off the coast of Fife.

Rural Affairs and Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “Scotland has an estimated quarter of Europe’s offshore wind resource, making us the powerhouse of green energy in Europe. With this wealth of natural resources it is vital that we plan now to secure the benefits of this next energy revolution for future generations.”