Winter Loosens Its Grip
Another season is just around the corner at Eddrachilles and there are signs of Spring. However, Winter loosens its grip in stages here and, as we approach the Equinox, the wise visitor will pack layers to cover every eventuality in the changing Highland weather.
Winter does not leave the North West coast all at once. It loosens its grip gradually — a longer evening here, a brightness on the water there, the first hints of colour returning to the roadside where gorse begins to flower. From the windows at Eddrachilles, or walking our dogs, we watch these small changes with quiet anticipation. The bay looks much as it always does at first glance, yet something has shifted. The light lingers. The sun reaches further into the courtyard. The air feels softer.
The hotel is drawing breath before beginning another season.
Spring in the Highlands is never a single decisive moment. It arrives in fragments — sometimes within the space of an hour. Last weekend provided a dramatic reminder. A nearby lightning strike had rather dramatically dispatched our broadband equipment, and while repairs were underway I found myself searching the grounds for a reliable patch of 4G signal to keep up with bookings. One such session was spent huddled on a favourite rock by the shore, laptop balanced against the wind, while a brisk twenty minutes of updating availability was accompanied in quick succession by gale-force gusts, sharp hail and then sudden warm sunshine. No complaints — the steady flow of bookings is very much appreciated — but it is a timely reminder that visitors travelling in the North West Highlands in spring will always be well served by bringing layers to cope with our weather. “Ne’er cast a clout till May be out” is certainly true here [ translated: don’t stop wearing a vest until the Hawthorn is blooming].
There are, nonetheless, unmistakable signs that the season is turning. Two weeks ago we saw an eagle sitting on a rock in afternoon sun on Creag na h-Eaglaise, the Crags by the Church, the hill that borders us to the east. From the sun lounge this week we watched a pair of golden eagles engaged in a gentle courtship flight. The larger female spiralled away effortlessly in a shaft of sunshine, the more determined male swooping after her across the bay. Closer to the ground, the miniature Tête-à-Tête daffodils have at last opened their buds after hesitating for what felt like weeks, while their taller cousins now stand poised on the brink of their own brief moment of showtime. The first rhododendron is in flower.
Along the shoreline the oystercatchers have returned in greater numbers. A few hardy individuals overwintered with us, but suddenly their distinctive calls carry across the water again — perhaps blown in by the gales that still visit amid the milder days. Dog walks are stretching later into the evening too. Gone are the winter days of returning home by half past three or finishing by head torch. Now there is good usable light at six o’clock, and the Equinox is only days away. Snow dusts the hills overnight, journeys from Inverness may encounter a blizzard at the top of the pass from Loch Assynt (the Skiag) but it does not linger for long.
It is still early for lambs here, though arrivals in the sheds of crofts may well be under way ready to appear next month in the fields. Spring gathers itself quietly in these parts. Nothing is hurried, and nothing arrives all at once. Cuckoos, reed warblers and other migratory birds may be on their way but it will be another month before we spot them here.
Many guests find that this season rewards those who stay a little longer, allowing time to experience several moods of the Highlands within a single visit. Delicious breakfasts, warm firesides, cosy evenings by the whisky bar and carefully prepared local ingredients served in refined Scottish comfort perfectly match the changing landscape.
If this landscape speaks to you, you are always welcome to make Eddrachilles your base while exploring the North West Highlands.