tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664161328950208999.post3260963298906990565..comments2024-03-23T06:08:31.299-07:00Comments on ... except the Kyles and Western Isles: Glencripesdale Estate - Part 3Neil Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15567487892239196569noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664161328950208999.post-77530722075454200362024-02-28T03:32:58.948-08:002024-02-28T03:32:58.948-08:00Rosemary Cross
Thank you. I have looked at the cot...Rosemary Cross<br />Thank you. I have looked at the cottages several times but I think we need to be on the mainland as we are ‘oldies’ now. I noticed also that Andy’s boat is still going strong. He once took us out to Staffa using our hired motor boat as the tender and on this we all swooshed in and out of Fingal’s Cave just as Mendelssohn must once have done! Mind that was the expedition when I thought my elderly father was going to fall in the water … Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664161328950208999.post-78397443971100087442024-02-27T12:16:02.705-08:002024-02-27T12:16:02.705-08:00Hi Rosemary, what a lovely trip you had by the sou...Hi Rosemary, what a lovely trip you had by the sounds of it to Glencripesdale/Loch Sunart! Not much has changed. If you fancy coming again we let two cottages on the Isle of Carna opposite Glencripesdale, the island is still in the family www.isleofcarna.co.uk AND Andy Jackson who took you in a trip before is our Island Manager and still does boat trips! Best wishes Edward Edward.towers@hotmail.co.uk Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664161328950208999.post-24674727505191259652024-02-27T07:40:09.498-08:002024-02-27T07:40:09.498-08:00How interesting I found this account. (So much so ...How interesting I found this account. (So much so that I went on to read several of your blog posts when I should have been doing other things!) <br />As a family we stayed in the house at Glencripesdale for three weeks in the 1990s. After a week of heavy rain we enjoyed a fortnight of joy; sailing, boating and fishing on Loch Sunart and out to Mull and walking in the area. My young daughters spent many an hour swimming leisurely up and down in the natural pool by the loch and catching small fish and other creatures, which had a holiday in my cold box before returning to their home. <br />The presence of the hotel was still palpable. The kitchen was a stainless steel workroom. I decorated some of my dishes with the few berries remaining from the original berry bushes. <br />The forestry track was a nightmare - so much so that during our last week we sailed to the Isle of Mull for supplies. Our Labrador got some strange looks in Tobermory in her life jacket! I remember too poor Holly seeing me in our sailing boat moored in the loch and doggy paddling out to me going around and around the boat and back to shore because, of course, I could not lift her out.<br />What could be more enchanting than drifting silently amongst the seal colony in the loch observing their antics. Someone got excited thinking she saw a lot of Labradors swimming around and had to join them. It takes at least two people to retrieve a retriever from the sea and thank goodness for the handle on top of the life jacket.<br />We had a great trip out with Andy Jackson from Laga Bay too. Fishing and cooking the catch on board on a BBQ was quite an experience!<br />I will never forget my time at Glencripesdale. It is etched in my mind as a magical, lonely, peaceful, blissful place. In all our time there, apart from the resident caretakers, we saw two forestry workers and maybe a walker. So it was strange to learn of the large house standing nearby in previous times with its 100 retainers - and startling to hear of the plans to turn this wilderness into a holiday resort of kinds. <br />Thanks for your blog. It made me think fondly of our holiday there but I was also melancholy for past times which will never come again.<br />Rosemary Cross <br />( I wondered if my husband’s family might be related to the previous poster named Cross - such are the strange coincidences which occur in life!)Rosemary Crossnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664161328950208999.post-39558821246557045212024-02-11T02:03:53.972-08:002024-02-11T02:03:53.972-08:00Thanks for this history. My wife and I spent our h...Thanks for this history. My wife and I spent our honeymoon at Glencripesdale hotel in 1991. Bill and Sue Hemmings were the most charming hosts. Their food was excellent and the walks were stunning. Happy memories. I gather the estate was acquired by a consortium of conservation organisations in 2023 in order to restore the rainforests.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664161328950208999.post-78198948570930194152023-09-06T09:21:31.735-07:002023-09-06T09:21:31.735-07:00Hello - how/where do I contact you?Hello - how/where do I contact you?Neil Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15567487892239196569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664161328950208999.post-58609933612030715552023-09-03T08:52:45.092-07:002023-09-03T08:52:45.092-07:00We are the Hemmings who ran Glen C as a hotel from...We are the Hemmings who ran Glen C as a hotel from 1984-1994. Please contact us. It was a labour of love.Bill and SueAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664161328950208999.post-76085047834939159422012-06-17T16:35:57.784-07:002012-06-17T16:35:57.784-07:00How very interesting, my family built Glencripesda...How very interesting, my family built Glencripesdale House and owned the entire 26,000 acre estate. My G G Grandfather was Horace Newton, we still own the Isle of Carna there now. <br /><br />Kind regards<br /><br />Edwardtedzwedzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14395602745518964779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664161328950208999.post-29552133535289687952012-05-14T01:20:58.288-07:002012-05-14T01:20:58.288-07:00Dear Neil, I am fascinated to pick up this informa...Dear Neil, I am fascinated to pick up this information on Glencripesdale House. I worked on the property, with Bill and Sue Hemmings when they owned it in 1990. I was a student having just completed my studies in South Africa and was keen to explore Scotland, having come from a Scottish background. The forest was still intact then and it was the most breathtaking environment to explore. It was operating as an exclusive hotel at the time and attracted some very exlusive guests from the UK and USA who were looking for complete privacy. We had no electricity and relied entirely upon the use of wood fires and a generator for warmth and lighting. I worked with them for about 8 months and it was one of the finest times. We used to travel by inflatable boat to Tobermorey, on the Island of Mull, to get our cheese. Great memories!Rory Mackiehttp://www.rorymackie.co.zanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664161328950208999.post-50597595871313899512012-02-06T08:30:02.970-08:002012-02-06T08:30:02.970-08:00Thanks for the feedback Peter - glad you enjoyed i...Thanks for the feedback Peter - glad you enjoyed it and thanks for putting me straight on the year of demolitionNeil Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15567487892239196569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664161328950208999.post-84361503548063756062012-02-06T07:15:37.960-08:002012-02-06T07:15:37.960-08:00I've very much enjoyed your account and commen...I've very much enjoyed your account and comments abour Glencripesdale, and the planning saga. I was an HGV driver with the TA Squadron that blew up the Newton's mansion in 1963 (note, not 1966), and have been researching the area for a website recording some of the Squadron's activities.<br /><br />Peter Cox<br />(admin@whfh.org.uk)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com