Half House Cottage St Mary's Loch
Self-catering cottage in the Scottish Borders
Though we know there are red squirrels that live around Cappercleuch we don’t usually get such a great view as we had of this one that hung around for several hours munching on seeds and pine cones. You can see him in an HD movie on Youtube:
We were pleased that a couple of recent guests were able to take up our offer of free locked storage for equipment. One person had a mountain bike and another had brought an inflatable kayak. Last year we had some people touring on motorbikes who were grateful to have their bikes secure and in the dry.
A variety of sailing takes place at St Mary’s loch, mostly towards the western portion of the water. This crew are near the shore at the March wood.
You can just make out that the osprey is carrying a fish it has just caught. I saw it hovering over the loch and heard a loud splash as it hit the water, just out of my view. I then just managed to take a picture as it was flying away. A nice punctuation to a gorgeous evening.
Over the past few days we have seen an osprey as a late afternoon visitor. It’s always a relief to see that the migration has gone to plan. He/she flies over the loch directly in front of the Half House cottage, frequently hovering briefly as she looks for fish … no binoculars required!
Still on the bird theme we had a large number of Whooper swans on the loch this year. They migrate from Iceland apparently. There are just a few stragglers left now as most have headed home for the summer.
On a walk around the loch yesterday the unseasonably warm weather had brought out a variety of rather impressive caterpillars. We don’t know if they were supposed to emerge in February but they were taking their chances nevertheless. Thanks to Louise for the photos.
A beautiful winter morning. Mist over the loch starting to clear.
Some winter sunshine and signs of life at St Mary’s Loch today.
We were delighted that the cottage was booked for Christmas quite early in the year. However, we have plenty of availability at other times during the winter months. If you fancy a cosy retreat, and are prepared to take your chance with the weather, we would love to welcome you to the Half House Cottage. Our winters are less snowy than you might imagine … but it does happen as the photo below shows!
It may come as a surprise to discover that Merlin, the wizard of Arthurian legend, lived in the south of Scotland close to this area. The Merlin Trail has tied together all the connections if you have a curiosity about dark ages history!
