Myrtle Cottage Findhorn is unusual in having a fenced garden, and having the doorway opening onto a private area, rather than a public laneway.
Most of the cottages in Findhorn face south, capturing warmth and light from the sun. Our garden is often a wonderful quiet sun trap, where you can relax and easily doze off.
It is also perfect for small children, and a dog if you’ve decided to bring her or him with you.
We hope you enjoy the flowers in the garden beds, and the small area of flat grass too!
As the days grow shorter and cooler, and peace returns to Findhorn Village after the busy summer, it is time to take a stroll and enjoy the sounds of nature.
Sanderling in Winter PlumageCurlew
An hours walk along the edge of Findhorn Bay and the Moray Firth will be full of the sights, smells and sounds of Autumn. From the weeds and shells thrown up from the sea onto the beach, to the seals competing for food with the gulls at the entrance to the Bay as the tide turns.
The bird watching is usually magnificent, and easy too, with the shore being only yards from the heart of the village (we’ve often sat outside the pub watching the Osprey fishing!).
The following description is from NatureWalk Findhorn. Sean Reed, a trained ecologist and former RSPB warden, takes you on a sensory adventure around Findhorn:
‘From the beach we will search for sea duck, including eider, common and velvet scoter and long-tailed duck. If we are very lucky we might see a red-throated diver or a Slavonian Grebe – or even a Great Northern, or black-throated diver.
On Findhorn Bay we will learn how to identify wading birds such as the bar-tailed godwit, golden plover and redshank. You may like to return to the Bay early evening for a spectacular dusk goose roost watch.
Walking in the woods gives us an opportunity to become familiar with mixed flocks of small birds, including goldcrest and tree creeper. We might see a red squirrel. If we are very lucky we might encounter or a crested tit, or a flock of crossbills. In the autumn we will keep our eyes open for wild mushrooms.’
Grey Heron
RSPB Culbin Sands, a ‘breathtaking coastal reserve, full of wildlife‘, is 10 minutes drive from Findhorn, or a one minute water taxi ride. The RSPB Website list the star species as Common Scoter, Eider, Long Tailed Duck, Ringed Plover and Velvet Scoter.
Unusual visitors to the Moray Firth during the autumn include a include a small flock of brent geese. Dolphins can sometimes be seen in the firth and occasionally the quiet visitor may see otters from the more remote parts of the reserve. (RSPB Culbin Sands)
If you are looking for somewhere warm and cosy to stay, come to Myrtle Cottage, our self catering cottage in the heart of Findhorn Village.
We are happy to offer flexible short breaks from October onwards, from as little as £14 per person per night.
For Myrtle Cottage Findhorn availability and idea of rates, click here.
Or delve into the amazing variety of courses available at the world famous Findhorn Foundation, ranging from a one day Ecovillage Training course to two weeks of Astroshamanic Trance Dance!
And for the evening, take advantage of the great pubs serving excellent local food, the long summer evenings in the winter (sunset after 10pm in June and July!), and the Universal Hall at the Findhorn Foundation, for closeup music, theater and dance.
All these activities are within a few minutes walk of our beautiful, comfortable cottage. You don’t need to even get in the car!
The Forres Highland Games is something not to be missed. When we last went there was an exhibition of birds of prey, whisky everything, massed pipes and drums, cycle races, caber tossing, tug of war, highland dancing, and many many other events.
So head up there on Saturday July 10th, to Grant Park in Forres.
The Nairn Show is a wonderful opportunity to see what this hugely fertile region produces. Highland Cattle, Aberdeen Angus, sheep, goats, and many dozens of clootie dumplings.
Saturday July 31st in Auldearn, between Findhorn and Nairn.
If you are interested in beautiful local food, music, ceilidhs, sea shanties, scottish dancing, smoked herrings, or even boats, then this wonderful festival taking place on June 26th and 27th 2010, is a must.
All the events take place round the 500 year old harbur of Portsoy, about 30-40 minutes due east of Findhorn.
Extract from the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival 2010 website:
‘Nestled in the northeast corner of Scotland, between Inverness and Aberdeen, Portsoy’s Scottish Traditional Boat Festival provides a holiday or short break destination with something for everyone – a real family affair.
The 2010 Festival has set its sights on helping bring the great traditional skills of the past into the future for folk of all ages, the young in particular.
The Festival puts a special emphasis on boat building, restoration and sailing, and on associated traditional crafts, music and art. The 2010 programme also includes a Food Fayre, a fun run and a 10K road run – a feast of opportunities for all to see, take part in and enjoy.’
Photos courtesy of the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival website.
‘The Wisdom and Magic of Eckhart Tolle at Findhorn
Eckhart Tolle, renowned for the simple and powerful truths in his books and talks, led an extraordinary two-day retreat at Findhorn, the famous spiritual community in Scotland. The entire event was filmed and edited into an extraordinary four-hour video experience.’ Book and DVD : link to Eckhart Tolle’s website here.
‘THE lights have been dimmed at Moray Art Centre to protect a priceless collection of 600-year-old Italian Renaissance drawings due to be exhibited next week.
Steps are being taken to protect the anonymous 15th and 16th-century pieces against fading and discolouration.’
The Nairn Book and Arts Festival, June 5th to 13th, takes place in the Victorian seaside town of Nairn, with its Championship Golf Course and Tidal Swimming Pool.
You need to click on this link to appreciate the wonderful array of speakers and writers.
BBC: ‘Nairn festival signs up first female poet laureate’ (link to article)
On the far side of the Firth you’ll catch glimpses of snow on the mountains of Sutherland. Yes, as late as June! Yet on the beach it can be as warm as Cornwall or Brittany.
The sun won’t set until after 10pm, and starts to rise two or three hours later. Very disconcerting if you’ve spent a little too long in the pub!
Myrtle Cottage Findhorn , our self catering cottage in Findhorn, only 15-20 minutes from Nairn, is available in June.
If you are interested in a booking for a week or a long weekend, please get in touch with us at simoncwinfield@hotmail.com.
Take a trip to Speyside, where you will find a huge number of Whisky related events at the annual Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.
If you are staying in Findhorn, then only 10 minutes away Benromach, Brodie Castle, and the Knockomie Hotel are hosting whisky tastings and tours of the distillery (link to Speyside Whisky Festival site).
Benromach stills
In the other direction, towards Elgin and Dufftown (a regular bus service operates from Findhorn, departing 10 paces away from Myrtle Cottage) you will be able to visit and taste the whiskies of 15 or more distilleries on Speyside.
There are so many events still available, and so much going on, that the best thing for you to do right now is click here to go to the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.
Myrtle Cottage is currently available for rent for the duration of the Festival.
We landed on the white sandy shores of Findhorn Bay, just beneath the tall pine trees of Culbin Forest. Having made sure the dinghy was secure, and the picnic gathered up, we climbed up across the grass and up the sandy slopes to sit beneath the trees.
The sense of remoteness was amazing, like being on a distant Caribbean island. Yet only a few hundred yards across the bay lay the small houses of Findhorn, nestled close to each other for comfort. A bit like Swallows and Amazons!
Sailing on Findhorn Bay is an experience not to be missed. Fortunately it is now available to all. You don’t need to have your own boat, or be a member of the Findhorn Yacht Club.
Simon Paterson is doing wonderful things down at the ‘Marina’, having invested in a fleet of Topper dinghies, and sourcing great instructors.
He offers sailing experience trips and courses, for adults and kids, ranging from two hours, to two, four and five days, as well as evenings in the summer.
Findhorn Marina also offer more advanced courses, for example on spinnaker training, as well as onshore based navigation and offshore powerboat courses.
So please take a look at his website for something that will definitely suit you, whether you are 8 or 80 years old.
The River Findhorn supplies an abundance of food to the Bay, evidenced by seals and seagulls feeding at the line between the peaty river waters, and the clear saltwater of the Moray Firth.
It is renowned as a fabulous river to fish, by many expert flyfishers staking their skills against the salmon swimming upstream.
One other sport that seems to be increasingly popular is kayaking or white water rafting in the upper and middle stretches of the Findhorn. The river is graded from Category II to IV, and sports many gullies and rocks to negotiate on your downstream trip.
A couple of local operators are G2 Outdoor, and Full On Adventure. We haven’t yet used or experienced either of these operators, so are unable to recommend them personally. However a call to Tourist Information at Aviemore will likely yield a recommendation.
Have fun! You’ll be glad of that whisky in front of the roaring fire at The Kimberly on your return to Findhorn.
BBC’s Springwatch filmed Dolphins feeding at Chanonry Point, on the north shore of the Moray Firth, about an hour from Findhorn via Inverness.
‘Chanonry Point is a spit of land protruding into a narrow, deep channel, with a steeply shelving beach where dolphins come in to the shallows to feed on the salmon and sea trout brought in by converging currents.
Around 100 Dolphins live here in the cold waters of the most northerly colony on Earth, one of only two colonies in the UK.‘ – BBC Natures Calendar (link).
If you wish to plan a trip to view local wildlife, including the Dolphins, contact Wild at Heart’s Deborah Benham, who lives in Findhorn (link).
For information on other ways or places to view dolphins, take a look at the Dolphin Space Programme website (link).
For something a little closer to home, contact NatureWalk Findhorn(link).
Or plan your own birdwatching by using the RSPB website. RSPB Culbin Sands is a short distance away (link). You are just as likely to see a large number of waders and even an Osprey, sitting in front of the Kimberly Pub with a binoculars in one hand, and a beer in the other!
Either way, you will find an abundance of wildlife year round in and around Findhorn.
Off season we are happy to entertain short break or weekend bookings for you at Myrtle Cottage Findhorn.
I am increasingly finding that Facebook is a great way to stay in touch with friends, and also services, such as cafes, music events, and products that I like and buy.
A captivating little cottage, recently renovated to create a simple bright home in the heart of Findhorn.
Original artwork adorns the walls, a Morso woodburning stove warms the living room, and a refurbished kitchen features Habitat units.
Myrtle sleeps 6, in two doubles (one en suite) and one twin.
An enclosed garden, with lawn and outdoor seating areas, allows for privacy, yet is only yards from the back door of the bakery, the village shop and post office, and the cafe.
The two excellent pubs are but a couple of minutes walk, as is the Royal Findhorn Yacht Club and the bay. The golden beaches are a 5 minute stroll, and the Findhorn Foundation a 15 minute walk.
Reminders of the setting for Local Hero* with echoes of Nantucket, todays Findhorn is the second incarnation of a small fishing village and natural harbour (the first was washed away in the 17th Century).
Stone built fishermans cottages nestle together, interwoven with small lanes where kids can cycle around without a care in the world. Empty golden beaches surround the village, on both the Moray Firth and the wonderful expanse of Findhorn Bay where Ospreys fish for salmon. Seals guard the entrance to the bay, while bottlenose dolphins cavort in the Firth.
The ‘Moray Hole’ provides a wonderful microclimate, protecting Findhorn from the prevailing wet westerly winds. The Monadliath Mountains in the west and the Grampians to the south take the rainfall, leaving Findhorn with sunshine, little rain and no midgies!
Visitors say they ‘loved the sleeper train up from London’, and sending the kids every morning to ‘the bakery just past the garden gate’.
Myrtle Cottage is available from £400 per week, or £200 per weekend. See the Availability and Rates page for details.
*In fact Local Hero was filmed at Pennan on the Aberdeenshire coast, about 1 1/2 hours due east of Findhorn.
Myrtle Cottage Findhorn 