This Page will contain news and information on what is happening in Coigach
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COIGACH COMMUNITY HALL
ENTERTAINMENTS FOR 2010
so far the following artists have been confirmed:
Highland School of Piping Concert Thursday 1st April
Gary Innes Thursday 2nd April
Outside track Friday 11th June - concert followed by dance
Rhythm n Reel Friday 2nd July
North Sea Gas Thursday 12th August
Look out for posters nearer the event date
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Achnahaird Caravan and Camping Site
The camp site at Achnahaird has now closed . A new camping site is due to open in Altandhu and will be ready for the 2010 season.
 Going |
We opened the Achnahaird camping site in 1972 when as a newly married couple we were desperately looking for a way to make a living to enable us to remain in the area we loved. Coigach was growing in popularity as a holiday destination, and “wild camping” particularly at Badentarbat had become a major problem for the area.Over the years we have met so many lovely people (and a few rascals ! ), made many, many friends, had loads of laughs and also shed a few tears ! |
 Going |
It has been hard work – no summer holidays or weekends off for us, but all the hard work was made worthwhile by the amazing friendliness and loyalty of our visitors who on occasion endured wind / rain / gales and the dreaded midge, and then came back for more the next year ! Thank you all for that – we hope you also have many happy memories of camping at Achnahaird and that amazing view ! |
 AND GONE |
Hector and I look forward to enjoying more free time this summer and particularly to not having to clean those toilets or empty those bins EVER AGAIN !!!!! We wish David and Catriona Last every success with their new camp-site in Altandhu when it opens next year, and hope you will give them your custom and support in their new venture Marilyn and Hector Mackenzie Achnahaird |
The Achiltibuie Garden
let’s grow…
The Achiltibuie Garden is the new company set up by the team behind the former Achiltibuie Hydroponicum which closed at the end of 2007. At the moment, we’re growing and supplying fresh produce to our local community, available directly from us and through local shops. We also sell hydroponics growing kits and supplies to personal customers and by mail order.
We've recently erected a double-span Keder growing house at our new site in Achiltibuie, where we'll be using both hydroponics (including the world famous Achiltibuie Hydroponicum Wick System) and soil-based techniques to grow a variety of plants. With newly fenced grounds, the access road completed and a shelter belt planted we are now getting the Keder house stocked with plants and seedlings, as well as starting to develop the outdoor gardens.
We hope that by July 2009 we'll be able to welcome visitors who want to see the evolving indoor and outdoor growing spaces. Please note that there are no other facilities this year. If you'd like to visit us, whether to stock up on hydroponic supplies and produce, or to see our new growing house, please contact us for opening times using the details overleaf.
Before the end of 2009 we're hoping to start work on our new visitor centre which will include a café and a shop. We plan to use as many environmentally-friendly materials and practices as possible and hope that by adopting 'green' principles ourselves, we'll inspire our visitors to see how even small changes can help minimise their impact on the environment.
With a breathtaking view, the café will be the hub of our new facility, using our own fresh produce, locally sourced ingredients and real home baking. The shop will carry our mail order lines and will also sell other gardening-orientated products, produce, and local arts and crafts.
May 2009
The Achiltibuie Garden
let’s grow…
tel. 01854 622202
email info@thehydroponicum.com
You'll find up-to-date information on our website www.thehydroponicum.com
The Achiltibuie Garden Ltd
213 Altandhu (office)
Achiltibuie
Ullapool,
IV26 2YR
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Press release on The Achiltibuie Garden 15/1/10
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Tourism in the North-West Highlands has been given a boost this week with
the awarding of £66000 to The Achiltibuie Garden to help build its new
visitor centre in Achiltibuie, Wester Ross. The award has been made by the
Scottish Government as part of the latest round of funding from the Rural
Priorities scheme within the Scottish Rural Development Programme. The new
single-storey timber building, designed by local architect Allan Graham, includes
a café and shop and will provide a much-needed boost to tourism in
this remote area when it opens later this year, as well as safeguarding three
existing jobs and creating several more over the next few years. Julie Edwards,
marketing director of the business said: ‘We’re delighted to have
been awarded this grant. The economy of Achiltibuie, Coigach and the Ullapool
area depends very much on attracting tourists and our new visitor centre will
make a significant contribution to this. We are also very grateful for all
the help and support given to us by our local community and would like to
take this opportunity to thank everyone for their messages of congratulation.’
The building is part of a larger project which started in 2008 with the construction
of a custom-made Keder greenhouse. This is powered using micro-renewables
and includes a rainwater collection system to provide water for a range of
plants grown in both hydroponic and soil-based systems. The new building will
also use rainwater harvesting and wind-generated electricity and will feature
a range of measures aimed at contributing to the company’s ethos of
minimising its environmental impact as much as possible.
Other rural businesses will also benefit from this award as local materials
will be used in its construction, including straw bale insulation, and the
work will be carried out by local tradesmen. An application for detailed planning
consent has recently been submitted to Highland Council and it is hoped that
construction can begin as soon as all the necessary consents have been obtained.
Background notes:
The Achiltibuie Garden is based in Achiltibuie, Wester Ross, part of the North-West Highlands Geopark. There are several strands to the business which at the moment concentrates on its mail order element, supplying a range of hydroponics growing kits. These range from those suitable for growing herbs on a windowsill to custom-designed systems for domestic greenhouses. There is a loyal and well-established customer base from when the business of The Achiltibuie Hydroponicum was taken over in early 2007 by three of its employees: Julie Edwards, Alison Graham and Diana Wilding. They then chose the name The Achiltibuie Garden to reflect a wider range of activities from those carried out by the old Hydroponicum. In addition to the mail order, The Achiltibuie Garden grows and sells a range of fresh produce and is currently developing outdoor growing spaces on its site in Achiltibuie. The visitor centre is the next stage in the company’s development and it is hoped that it will be ready to welcome visitors later this year.
More detailed information is available at: http://www.thehydroponicum.com/page.php/18/The_Company.html
Contact details for The Achiltibuie Garden:
Alison Graham or Julie Edwards
Tel 01854 622202 email info@thehydroponicum.com web www.thehydroponicum.com