News and Information
Ensemble Astera – Residency in Drimnin House
Ensemble Astera is a dynamic young European woodwind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn) founded in 2019. Its members, representing four nationalities, are graduates of the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne.
Winner of the 2023 Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition for wind quintets, the jury noted its refined sound, precision, energy and deep respect for the composer.
Fresh from performing at the Lavaux Festival on the shores of Lake Geneva, the quintet has performed widely across Europe and for radio and is Artist in Residence at the Fondation Singer-Polignac in Paris, while its members have performed with leading European orchestras.
The varied programme is an opportunity to hear music that will feature in the quintet’s first album to be recorded next month, including varied works by Samuel Barber (Summer Music), Claude Debussy (Petit Suite), Fazil Say (Alevi Dedeler raki masasinda) and Carl Nielsen (Wind Quintet Op 43).
The concerts and refreshments in the interval are free but donations, which can be made at the chapel, are welcomed to support the work of the charity.
To ensure we have space in the chapel, please email drimnin.chapel@gmail.com or call 07767 443504 (please do leave a message and a return telephone number if I do not reply) to let us know if you plan to come and the numbers in your party.
Advanced Notice on Saturday 27th July at 3.00 pm Katherine Wren and Lisa Robertson will be giving a concert in their ‘On a Wing and a Prayer’ series. Katherine and Lisa spent a week together in Morvern in May researching ecological issues in the area and creating new music based on their experiences. Lisa is a native of Lochaline so we are particularly pleased that the project includes a concert in Morvern.
Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th May 2024
Two concerts both at 2.30pm. The Kleio String Quartet is returning to Drimnin after its triumph at the Carl Nielsen International Competition in Copenhagen, where it won first prize immediately following its Drimnin residency last year. The Kleio will be joined this year by Cuarteto Iberia an exciting young award-winning string quartet from Madrid with a diverse repertoire. John Myerscough of the Doric Quartet and Mendelssohn on Mull will be coaching again.
Please visit St Columbas Chapel Trust website for more details about other concerts throughout the year
Lunch is available at Achnacriche B&B by prior reservation on 07715 677277 (before 3.00pm on Friday please).
Concert details:
We begin the weekend of concerts at Drimnin with three quartets by the undisputed classical masters of the genre, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. The Cuarteto Iberia from Spain will open Saturday’s concert with Mozart's K.387 G major quartet, full of the joys of spring. The London-based Kleio Quartet will then perform Haydn's 'Rider' quartet Op. 74 No. 3, a rustic and dance-filled work. The Iberia's will end the concert with Beethoven's majestic and epic first 'Razumovsky' quartet Op. 59 No. 1.
On Sunday we will hear two classics from the repertoire - Haydn's Quartet in C Op. 74 No. 1, full of wit and invention, and Dvorak's glorious final quartet Opus 106 in G Major. In between these the Kleio Quartet will perform two movements for quartet by the American jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis.
Thank you to Sarah Woodfin from Trees For Life and her dedicated volunteers for bringing the first batch of Red Squirrels to Drimnin
We have no greys here and acres and acres of hazels and oaks, much of which is designated SSSI. We hopefully these squirrels will make Drimnin their home, and their offspring will spread, eventually linking with those released at Ardtornish a number of years ago.
If you spot any squirrels (either here in Drimnin or elsewhere) please report them to Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels https://scottishsquirrels.org.uk/
We are so pleased that all three of our cottages have just been awarded FeeFo's Certificate of Excellence for 5 star guest review rating in 2023
We're pleased to announce that Achnacriche Bed & Breakfast has been awarded 9.6 in the Booking.com traveller awards 2024.
Our congratulation go to Elfik and Zuzana, who have worked tirelessly to ensure their guests have enjoyed their visit to this beautiful part of Scotland.
Click for more details about this award.
UPDATE: We would be pleased if you would join us in Drimnin Village Hall in January 2024
The review is being undertaken now as most of the key elements of our previous plans have been completed and we face significant need for change in relation to factors such as climate, the natural environment, governmental policy and agricultural support. We will be undertaking the review with support from our existing advisers as well as a firm specialising in this sort of strategic review.
Community Input:
Before we start formulating specific proposals, our intention is to ensure the widest possible consultation with the local community and other interested stakeholders to enable us to obtain as much input from members of the community as possible.
To facilitate discussion we held an open meeting for the community in the Village Hall on Tuesday 10 October . A short presentation outlining some initial thoughts on objectives and possible actions, was followed by a longer discussion. We would like to thank all who were able to attend the meeting for their input. A pdf copy of the powerpoint presentation can be found by clicking the link below.
If you were unable to attend the meeting or have further comments please contact us please scroll to a section near the bottom of our contacts page where you can leave us a message, or send an email to enquiries@drimninestate.co.uk with a subject title "Feedback Drimnin Estate Future Strategy & Plans".
UPDATE: We would be pleased if you would join us in Drimnin Village Hall in January 2024 (date to be arranged). We hope you will share with us any further thoughts you have, and provide you with more information on progress so far.
We look forward to seeing you there
Derek and Louise Lewis
We are pleased to tell you that the Drimnin - Tobermory Water Taxi will be in operation from the 19th June
This will be a once weekly service from Drimnin Jetty to Tobermory.
For more details and to book go to www.tobermoryboattrips.co.uk/tour/drimnin-tobermory-water-taxi/
We are pleased to announce that Achnacriche Bed and Breakfast Restaurant is now open to cottage guests and non-residents
£30 per person for three cources
Due to our remote location pre-booking is essential
call Elfik or Zuzana on 07715 677277 or email bandb@drimninestate.co.uk
St Columba’s Drimnin Trust
Music in Drimnin Chapel at Easter
The Kleio and The Edenis Quartets
For the full programme click on the image or download the pdf
The first concerts of 2023 will take place in Drimnin Chapel on the 7th and 8th April, at the end of residencies by two young string quartets – the Kleio and the Edenis.
The Kleio Quartet, formed in 2019 at the International Chamber Academy in Switzerland, has since enjoyed a residency at Aldeburgh and has performed at venues such as the Wigmore Hall and Royal Festival Hall in London. They will be travelling straight from their residency at Drimnin to Denmark for the Copenhagen International Chamber Music Competition.
The Edenis Quartet, whose playing has been described as ‘magical’, has been selected to participate in the Royal Academy of Music’s Frost advanced string programme and has performed regularly in London as well as in France and at the Hatfield Music Festival.
The quartets are both coached by John Myerscough, the cellist of the renowned Doric Quartet, who is also music director of the Mendelssohn on Mull festival. John is Professor of Cello and Chamber Music at the Royal Academy of Music.
CONCERT DETAILS – both concerts at DRIMNIN CHAPEL
FRIDAY 7 April Evening Performance 7.00pm. Joint concert The Kleio Quartet and The Edenis Quartet
SATURDAY 8 April Matinee Performance: 2.30pm. Joint concert The Kleio Quartet and The Edenis Quartet
Those attending the Saturday are invited to a buffet lunch in Drimnin House from 12.15 pm and coffee will be available there from 10.30 am.
The concerts, refreshments at the chapel and coffee/lunch on the Saturday are free but donations, which can be made at the chapel, are welcomed to support the work of the charity. To enable planning of catering please email drimnin.chapel@gmail.com or call 07767 443504 to let us know if you plan to come, the numbers in your party, to which concert(s), and whether for lunch.
Programme details available at www.stcolumbasdrimnin.org on 3 April
Luing Bull for Sale - Wooplaw Expert (Sold)
Born 20/05/2018
Elite Health Status - Tick acclimatised
Selling as coming back on to his own family
For more information or photographs please contact Farm Manager John Davidson on 07825 542736 or email enquiries@drimninestate.co.uk
Panoramic sea views at Achleanan Farmhouse
7 nights 14th December for £450, book online at https://www.drimninestate.co.uk/achleanan-farmhouse
or email enquiries@drimninestate.co.uk if you wish flexible start date.
We are proud to say that all three of our self-catering cottages have been awarded a Feefo '5 Star Guest Review' for 2021. We are even more delighted when our guests take a few moments to let us know how much they enjoyed their stay and the things that made their holiday so special. Therefore, we thought we would share a few of our favourites from the 2021 visitors’ books with you.
We are looking forward to welcoming you all back, new faces and regulars.
Best Wishes from the Drimnin Estate Team.
26th Apr. ‘We came as soon as we were allowed into Scotland and have been delighted with everything throughout our stay. The house is perfect, warm and filled with light. The peace is just perfect. Enjoyed lots of the local walks with the dogs and trips to Sanna beach + Mull. Interesting visit to the distillery completed our 12 days here. Perfect weather in the first week + mixed but plenty of sunshine amongst the cold wind in the second week. We have loved the wildlife. Wheatears & meadow pipits everywhere, even the sound of a cuckoo.’ G Family from E.Yorks
26th June: ''Our third time here and even better this time. The weather has been amazing, sunshine most of the two weeks. Lovely days out to Tobermory and Oban on the ferry, in sunshine. Long circular walks from the back of the house. We achieved what we came for tranquillity, rest & relaxation. We have seen an eagle, deer and loved watching the antics of the sheep. But best of all was seeing a pine marten stroll across the lane between here and Lochaline right in front of us. A truly magical moment & holiday xxx.' L family from Llandrindod Wells
14th Aug: 'Butterflies, lots of butterflies, Scotch Argus, speckled Wood, Ringlet, White, Peacock and Tortoiseshell plus others yet to be researched. Dragonflies, slip wasp, bees and insects everywhere. Raptors – Hen harrier, eagles (both), kestrel, peregrine. Dolphins and otter in the Sound. Only thing missing was a pine marten, one night left …..' C & C Party from Glasgow & Banbury
2nd Oct. 'We had a wonderful time exploring. We went whale watching from Tobermory: saw minke whales, dolphins, sea eagle, gannets & more. We saw seals whilst exploring the Drimnin Estate looking down from the Chapel. The community woodland near lochaline is beautiful we saw sea eagles from there as well. Walking from Lochaline to Ardtonish a family of 3 (possibly 4) otters and a seal. We walked to the dam from Ardtornish Estate and beyond, watched two stags being very vocal (rutting season). The wildlife is amazing and the locals are helpful. The Drimnin Estate is such a treasure. Thank you.' G Party from Northampton & London
The new timber transport road running from Auchnasaul and from the centre of Carncailliche Forest to Auliston is now complete. Harvesting and transportation to the pier at Auliston will continue until the beginning of November, after which the pier will be removed for the winter. Due to unforeseen delays a proportion of this year’s allocation is now expected to be harvested and extracted between March and early June 2022. Once this backlog is completed there will be no further timber harvesting in 2022.
We are in the process of updating our website to give more details relating to forestry on the Estate, and will let you know when this is complete.
Kindest regards from Drimnin Estate
We would like to thank our guests, local residents and staff for their patience in this difficult time. As you will already know the Scottish Government has now permitted some tourism businesses to accept guests from the 3rd July 2020, including self-catering properties.
We are obviously keen for people to be able to enjoy holidays in Drimnin but our first priority must be the health, safety and wellbeing of our guests, employees, and the local community. We have reviewed all of the guidelines and conducted a full risk assessment. We have implemented new procedures to enable us to meet the additional requirements specified by the Government, requiring an increased interval between lets. In addition our cleaning staff have all completed additional training on the new cleaning protocols, designed in Association of Scotland’s Self Caterers (ASSC) and in partnership with the Tourist Organisations of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Drimnin Estate are registered under the “We’re Good To Go” industry standard. This is the official UK mark to signal that a tourism and hospitality business has worked hard to follow Government and industry COVID-19 guidelines and has a process in place to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing. Operating under the new restrictions will be a challenge and for everyone’s safety we will unfortunately need to operate at reduced capacity for a while. We would ask all of our visitors to follow this Visitor Charter so that we can all play our part to protect one another and mitigate the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
Best wishes and thank you from
the Drimnin Estate Team
We are very conscious of the threat posed by the Coronavirus pandemic and are doing everything we can to minimise the risks to our team, other members of the community and visitors. We are also keen to protect jobs and the community. Like others we, and our colleagues at Nc’nean Distillery, have had to take actions that we wish were not necessary – deferring holiday bookings into next year, temporarily closing our bed and breakfast, stopping visits to the distillery, imposing special restrictions on business visitors, and adhering rigorously to the guidance on social distancing. Unwelcome though they are, these actions are essential to the well-being of the people in this community, jobs and the sustainability of the local economy. We hope you will bear with us until Coronavirus is under control.
Kindest regards from Drimnin Estate
Here at Drimnin Estate Keith and Janine who run Achnacriche B&B have welcomed many guests to their home, with many booking via booking.com. The guests came far and wide from across the globe, but there is one thing they have in common, they loved Drimnin and their stay in Achnacriche. The B&B is proud to have been awarded 9.4 in the Booking.com Traveller Review Awards.
What is the Traveller Review Award : The Booking.com Traveller Review Awards is an annual appreciation programme that recognises partners for their exceptional hospitality, as evidenced in the review scores left by travellers after their stay or experience.
NOW SOLD
Wooplaw Tarras, Born 15/04/2015
Elite Health Status
Used for two successful seasons
Selling as coming back on to his own family
Very docile & tick acclimatised
Offers ? - Contact John Davidson 07825 542736
Perfect for Winter Warmer Hotpots
or prepare something special for friends to brighten those long crisp evenings. Estate reared hogget, venison and beef direct from #Drimnin Estate, be quick while stocks last.
Hebridean hogget is lean meat lower in cholesterol & higher in omega fatty acids. Hebridean sheep are slow to mature and graze on land containing a higher plant diversity. This allows the flavour of the meat to develop further.
Highland x beef available in a variety of cuts ( incl burgers).
Drimnin Estate meat is frozen, and can be collected from Drimnin Estate office by prior arrangement please call 07714 248425 or email enquiries@drimninestate.co.uk
The Estate has been developing extensive plans for the restoration of old, and the planting of new, woodland as well as the transportation of harvested timber. These were set out in a presentation to an informal Drimnin community meeting on 17 October 2019
Fantastic to see Nc' nean distillery here on Drimnin Estate featuring in The Guardian's top 10 whisky tours. So if you want to come and see for yourself why not book a night or two in Achnacriche B&B or longer in our cosy cottages. Alternatively share the experience with all your family & friends in the magnificently located Drimnin House (sleeps 20).
FREE unlimited broadband & Free logs
Our cottages now all have unlimited free WiFi with download speeds suitable for running Netflix, Iplayer, etc. So after a great day out, snuggle down in front of the log burner (The logs are also free) connect up your laptop or Ipad and spend the evening catching up with the weather forecast, old friends or the latest blockbuster.
The Lodge has a Smart TV
Here at Drimnin Estate we are proud and honoured to have been awarded the Scottish Land and Estates 2018 Helping It Happen Conservation Award, sponsored by Anderson Strathern:
If you would like to read more about this please visit http://www.helpingithappen.co.uk/case-study-322
Drimnin - Where Eagles Dare
On location in Drimnin with the BBC & Marra the sea eagle
Drimnin Estate was priviledge to host Marra the sea eagle during filming for the BBC4 documentary Turtle, Eagle, Cheetah: A Slow Odyssey BBC 4
Thank you to the BBC crew & the Elite Falconry team for sharing a great week http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09ksyb3
Keep upto date with all the Drimnin Estate news and views on social media
as in addition to Facebook and Twitter we are now live on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drimnine
For those that really do like 'a path less travelled' Achnacriche B&B really is off the beaten track, at the tip of the Morvern peninsula which has breathtaking views over Ardnamurchan and Tobermory on Mull. It is ideal for those looking for their first taste of this beautiful area, or for those self catering in Morvern who wish to extend their holiday by a few days.
For more information available on our B&B pages.
Drimnin Estate are delighted and proud to have received two awards. We are the first to receive the Scottish Land and Estates Rural Business Award, an award given in recognition of Estates, farms and land-based businesses that have helped their local region to flourish. Our congratulations also go to joint winners Luss Estates. We are also proud, that alongside Errichel Cottage, to have been the joint runners-up in the Green Business Category.
Snooker with a view at Drimnin House. With 10 bedrooms available Drimnin House is perfect for extended families and groups. The services of a cook and housekeeping staff mean everyone can enjoy a luxury break in this fabulous location.
Drimnin House is available to let on an exclusive party, fully catered basis all year round and comes complete with it's own cook and housekeeping staff ! For short breaks and longer stays, weddings, christenings, vow renewals, family holidays, celebrations and corporate events, we look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you to Drimnin Estate.
The restoration was completed in 2012 with funds raised by St.Columba’s Drimnin Trust and hosted its first wedding in 128 years, in September 2010. The Chapel was officially opened in May 2012 by His Royal Highness Prince Edward in a ceremony conducted by clergy from the Catholic, Church of Scotland and Episcopal Church of Scotland, and attended by Donald Cameron of Lochiel (Lord Lieutenant of Inverness), local residents with music provided by the Astrid String Quartet.