Raft race returns and muirburn rules delayed

Hi! It's time for another weekly round-up of Wester Ross News. This week our newsletter is wending its way to more than 929 people. If you've just joined us - welcome! If you've just found us and want to join in, tap the button below. It's free!

📚 The funeral of award-winning poet and well-known Melvaig resident Dr Iain Blake takes place today at St. Maelrubha's Episcopal Church at 11am.

🏘️ Also today, Highland Council will consider proposals to further regulate short-term lets, after licensing figures for the local authority revealed it had issued 7000 short-term let licenses and refused just four applications. Councillors look set to explore the scope for expanding the existing Badenoch and Strathspey Short-Term Let Control Zone to other parts of the Highlands. This would mean people that operate short-term lets in any new control zones would need to gain planning permission to operate in addition to having a license. More: Peter Cassidy | STV News

🚾 The much relied-upon and much-missed public toilets at Achnasheen Village Hall do not appear likely to be making a re-appearance any time soon. Highland Council has put the whole building up for sale for a mere £50,000. Potential buyers are warned: "The property is served by a septic tank system, which is currently not in working order. Interested parties are strongly advised to obtain independent professional advice." More: Highland Council.

💃 On Saturday June 28, the Andrew MacDonald Ceilidh Band are playing at the Loch Torridon Village Hall. Doors open at 7.30pm. More: Facebook.

👣 Ullapool Hillwalking Club are inviting people to join them for an "open walk" taking in the The Lady Fowler Walks at Inverbroom on June 29. More: Facebook.

👥 The next Wester Loch Ewe Community Council meeting will be held on July 2 at 19.30 in Inverasdale School. All welcome. Email agenda items to: [email protected]

🎨 Gairloch Museum are hosting a new exhibition of artworks by members of the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour. Details of the preview event in the flyer below.

🖌️ At Kinlochewe Village Hall they've been a running a regular programme of intergenerational activities for a while now. Some of the forthcoming dates in the flyer below. More: Facebook.

🛶 The Shieldaig Fete Raft Race is back, but participants are needed. More details in the flyer below.

🌲 The Ben Damph Estate is offering to host a chainsaw course, but they need more self-funding people to make it worthwhile. More: Facebook.

🏊 Details of the 2025 summer programme at Poolewe Swimming pool have been published. More: Facebook.

🦀 The High Life Highland Ranger team have also announced four events in Wester Ross that could help occupy the bairns over the summer holidays. Details in the flyer below. To book a place go to the High Life Highland website.

🧖‍♂️ Having already raised £12k, Applecross Health and Wellbeing are seeking help to raise the last £6000 they need to set-up a community-owned sauna. More: Crowdfunder

🔥 The Scottish Government's recent decision to delay new muirburn licensing rules until January 1, 2026, has been welcomed as a "pragmatic" move by groups representing landowners and gamekeepers, but conservationists are not so happy. More: Katherine Hay | Scotsman and the Raptor Persecution Blog. This interactive map by government regulator NatureScot shows that a great deal of Wester Ross will be in scope of the new licensing regime when it does come into force.

🚗 On Friday June 27, TV production company Studio Lambert (who are behind The Traitors, among other shows) will be filming slow moving vehicles on the A896 in the Torridon Glen near Loch Claire. More: Facebook

🚦If you are driving to Inverness next week be aware that there will be geophysical surveys being undertaken on the A835 at Loch Garve, 1 mile south of Garve from July 1 to July 3. On Tuesday 1 July the works will take place between 9am and 5pm under the existing temporary traffic lights. On Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 July the works will take place between 7pm and midnight under a 10mph convoy. More: BEAR Scotland.

👩‍⚕️ Gairloch and Aultbea Medical Practice have announced they are installing a new phone system that is set to go live on July 10. The new system will have new menus and a call-back function.  Choosing the call-back option will keep your place in the queue and automatically call you back when you reach the front of the queue. More: Practice website.

🦷 A new dental practice is opening at Kyle, and it is accepting NHS patients. Here's what NHS Highland told us: "Ros an Iar Dental Practice will be opening in Kyle. It will offer both NHS and private options. To register interest in joining the practice, patients should visit www.rosaniardental.co.uk and enter details. Priority will be given to former patients of Old Sick Bay." The NHS Highland spokesperson added: "There is no update on providing additional sessions at the PDS dental clinic in Ullapool and there are no plans to open a new dental practice in Gairloch or Torridon."

⚡If you are on variable rate electricty tarrif and do not have a smart meter, it's worth submitting a meter reading to your energy supplier as soon as you can. The price cap drops 7% on June 30, and submitting a meter reading could stop you from being overcharged. More: MoneySavingExpert.com

🎤 Ullapool musician RuMac's humorous cover of the England football anthem "Three Lions" may have helped him land a role in Danny Boyle's new zombie film, "28 Years Later," after production designers spotted him performing in an Inverness pub. More: Steven McKenzie | BBC.

🏡 Highland Council has announced a £9.2m plan to upgrade 1000 council homes. The work will see council homes fitted with air source heat pumps, solar panels and better insulation. More: Highland Council.

🍔 In an opinion piece for the Daily Mail, John MacLeod reflects on a simple burger and fries order in Inverness, where the touch screen allowed him to order in Welsh, but not Gaelic. Will the latest Holyrood language laws make any difference? More here.

⛵ And finally, here's some video footage from the Gairloch Boat Club's regatta last weekend.

The deadline for submissions for the next issue of the Gairloch and District Times is tomorrow at 10am. If you have a photo, event, family milestone, community notice or something else to share with the community let us know using this form.