The Gruinard whopper and a funding win

Hello, it's Thursday again, and that means it's time for another Wester Ross Round-up. This week we're sending the newsletter to 931 subscribers. But! We still think we can reach more people. So if you know of a friend, relative or colleague who likes to stay informed about what's going on in this corner of the world, please do forward this to them and encourage them to sign-up.

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🎣 Is Burger King opening up at Laide? Fear not, this week's headline is nothing to do with burger chains. It refers to an exceptional fish caught by an angler on the Gruinard River. James Brown caught a 24½lb "whopper" salmon there this June. It is the heaviest salmon recorded on the river since 1936. More: Hector MacKenzie | Ross-Shire Journal (£)

🚮 As well as big fish, Gruinard will soon be able to benefit from bigger bins. As will the car park at Gairloch Harbour. The new bins are part of Highland wide initiative from the council to better manage waste generated by tourists. More: Philip Murray | Inverness Courier. (£)

🏊‍♂️ Regular readers may recall that a few weeks ago we shared a call for letters of support for a funding bid from the Trustees who manage Poolewe Swimming Pool. Well, if you were one of the people that sent a letter in, or a regular user of the pool, you'll be pleased to know that the funding bid was successful. Highland Council announced this week they have awarded £21,000 towards the costs of the revamp. The Applecross Community Company was also awarded £44,000 towards an affordable housing project from the same funding pot. More: Highland Council.

🎉 Of course this weekend it's the Gairloch Highland Gathering. Ignore the weather forecast - fortune favours the brave and there's absolutely loads going on. More: Facebook PS: If you take any photos at the event, please send them to us so we can share them later.

🛶 And the organisers of the Aultbea Flotilla (!) have confirmed the event is on, and that it will include, once again, plop the poo. More details in the flyer below. Organisers are also looking for raffle contributions too.

⚓ Meanwhile in Nova Scotia, a full-size replica of a ship that transported 189 people cleared from Lochbroom and Coigach to Pictou Harbour in 1773 is about to launch, with much fanfare. More: Craig Williams | The Herald (£)

⛵And in even more boating news, Gairloch Boat Club have released dates and times for a series of Thursday evening race sessions over the summer. More: Facebook.

🍰 The increasingly busy Old Schoolhouse at Inverasdale is adding a second afternoon cafe. You can now get tea, scones and browse the second hand shop on Wednesday each week and the following Tuesdays: July 8, 5 and 12 August. More: Facebook.

📮 People living in Shieldaig and Applecross are still getting very poor service from the Royal Mail, with some people saying that they've started contacting politicians and regulators to complain. If you have been affected by this or have written to a local politician about this, please do consider sharing your story - and any official responses you get with us.

🍻 GALE has announced the community pub at The Shieling in Gairloch will be open 15:00 - 21:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday throughout July. More: GALE.

🥃 The Badachro Distillery is set to expand with a new still house and hopes to begin whisky production by the end of 2025. More: Federica Stefani | Ross-shire Journal (£). See the planning application for more detail: 25/02008/FUL

🥖 Ullapool's Jojo Deli, a popular delicatessen and bakery known for its baked goods and homemade ice cream, is on the market for offers over £185,000 as the owner seeks to pursue other business interests. More: Iona M.J. MacDonald | Ross-shire Journal (£) and Rightmove.

🛑 On Friday July 4, the Gairloch and Aultbea Medical Practice will be closed for a holiday.

📚 Also, as the school summer holidays kick off, Gairloch Library has announced it is moving to summer opening hours. It will be open in the early afternoon on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (exact hours vary each day). More: Facebook.

📖 Local Mark Ison has written a book. It's called Eighland and it is a fantasy novel based in and around Gairloch around 5000 years ago. You can get hold of a copy from Mark, borrow it from the library, or buy it on Amazon. More: Facebook.

⚕️NHS Highland are looking for a Voluntary Public Committee Member of the Pharmacy Practice Committee. This committee has a say on the pharmacy services that are provided throughout the Highlands. No experience is required. You can find out more by filling in this online form.

📶 The UK Government has met a key nationwide mobile phone signal coverage target a year early. It has also confirmed that fewer new masts are now planned in Scotland as part of its controversial Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme. A revised map has been released showing where "Total Not Spot" SRN masts are now planned, including a cluster around the Fannichs and the head of Loch Broom. More: ISP Review.

☎️ Following a lengthy campaign against many of the most remote initial SRN mast proposals, a fair few SRN mast applications also seem to have been withdrawn, including one that was proposed near Ben Damph. It attracted 35 objections, including one from the local community council.

🤖 Writing for an OECD website, the head teacher of Gairloch High School, Stuart Caddell, describes new AI technology as a "game changer" for rural schools. More: Stuart Caddell | OECD Education and Skills Today.

🌧️ The MET Office have announced that England recorded the warmest June on record. But in Wester Ross, we had more rain than average, less sunlight than average, and it was only slightly warmer than average. More: MET Office.

🐑 3500 of the 16,000 crofters in Scotland have failed to send in the annual return that they are supposed to send to the Crofting Commission each year, even though it's a legal requirement. That's more than 1 in 5 crofters. Commission chairman Andrew Thin said the figure was "disappointing." More: Cameron Angus-MacKay | BBC

🪶 Recently, the Westminster parliament considered a petition promoted by Chris Packham, among others, proposing that driven grouse shooting should be banned. The petition was signed by more than 104,000 people around the UK, including 338 people who live locally in the Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency. Constintuency MP Angus MacDonald did not support the petition, and chose to recite a poem to the house in response.

⌛ Gairloch Museum are considering building a round-house at Achtercairn and are inviting locals to give their views on the plans at a meeting on at the museum on July 15. They've also been to a round-house that is already in construction at Applecross. Find out more and watch the video on Facebook.

🏠 And finally, following a council debate on the issue, we want to know whether you think there are too many short-term lets where you live and whether the council ought to bring in tougher rules to regulate new ones. Take our quick poll and let us know what you think.

PS - Don't forget! Another packed issue of the paper comes out this Friday, and it'll be available in all these shops to buy.

PPS - CORRECTION: an earlier version of this newsletter said that the tea room at the Old School House in Inverasdale was going to open every Tuesday. In fact, it is planned to open for three dates in the Summer. The original entry has been amended to reflect this.