Waverley arrives and a worrying whale

Welcome to this week's Wester Ross Round-up. There are now more than 900 of you signed-up to get this newsletter 😄. Thank you to everyone who has shared it with their friends, family, neighbours and work collegues.

🚢 The Waverley paddle steamer arrives in Gairloch today. It leaves Gairloch pier at 11.45am and returns at 7.30pm, after cruising around Loch Broom for the afternoon. The trip coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first sailing of the ship "in preservation." The weather looks sunny for the trip. If you take any good photos of the Waverley, or from it, please do send them to us. We'd love to share them. At the time of writing there were still tickets available too. You can book online here.

The area around Gairloch Harbour is likely to be busy today. The funeral of Iain Shondan takes place at 11:30 at the Gairloch Free Church. A large turn out is expected for "one of the finest skippers in the west." Details of the funeral arrangements can be found here.

🏊 As we reported last week Poolewe Swimming Pool has re-opened. They've announced that swimming lessons are likely to start-up again next week. You can also find their opening hours here.

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🎶 Wester Ross Arts have announced two more concerts. The Alistair McCulloch Trio will play Gairloch Community Hall on July 25, and Claude Bourbon is lined up to play at Poolewe Village Hall on August 30. The Duncan Chisholm and Hamish Napier gig set for June 13 at Gairloch Community Hall is now sold out.

🛍️ Gairloch Thursday Market has been cancelled again this week. But if you need a market fix, the fortnightly Torridon Thursday Market is happening today.

🚗 The Gairloch Community Car Scheme are looking to recruit new drivers. If you're interested in getting stuck in you can find out more by calling 01445 712 867 or email them.

📻 Radio Wester Ross are looking for 8 volunteers up for joining their team tackling the Great Wilderness Challenge, on August 16.

💼 Loch Ewe Community Enterprise, the project that hopes to take ownership of a redundant industrial unit in Poolewe, has a new website. They are also asking for people to show support for their project. They explain more here.

🚦Significant overnight roadworks are planned west of Tarvie on the A835 from June 2 until June 10. If you are travelling that way avoid travelling after 7pm. You might find yourself in a long traffic queue. Details here.

🌲 On Tuesday May 27 in Shieldaig Hall, local Primary pupils will be sharing their experiences of recent Woodland Trust workshops all about Scotland’s rainforest, followed up with cake and tea. More info here.

🧦 Gairloch Museum has announced it is to hold two more Make Do And Mend sessions on June 13 and 14. Details in the flyer below.

♻️ Highland Council said that the amount of waste being sent to landfill has been cut by 7500 tonnes, after the local authority invested more than £7.5m in domestic waste services. There's more on the council website.

🎨 And sticking with the theme of recycling, The New Broom group is offering two upcycling workshops where you can learn how to revamp old picture frames. The workshops will take place on May 31 and June 7 in Ullapool.

🐑 A new knitting workshop called Noost has opened up in Ullapool this week. It can be found at West Argyll Street.

🍲 Meanwhile, popular Shieldaig Cafe Nanny's is up for sale. The leasehold has an asking price of £100,000. Details here.

⚡Gairloch Community Hall has now received planning permission to add 48 solar panels to its roof. Heat-pumps were recently installed at the hall, so the panels will help to cut heating bills and carbon emissions at the venue. Incidentally, if you are involved in running a community-owned building that could benefit from similar technology, The SSEN Powering Communities to Net Zero Fund is open for applications until June 25. Details here.

😎 Highland People's Power are also interested in hearing from community groups with buildings that could do with some independent help raising cash and installing solar panels. Find out more on their website.

🗣️ UHI NWH Ullapool are running a six week post-beginner Gaelic conversation class aimed at increasing confidence while communicating with others. It starts on May 26. Book a slot on Eventbrite here.

🌊 Gairloch-based outdoor activities business Climb Ride Explore are offering training courses in Canyoning and Coasteering. More on their website.

🏨 Highland hoteliers are urging local councillors to abandon plans for a "frightening" tourist tax, warning it could further harm an already struggling hospitality industry amid rising costs and declining international bookings, according to the RossShire Journal. Read more

🚤 Two men were rescued from the waters off Gairloch this week after their kayak capsized, with one man requiring medical attention, also reported by RossShire Journal. Read more here.

🌿 The Inverness Courier reports that despite calls for a phase-out, Highland Council's glyphosate usage has fluctuated, with a reduction from 111 kg in 2022 to 39.62 kg in 2023, and an increase to 47.64 kg in 2024. Changes in usage of the bee killing pesticide have been put down to weather conditions and service requests. Read more on the Inverness Courier website.

🏡 Are we going to see more regulation of Short-term lets (STLs) across the Highlands? In an Inverness Courier report, councillor Michael Gregson said: "The original idea, of people renting out part of their homes, has been swamped by a growth industry which is threatening the economic and social life of the Highlands... I believe opinion has now shifted to accept the need for an STL control zone in Inverness and perhaps other areas affected. If an STL control zone is declared it means new STLs will need to apply for planning permission as well as a license, before they can operate.

🏠 Speaking of housing, Ross and Cromarty was also named recently by council officials as the area with the greatest number of second homes in the Highlands. According to the latest figures there are 672 second homes in the area. In total, the council raised £5.8m in council tax from 3453 second homes across the region.

🪩 Kylie Minogue is coming to Scotland, so for some reason Scotrail felt the need to rename a station in honour of her visit. Cue a lot of locomotion-based jokes.

🐋 And lastly, a very rare Beluga Whale has been spotted in Loch Broom. Accordingly to Noel Hawkins, who posted videos of the whale to his Facebook profile, only 20 or 30 of the white mammals have ever been recorded in UK waters. Local conservation groups are concerned for its welfare and are urging people to look out for it in case it gets stranded.