ARDANAISEIG’S Highland setting is a wildlife photographer’s dream, the grounds teeming with deer, squirrels, voles, birds, fish, insects and plant life.
With the launch of its new wildlife photography packages, guests at Ardanaiseig can now experience the joy and excitement of wildlife photography as part of their stay, whatever their level of expertise. They needn’t even bring their own camera.
The two-night package includes a full day’s guidance and tuition by multi-award winning photographer, Philip Price of Loch Visions (www.lochvisions.co.uk). At the start of the day, after a hearty breakfast, guests will be introduced to Philip and be given a digital SLR camera and other useful photographic tools.
After a kick-start tutorial on the basics of photography and how to use the equipment, guests will then spend half a day with Philip in a selection of Loch Visions’ purpose built photographic zones on the banks of Loch Awe.
These zones have been carefully selected to maximise the ease and opportunities of photographing wild and natural subjects. A purpose built vole and forest bird hide, wild flower and butterfly meadow and loch side vantages will ensure that no guest goes home disappointed.
Philip will remain on hand to assist and tutor each guest as required. The afternoon will be spent in the digital suite where guests will download their pictures and learn about image storage, printing and manipulation. Each visitor will take away a CD containing each of their pictures as well as one high-quality printout of their favourite shot.
The two-night packages start from £308 per person, based on two people sharing and include breakfast each day, two gourmet five-course meals and a full day of professional photography tuition in groups of no more than six people (unless otherwise requested)
Private bookings, advanced level tuition and tailored packages are also available on request.
www.ardanaiseig.com and www.lochvisions.co.uk
Notes to Editors
ABOUT ARDANAISEIG
Ardanaiseig is a mysterious, baronial-style, 4* country house hotel that rests at the foot of Ben Cruachan, on the shores of Loch Awe in the Scottish Highlands. Its tranquil setting makes for an ideal romantic escape or relaxing retreat. The consistently high level of service under award-winning manager, Peter Webster, draws people back to the hotel time and time again.
As well as being a delight to behold, Ardanaiseig is firmly established as a food-lovers hotel. The five-course gourmet meals never fail to impress, thanks to the unique culinary flair of head chef and Medaille d’Or winner Gary Goldie and his use of the very finest local and international ingredients. During the course of 12 years at Ardanaiseig, Gary’s reputation has gone from strength to strength as he continues to draw upon new inspirations and an endless resource of passion and creativity.
The ground, sky and waters around Ardanaiseig offer up an abundance of delightful ingredients. Gary regularly incorporates local produce into his recipes and can often be seen foraging or hunting for ingredients himself. The hotel as a year-round license to shoot roe deer and the Loch offers up a fine assortment of fish. In the grounds, garlic, wild leek, hogweed, purple clover, wood sorrel, meadowsweet, land cress, nettles, elderflower, elder berries, raspberries, blackberries and rowan berries, to name but a few, are in plentiful supply.
Whilst for some, Ardanaiseig is the perfect place to unwind or find creative inspiration, for others it is the resting place after a day of outdoor adventure. A number of activities can be arranged as part of a stay at Ardanaiseig – from horse riding, flying, sailing and climbing, to deer stalking, fishing, clay pigeon shooting and foraging.
Ardanaiseig can be hired for exclusive use and is particularly popular for weddings and celebrations. Ardanaiseig also offers tickets for a number of special events at the hotel, from murder mystery weekends to mushroom forages.
Ardanaiseig’s growing list of awards include a Medaille d’Or, AA 2 rosettes, Food Review 5*, Gold Medal for Management Excellence 2008, Scottish National Hotel Chef of the Year 2008, Scottish Intimate Wedding Hotel of the Year 2007 an 2008, Scottish Romantic Hotel of the Year 2006.
ABOUT LOCH VISIONS
Philip Price, the 29 year-old founder of www.lochvisions.co.uk, runs a range of wildlife photography experiences in and around Loch Awe. As well as providing one-day packages for amateurs, which include camera equipment and technical instruction, Philip offers tailored packages for experienced photographers, with opportunities to visit seal and puffin colonies.
Philip photography has been published in a wide range of titles including Scotland Outdoors Magazine, BBC Wildlife Magazine, The Courier, Electronics Weekly, Envirowise, Momenta and Argyll Communities Organisation. Corporate clients include outdoor retailer Tiso, Singer Songwriter Laura McGhee and Colin Prior. Philip has also worked for the National Geographic critter cam unit and has a growing list of awards including:
British Countryside Alliance Award for Best Rural Enterprise of the Year 2008
Scottish Countryside Alliance Award for Best Rural Enterprise of the Year 2008
Finalist in the National Thistle tourism awards 2008
Finalist in the Field Magazine UK Young Rural Entrepreneur of the Year 2008
Regional PSYBT Business Award 2008
Best Tourism Business, Moffat and HYPERLINK “http://www.lochvisions.co.uk/http/:www.psybt.org.uk” PSYBT Tourism Awards 2008
E-Commerce at Annual Highlands & Islands Business Awards 2007/8
Two semi-final places in the international BBC wildlife photographer of the year 2007 competition (32,000 entries from 57 countries).
One semi-final placing in the international BBC wildlife photographer of the year 2006 competition
National RSPB Wildlife Countryside Alive photographic competition
Commended by Practical Photography in their Picture of Freedom competition
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Contact: Jill Ferguson
Phone: 0779 234 5965
Email: jill@tigerfishconsultants.com
