Festive greetings to you all. We hope you have enjoyed 2009 and are looking forward to the next decade in the 21st century.

2009 has been a wonderful year for Rabbie's as we have been honoured with 4 hugely prestigious awards. Earlier in the year we won a Special Judges Award for Inspiration, but since our last newsletter we have been presented with 3 more! At the Scottish Tourism Oscars ceremony in October we were really excited to be double winners of Thistle Awards in the "Extra Mile" for Customer Care category and the Operator Programme of the Year for our Scottish Island adventures. We have sinced learnt that we are the first company in the long history of the Thistle awards to win 4 in the space of 3 years - a great tribute to all at Rabbie's and the wonderful feedback you have all given us.

In November we secured another great accolade as one of Scotland's leading environmentally conscious businesses, receiving a prestigious Vision in Business for the Environment of Scotland Award (VIBES). Taking place at the Scottish Parliament, Rabbie's was presented with the Best Management Award in the small company category by Minister for Environment Roseanna Cunningham. Open to any business from any sector or type located in Scotland, the VIBES aim to promote efficient use of resources and enhance their environmental performance.

Managing Director for Rabbie's Trail Burners, Robin Worsnop commented: "We are delighted to be recognised with a VIBES award. Since we launched in 1993, we have built the company by valuing, managing and conserving our environment. Not only in preserving the legacy of our beautiful country for future generations to enjoy, but supporting and working with local independent businesses, helping to sustain their communities, promote local cultures, environment and wildlife. Our success in reducing the carbon footprint of our customers and our team's passion for the environment has contributed hugely to the visitor experience and the success of Rabbie's as a business. Receiving the VIBES award is a great testament to the commitment of the whole Rabbie's team."

What an incredible year for the team at Rabbie's as it is wonderful to be recognised by our peers. It was great to see Calum collecting our two Thistle awards from Midge Ure (from the 80s band Ultravox). He played some great tunes after the dinner as well.

We would also like to thank all of you for joining us on tours, and for your generous and positive feedback. You inspire us all to keep delivering memorable and enriching experiences to last a lifetime.

Start planning your 2010 touring holidays soon...
A lot of bookings have already started coming in for our exciting range of tours next season. We've got more departures to the Outer Hebrides, Orkney, Islay and the Lake District and a brand new North of England 5 day tour to York, the Yorkshire Moors and the Lake District.

We've done some careful planning for 2010 as well, so that the tours are scheduled to dovetail together - so if you want to spend a bit more time in the Highlands you can do up to 16 days on an Island Hopping Extravaganza visiting 8 islands on the north and west coast of Scotland. What an amazing experience to be had. I want to get out of the office more!!

Other combination tours which are possible include:
13 Day Island Hopping Adventure.
9 Day Iona, Mull, Skye and Orkney.
9 Day Orkney and the Outer Hebrides
8 Day Islay, Mull and Skye
7 Day Skye, Edinburgh and the Lake District.

Battle of Prestonpans - 1745
Bonnie Prince Charlie, or Charles Edward Stuart, the grandson of the exiled King James V11 and 11 embarked on a mission to Scotland to win back the throne from the Hanoverian dynasty. Having rallied support from some Highland clans, notably the Camerons, Charlie and his newly acquired army headed south. On the 21st September Bonnie Prince Charlie's men defeated Sir John Cope, the army loyal to the Hanoverian George 11 at Prestonpans, having already assumed control over the Scottish capital Edinburgh.

The day before Sir John Cope's forces had met Charlie's advance guard. Cope decided to stand his ground and engage the Jacobite army separated by a large open marshland. Copes men made camp. At 4am the next morning the Jacobite army, having been informed of a secret path through the marsh by a local farmer's son, crept three abreast over Riggonhead. At 6am Cope's men were roused to the sight of about 1400 Jacobites, screaming their fierce battle cries charging through the early dewy fog with their swords flaying in what must have been a blood curdling and heart thundering spectacle.

The battle lasted less than 10 mins with Cope's men floundering as they tried in vain to face down the enemy. Cope's losses were substantial. The Jacobite losses, by contrast, were minimal. The Jacobite machine was rolling with great success. Time and history, proved that despite Bonnie Prince Charlies success thus far, his time was to run out. The battle of Culloden on 16th April 1746 ended his campaign in a battle that would see the Jacobite army cut down and slaughtered in atrocious conditions on a wet and windswept Drumossie moor.

This year on the eve of the battle of Prestonpans, I was out in the local Prestonpans tavern, and it was a very surreal experience. Propping up the bar were numerous dressed up Jacobites and red coat soldiers adding a sense of nostalgia to a very ordinary night in 2009 as they prepared for the re-enactment of the battle the following day.

Gaelic thought for the day - smaoin an latha

Gheibh righ feachd, 's gheibh domhan daoine

Kings will find armies, and the world men.

SHORT STORY

A wee croft along a single track road close to the shores of Loch Eil with hidden waterfalls and a natural spring providing crystal clear water straight from the hill made this place heaven to me. A mobile grocery van used to hurtle along the road once a week for the purchase of a few basic essentials, and the idea of being the postman always appealed. With noses pressed firmly against the small paned window we would watch the landrover trundle over the stony rutted drive where a warm welcome awaited, and another chance for a hot cup of tea and some hot local gossip.

Inside the small living space, there was an old press (cupboard) and a blackened cooking range. Uncle Charlie also had a wooden sideboard against one wall, and to me and my sisters it was very special. It contained two cupboards and a set of drawers in the middle, ideally meant to hold crockery and dish towels and other kitchen assortments. My eyes were always drawn to those drawers in particular. In fact I I would sit rivetted, focused, willing Uncle Charlie to open the 'special' drawer, where, as if by magic, a huge cake was produced every time. Hunks of bread, home made jam and butter, and this huge cake were the finest culinery delights to me.

I recall evenings spent playing the card game whist, the excitement of the first running water being piped into the wee house from the spring, and when the ancient television conjured up hazy images on the one available channel. As a child I played outside all the time, I skint my knees, I breathed in the fresh Highland air, and to this day my heart has always been in the Highlands.

Name? Aimee Lightowler

Position in Rabbies? Sales team, tour consultant and (cook extraordinaire)

Where are you from? Bradford, West Yorkshire

Where is your favourite place in Scotland? Glencoe (very hard to beat )

What is your greatest achievement to date? Without a doubt - appearing in Rabbie's newsletter! (aah lass!)

What is your favourite piece of music? I can't possibly commit to an overall favourite but "Brother" by "the Organ" springs to mind right now.

What is your most embarassing moment to date? Most recently - explaining how I managed to smash the living room window to bemused flat mates. (Have you started celebrating the festivities early this year lass?)

What are your favourite hobbies? Playing the guitar (badly), swimming, cooking, arts and crafts (cooking we can vouch for)

What was the last book you read? " The Other Hand" by Chris Cleave. (I think this book is doing the office rounds)

A wee festive joke
Good Kind Wencelas phoned for a pizza. The sales assistant asked him - do you want your usual? Deep pan, crisp and even. ha ha.....

Rabbie's Staff Conference and Party
In a change of tradition this year our end of season conference/party was held at Kirknewton stables, near Edinburgh. A lovely setting in West Lothian, where we spent the afternoon split into groups of 5 or 6, complete with some clues, a camera and a map with which to orientate ourselves around the estate, whilst answering questions and participating in some team building exercises.These were traditional exercises where you had to use your brain to work out how to cross rancid waters using planks of wood and tree stumps. Entrusting yourself into your colleagues hands as they guided you blind-folded over a series of obstacles, and lastly to relieve a bucket of water set in the middle of poisonous waters without dropping it, by using ropes and wooden poles. Although the weather forecast had looked dismal, the afternoon stayed dry if just a little soggy under foot. Battling against time and the darkness that descended quickly making it a twilight adventure, we all made it back to base by night fall. My favourite part was the 30 minutes allocated to design and dress a team member from a selection of materials including cardboard/ bin bags/cloths/tinfoil/bobbles/paper to name but a few. Once an idea became apparent to us after rustling through the goodies, there was no shortage of volunteer models willing to strut their stuff on the red carpeted catwalk. The evening was rounded off by indulging in some fabulous sweetcorn chowda soup and a barbeque all prepared by Calum with Robin on barbequeing duties. I may add that the BBQ was indoors and afterwards we girated to a few tunes, played on a wii, and invented a new game of human tabogganing. Another successful Rabbie's day out.

And that's it for another quarter. We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a great 2010.

Hope to see you on tour again soon.
(Chi mi sibh a dh'aithghearr)

Nollaig chridheil agus bliadhna mhath Ur.

Suu and all at Rabbie's.