Fiskavaig plots, a visit to Mary and visitors to Ord. PS: It's Skye for us.

A beautiful clear and still morning with the Cuillins looking close enough to touch and the water so clear you can see the fish in it.

clear water but no fish

 After a further chat with our nearest neighbours, who have just bought their own plot of land just up the road where they are going to build their new home, we decide that today is a plot hunting kind of day and head off to the west coast. Look at one plot at Satran, immediately re-named Satan by Gary, but it is not for us as it is at the very end of the loch and for most of the day the view would be of seaweed.
The soundtrack for today's drive is Paranoid by Black Sabbath (1970) would be a bit of head-banging and air guitar if Gary wasn't driving - some good singing along though.
Fiskavaig is another of those villages at the end of a long road. There are bus stops everywhere and we pass the Talisker distillery en-route. The road is stunning with views over Loch Harport in one direction and the mountains in the other. To day the loch is blue and sparkly - a perfect plot searching day.
We drive past the first site, note the second and find the third. This plot is high up with a good view over the bay; however there is a second plot that will only be released once plot 1 has been built on. Hmm, could be a problem later when someone plonks their house directly in front of your view! Place this one in the "to be considered further" pile.
We saw the new access road to number 20 and decide to park up and walk to the house site. The access road is long and climbs steadily - could be some future maintenance costs here - but once you reach the levelled house site, the views and the silence are glorious. We spend quite a bit of time walking the boundary and checking various other bits of the plot. This is quite large (0.8 of an acre) and nothing could impede the view in the future. Decide we quite like this one!
Back to the road and on to number 25, which has four plots for sale. We can't see them for looking although we are convinced that we are in the right place. Gary spies a chap strimming and asks him if he knows where the plots are. He is very friendly and gives us chapter and verse. No wonder we struggled - they are where we thought they might be and marked out by a single post planted in the centre of each. Given that the weeds / grass is thigh high in places, spotting a very small marker post is nigh on impossible. We had written them off as having no view but the chap suggested climbing through the field up to plot no 1 which does indeed boast a view to MaCleods tables (mountains), the loch and its islands and the outer hebrides. Decide we quite like this one too.
It is now well past lunchtime so we retreat to the Old Inn at Colbost for a well deserved lunch.
Head into Portree after lunch to pick up details of a couple more plots and to replenish supplies then head back with a coffe stop in a layby with a view of the Cuillins from a different angle. On the way back to Ord, we spot Mary cycling home from work ( at least 10 miles with lots of ups)
Home, shower, change and drive over the two hills to Mary's house. She and her guest are eating dinner although she doesn't let that stop her showing us around. We are on time and not late for once. The house is truly wonderful, on an elevated site with a picture window that captures the mountains as if they were a living picture. I would just sit there all day and never go out. Otherwise, the house is open, airy and takes advantage of natural light from every angle. We think we can do business with her and she thinks she can work with us. So far, so good. Now we just need a plot.
We head back over the hills for a snack, having eaten well at lunchtime. As we move out to the balcony. Mary and friend Richard arrive in Ord for a spot of evening kayaking. It is pretty cool on the deck, goodness knows what it is like on the water. At the other end of the beach, several children get very wet indeed wading out to a small island then back again. There are also two fisherman fishing in the shallows. We amuse ourselves by watching Mary and Richard kayak, practice capsizing and rolls and sit smugly (and well wrapped) on the deck watching and making sympathetic noises. We had offered wine but unsurprisingly they head back to Toskavaig to get clean and warm up.
Rearrange our plot list, disposing of a couple and realising that we have 7/8 to look at around Glendale later this week. We have agreed with Mary that we will make a very short shortlist and she will take a look at our favoured plots for us.
Tomorrow is another walking day and we plan to head into the high hills. Wednesday's weather is less favourable with rain forecast so we will carry out final plot visits then. Including meeting some of the owners for more detailed discussions.
Still broad daylight, the trouble is your brain / bodyclock doesn't think it is bedtime yet so you keep writing / reading until suddenly it is well past bedtime. It is still as can be outside at the moment with the sounds of silence. Wonderful.
Thanks to Janette for her mystery bird reply  - she could be right about the juvenile golden plover.
We have absolutely no mobile phone coverage here and the broadband connection is quite slow so will be picking up emails but not texts or calls; emails do come in but erratic and response may be slow.

PS: At least one decision is made - we will be building on Skye; more leisure activities, more choice of plot and more acreage available. PPS: We will be travelling to the Outer Hebrides often.