Final visit before handover - a little worrying!

Accommodation at the Old Inn, one mile from the house - booked. 
Food available on site - checked. 
Weather for the weekend - out of our control so go prepared for anything. 

Travelled via Glen Coe which was looking VERY snowy above 400m. Plenty of skiers in evidence but roads not too bad. Decided to try the swap every hour approach to driving and found it to be much better for heads, legs and sleepiness.

Checked in just after 4pm. Pub was busy and the room was fine. The room was away from the pub so shouldn't be too noisy. Lochside views, comfy bed and perfectly acceptable shower etc. A wee bit tired looking but everything required to stay over. Dinner at the pub with a limited menu but hot food, well cooked. It was very windy, the wind howled all night, trees were shaking and various things were being blown all over the loch shore. However, we slept fine and woke for a decent breakfast and a day out. 

Headed to the north of the Island, way past Dunvegan where we planned to walk to the famous coral beaches. Miles of single track road again to a huge carpark with only one other car in it when we arrived. We were wise to stay low - as in beach level - it was wild with heavy showers, high winds and the waves were crashing onto the rocks. The beaches are only a couple of miles walk and we were wind-assisted on the way out. The first beach was a victim of the weather and covered in seaweed, the white coral had been blown up onto the grass. A bit further on, across a flooded field with two interesting crossings of streams in spate, we slipped down to the second beach. A perfect white crescent with clear blue/green water in the bay. It was beautiful, even in a storm. We had a brief weather window so walked on over the rise to the point where a heavy rainshower arrived along with even higher winds. No shelter to be found so we turned faces to the wind and made heavy work of returning. Luckily it stopped raining but the winds remained at storm force making for some interesting footwork to make progress.  On the way back to the pub we had to stop driving due to the heaviest hailstorm I have ever experienced. No visibility at all, driving hail and the car being rocked by the force of the wind. 

Before we stopped at the pub we headed up to the house site for a sneaky preview. Luckily a conversation with Neil had prepared us for not as much progress as we had hoped. We could see that some things had been done though.

A second meal at the pub - the remaining items on the menu just to ring the changes then bed. 
Spoke to a chap from the Wirral who had ventured up The Old Man of Storr today - "That was a mistake"  Dangerous even at that relatively low level. Glad we stuck to the beach. 

So bright and early next morning we arrived on site. Sandy (foreman) was on site and explained what had been done (flooring, some tiling, bathroom fittings) He had been away for a while but was confident they would make up the time. Jon, our QS was also on site so we had a while to talk about the cost of the extras we had approved so far. He seemed to think progress would be fine over the next few weeks too. 

So here are the photos of progress such as it has been:

Interior doors being made ready

Oak flooring in the lounge

En-suite bathroom shaping up nicely. Note the storage niche & controls away from water!

View from our bedroom. I may just stay in bed on poor weather days!

Wood burning stove ready for the fitting

This space will be storage in the lounge, hidden away behind white doors

So it was possible to see some progress and we did some more measuring up for mirrors, bathroom fittings and other niceties. Then headed off on the road home. This time up Glen Carron via the road that was closed for weeks because of landslips. Interesting and very high water levels on the loch. We had lunch in a layby overlooking more snowy mountains, sitting on the tailgate in the sun. First appearance for the sun this year and it felt warm. 

Down the A9 where we broke the journey at House of Bruar neat Blair Atholl. This was a shopping extravaganza and we decided it was Posh Scotland under one roof with tweeds, shooting sticks, fishing paraphernalia, an art gallery, food hall and clothing. A good browse though and we bought some Granny Sookers for the girls in the office. 

Back home now, enjoyed a four season walk up Ben A'an. Warm and wet in the car park; autumn colours in the trees, rain then sleet then blizzard higher up then warm sunshine on the summit. Fleeting glimpses of Loch Katrine and Ben Venue through the drifting cloud.  Gullies on Venue filled with snow. A fine day out and a challenging little hill. Met a fair few folk out and about enjoying one of the best days this year.    

And we missed the Aurora Borealis by a few days. It was stunning over Glendale on Skye - as well as other parts of the highlands and as far south as Norfolk. No sight of it in Alloa; we did take a peek late at night but just clouds here. It will just have to stay on my bucket list for now. 

Future visits: Hope to arrange handover for 28 March. Staying in Portree as recommended by chap in the pub.  Removal firm tentatively booked for 7/8 April, however we have a plan B just in case. Notice given on the rented house. Warning - if you have a spare room and a washing machine and we have to implement Plan B, you might be on the list!

Five weeks to go ........ Keep watching this space.