A quick visit and an interesting journey

Quite excited to be heading for the plot with a view to imagining how the house would sit, views from the bedroom and living areas we set off from Clackmannanshire early on Saturday morning. The BBC had been warning of snow and blizzard conditions in the north and west highlands so we had contingency plans ready in case we couldn't follow our usual route.
A straightforward drive to Tyndrum with the sky getting progressively darker and more threatening the further west we travelled. The snow gates were open so we headed up to Rannoch Moor and Glen Coe. Skiers' cars in the car park at Glen Coe but most of the snow was well up the mountain. The road was clear all the way through but we did hit some heavy snow showers as we drove through the glen. There were snow ploughs / gritters aplenty, doing a fine job keeping the roads nice and grippy.
Stopped beside Loch Linnhe for breakfast before continuing past Spean Bridge and up over the hill towards Invergarry. 
As we climbed the hill out of Invergarry we saw yet another snowplough / gritters convention waiting at the top of the hill. What were they waiting for??? As it turned out it was a big old stormy blizzard that hit just as we headed down to meet the A87. This is where it got interesting - heavy snow falling, driven by gusting winds with little traffic on the road. The Mitzi's 4 wheel drive engaged and we were off at 40mph through the snow feeling perfectly safe. A good test for the car which passed with flying colours. Then we met Mrs Slow in a people carrier trundling along at between 15 and 20 mph. I confess to overtaking - on a straight road in a snow storm - rather than wait behind her. Then we met the snowplough which had stopped to help the occupants of the car that had slid off the bend and hit the barrier ending up facing the on-coming traffic (us) Of course, Mrs Slow rolled up behind us as we were waiting to get going again but was soon lost to sight despite the fact that we were now following the gritter and in a parade of around 5 cars so tyre tracks to follow too.
Toilet stop in Kyle (20p and still worth it) then over the bridge, taking care in the high winds, and onwards to Carbost and Fernilea. Had dinner booked at the hotel so a light lunch was called for. Sligachan Inn - closed; The Old Inn - closed but open at 6pm (Friday and Saturday only!) Village "shop" in Carbost luckily open so a quick snack eaten in distillery carpark with a good view of the loch.
Met up with Mary and Ian at the plot and spent a happy hour wandering around, pacing out walls, courtyards and the garage much to the bewilderment of a future neighbour's small dog. Weather during this hour included snow, hail, small ice pellets, sunshine with plenty of north wind added in to the mix. A photo pf the plot below, Mary just in shot, too cold and wet to take many more, despite the apparent blue sky.

A great view of the bracken on our house plot plus a shot of our future neighbours!

Then back to Ian's house in Carbost where he had very kindly offered up his dining room for us to discuss the house plans in detail. A nice cup of tea and poppy seed muffins too. Very little changes required although we discussed the garage plan for a while. Then the tricky matter of budget with some discussion over what should be submitted to the planners. Decided it should be the larger, and more costly, footprint and we will see what the tender responses looks like.
Mary confirmed that they will submit the planning application by the end of the week. Then it is a maximum of 8 weeks for a decision; then we have to hand over the cash and the land is ours.      

As we sat in Ian's dining room, the snow showers became heavier and more frequent and as we drove back towards Broadford, the snow level had dropped considerably. Checked in to the hotel and immediately closed the window which had kindly been left open - it was a little cool outside!
A nice enough room, with no TV - at least no TV that we could find.
Getting ready for dinner, we heard a noisy car arriving - no the island snowplough has found its way down the narrow road and was happily ploughing and gritting. Very impressed.
Dinner was very masterchef and very nice. Early to bed as it had been a long day.
Still snowing gently as we closed the heavy curtains to keep the room nice and warm.

Sunday was a day for exploring and we decided to head for Elgol which is at the end of a 15 mile single track road that ends with "the best view in the UK"  It took us almost 2 hours to reach Elgol as we had to keep stopping and getting out of the car to photograph the views. This must be one of the most scenic roads ever. New and exciting views of the Cuillins, the mainland mountains and the small isles at every twist and turn.
Have included a selection for your viewing delight - I can't choose my favourite shot.

Reached Elgol and walked a very short distance along the cliffs where we watched two young lads carry an inflatable up the cliffs from the shore. Back to the car for coffee and more views. 
Decided we will return here on a later visit and take the boat trip to Loch Coruisk in the heart of the Cuillins.

Across the bay to Camuscanary

View to Cuillins from Elgol

Sun lighting up the snow on the Cuillin range

Drove back to the hotel with further stops for photos on the way as the light had changed and the cloud levels risen giving a stunning, almost black and white photo of Bla Bheinn which we intend to climb at some point. Sounded possible from the walkhighland website - having seen it in the flesh we will at least make the coire, not sure about the summit. The view from the top is meant to be another stunner. 

Bla Bheinn - aiming to get up there when the snow goes

Drove home on the Monday morning through wild, windy and torrential rain - what drought??
A lovely weekend and we enjoyed bed, breakfast, dinner and drinks for less than the cost of two nights B&B. Very good value indeed.


Now just waiting for confirmation that planning application has been submitted and we can get moving on building.

We have a plan!

It's not a cunning plan - it's a plan for our new house.
Mary and Ian from Dualchas have delivered against the detailed brief we provided for them and with only one re-draft we are nearly there.
The house has been sited to take advantage of the views to the loch and the Cuillin mountains. Plenty of glass, plenty of space to live in and, if we can afford it, a mezzanine level that will be light, airy and float above the lounge space. Two decent-sized bedrooms with plenty of storage space. In short, everything we asked for on paper. Being this close to agreeing the design means that we should make our planning deadline. : )

We are heading to Skye next weekend so that we can meet Mary and Ian and get into the detail of the house we want built. A very good deal staying at the Eilean Larmain Hotel at Isle Ornsey - two nights for the price of one. (BOGOF) A very good deal and cheaper than most B&Bs, even if we could find any that are open in February. Hoping to get some walking in on the Sunday - hills if the weather plays the game and beach if not. 

As an aside, we are gaining minutes of daylight each day - we reckon we are ahead of England now with evenings still light (ish) at 18.00. I can walk home from work without the need for a torch.  

Today, we did a circular walk up to Ben Cleuch. Decided to bite the bullet and try the steep slog up a hill known as The Law. My goodness was it steep. Stopped for a coffee at what I thought was the halfway point only to be told that we had gained the stupendous height of 275m! Only another 450m to go then.  

It was another hill of t-shirts and fleece to start with then all layers on once we hit the ridge. Stopped for a bite and another coffee in the most sheltered spot we could find. Snow level was around 2,000ft (600m) with a few icy patches but nothing too dodgy. Could be an interesting walk in true winter conditions. Some very steep hillsides to slide down if you put a foot wrong.

Up above the clouds on The Law.. Forth River shining in the background.

                 Above the steepest section at this point. One fellow walker going up, one going down.                                                                              

The dog that can just be seen in photo above was a Husky / Shepherd cross with bright blue eyes. She seemed very happy to be out and about in the snow.

Fantastic views and light at the top. We had walked up through the cloud layers into the sun but cloud was swirling and threatening to drop down lower again. We finished the circle by dropping down then back across another summit before heading back to the woods above Alva Glen. 

Fell runner count was two today. Appeared on the top with enough breath to have a chat, turned round and were gone again - although we did catch them in one of the photos. 

View back down to The Law; fell runners running back down

Great views to the Cairngorms in the far distance and the highlands to the west. 

View to the Highlands, dodgy looking cloud in foreground

Back to the car where the GPS told us we had walked just over 6 miles. Legs felt as if it was at least double that! It's been a while since we walked up such steepness over such a distance. Was good to be back out in the hills again.

Weather station news - since installing the weather station and monitoring the weather in our back garden, we have to announce that there has been very little wind and almost no rain. The barometer has been mostly flat and we have not noted much in the way of extremes of temperature. We are hoping for a March storm to bump up the viewing pleasure.  Did everyone notice the lack of snow, ice, cold in Scotland last week when the Midlands, North East, etc were freezing. It was mild and dull up here.