Harris via Skye and our first encounter!

Oh there's a lot of catching up to do -  two days worth of travel and overnight stays not to mention arriving at Tarbert on Harris.

Lockerbie is not a quiet place to stay - plenty of youth with plenty to shout about and on a Sunday night too. Compromise being open window and noise or too hot to sleep. A very good breakfast to set us up cooked by the husband of the couple running the B&B. A fast and easy trip to Glasgow and no problem with the motorway around the city either. 
Stopped for a break and to swap driving at a forestry commission visitor centre just west of Loch Lomond - we decided to take the scenic route via Loch Fyne. The visitor centre was firmly closed, possibly for ever although they were building nice new toilets. We decided to eat our mid-morning snack here; all things dictated by the next food intake; so set ourselves up at a picnic table, opened the biscuits and the midges decended en masse. However neither of us was actually bitten although we did take some of them back to the car with us - proof perhaps that the vitamin B trick might be working. Will be smothering myself with the Avon spray from now on - double protection!
On along the lochs and coastal road to Fort William where diesel is cheaper than in Devon. Took full advantage of that assuming fuel prices would still be sky high in the islands. A short drive further north to Springburn B&B which was lovely. Clean, comfortable and very very quiet. Had dinner in Spean Bridge in a converted railway carriage - on the actual station. very nice and full of people walking the Great Glen Way. It was still light at 11.30 at night but kept the curtains open for the view. Also the clouds cleared and we enjoyed a wonderful sunset.

 

Highland cow at Springburn - enjoys leftover toast

Sunset from our bedroom window - 23.25 GMT

 After another fine Scottish breakfast we were off on the road to the Skye Bridge. Slightly underestimated how long it would take us so we were late for our meeting with Mary. 
She was waiting for us and we enjoyed a hour and a half discussing our dream home, what would go in it, what was possible and what would cost more / less. She also provided us with a sketch of the process and payments schedule. We could be looking at 18 months in total once we have decided on the plot. She told us that she had recently made a site visit by Kayak - it is a build on an island site but most people would take the boat. She had to prove that she was actually the architect before they would take her seriously. She also said that she had enjoyed her bike ride around Harris looking at sites we had found. Anyway, the long and the short of it is that she can work with virtually any site but we should find one with outline or detailed planning - everything else is possible.
Headed off via Portree to see three sites that are north of Uig (where the ferry sails from) One of them was in a fantastic position and was around 3 acres. One we failed to find and the third was not suitable. Nice area though with great views to the Outer Hebrides.  
Back to Uig for the ferry - an easy and quiet sailing with not many passangers or vehicles on board. The journey was somewhat traumatic as a result of me "losing" my new smartphone. I retraced my steps at least twice; asked if it had been handed in; rang it from Gary's phone 12 times listening out for the ringtone and ..... finally found it when we returned to the car! Sometimes I amaze myself - I knew I'd put it in the rucksack and yes the zip was open so of course it has fallen out / been stolen / was being used by someone now etc etc. Gary was very patient and nice about the whole thing. 
So we have arrived in Tarbert, checked in at the Avalon B&B (twin beds!) and got very wet walking the half mile into the town. So wet in fact that we turned around and came back to the B&B. Wifi available so can write to my heart's content. Also have a mobile signal here.
So, settled in for the next three days; owner looked slightly alarmed at the amount of luggage we traipsed in but we really needed to sort out the car which was full of stuff. It has just started raining hard again and it was 12.5 degrees when we came off the ferry. Now that's summer!


Notes to anyone running or thinking of running a B&B
1: Have a good think about the size of the towels you offer your guests - would you dry yourself on a large handkerchief? If the answer is no then why expect paying guests to do so?
2: Use good quality coffee at breakfast; we can accept nescafe sachets in the room but hot brown water at breakfast doesn't cut it!
3: Don't plaster your walls with notices - provide a "book" of house rules if you really must.
4: If you say wifi available then broadcast the network and let your guests have the key.
5: Why do we have to order breakfast the day before? I might fancy something different tomorrow morning.
(there may be more to follow, we have 4 more nights of B&B to go)

Not one midge seen or heard since the forest so perhaps it is too cool / windy / rainy / sunny.

That's it for now - tomorrow is for leisure and re-aquainting ourselves with Harris and its glorious scenery and friendly people. trying the Harris Hotel for dinner - close enough to walk, rain permitting.
 

Third attempt via smart phone

Unable to connect via wifi and struggling with smartphone so limited update today. Hopefully will be able to write tomorrow. Very tricky when I can't see the text! At Springburn B&B near Spean Bridge. Much quieter than Lockerbie!
Looking forward to tomorrow.

2,4,6,8 MOTORWAY

(Tom Robinson from the 70's for those of you wondering)

Anyway, today has been the day of the M5. M6 and M74 until we reached Lockerbie.

I would recommend travelling on a Sunday if you are planning a journey from South to North. There were plenty of people towing caravans that seemed to agree with this but otherwise a fairly fast and uneventful journey. 357 miles in less than five hours actual driving time (just worked it out and we apparently didn't exceed the speed limit either!)

Discovered a connection for the i-pod in the Audi so we could listen to selected tracks when Radio 2 was rubbish. Playlist for the journey included early 10CC and Leonard Cohen.  

So we are now firmly ensconced in Tarras B&B on the main street in Lockerbie and using their wireless connection. Downlead speed approaching 6mbs, which we can only dream of in Willand.

A fine, if early, dinner at the King's Arms a short stroll up the high street and we are set for the night. As we walk back in to the B&B we have to place our order for tomorrow's breakfast - full of dinner and unable to even contemplate the thought of more food, I agree to some toast with a wee bit of bacon. Gary saves the day by going for the full Scottish. This pre-ordering seems to be the norm north of the border.

So, tomorrow we face the delightful prospect of travelling either through or around Glasgow to reach yet another motorway, the M8 which will transport us across the Clyde via the Erskine Bridge - listen out for it on the traffic reports - and into the highlands and the road to the isles. Rumour (well Jacqueline actually) has it that a new link road will be open by the time we return, making this bit unnecessary.

We have accommodation booked close to Spean Bridge for tomorrow night on a working farm complete with highland cattle, plenty of tartan and a fairly basic website. No clear directions but how many farmhouse B&Bs can there be close to the A82 in that particular area? We will see. I will include a photo of the next B&B in tomorrow's blog.

It's still very warm and humid here but forecast for tomorrow is bright, sunny and cooler. I was extremely grateful for the air con in the car today - one more thing I couldn't do without.

I'm off to eat the thoughtfully provided toffees from the hospitality tray as dinner had now been partially digested and I have a small corner to fill.

From a very peaceful Lockerbie, until tomorrow.

 

A report from Mary and 14 potential plots

Great excitement as two emails from Mary at Dualchas rolled in late on Thursday afternoon. She has visited Harris to take a look at the three sites we had given her details of. She had, as promised, gone on her push bike and cycled around the whole island - I know it's not that big but even so ..... and I'm pretty sure that the wind would have been against her, whichever direction she was travelling in.  Add to that the not so summery weather and, much respect to the lady.

Anyway, her preference is the same plot as Gary likes best purely because of its location which has uninterrupted views across the Sound of Harris and is very private. However, it is a steep site so access could be tricky. Although planning has lapsed on all three sites, the planners wouldn't have any objection to new submissions so that's OK then. The site near Tarbert would be easier to develop as it is relatively flat with services near by. "But it is near the main road" this comment did make me smile; it's not exactly a motorway!

We will discuss all in more detail on the 28th June when we next meet with her.   

As far as Skye goes, we have reduced the list of possible plots to see to a manageable 14 and have grouped them by area. The plan is to see a few on the Tuesday afternoon before getting the ferry then a few more on Saturday morning before we head to our holiday home "down south". We are determined to have a few good days simply walking, eating, reading and drinking good wine and will plan in the remaining  plot visits on a rest day. I need to get the details from various agents so we have a better idea what we are looking at, what planning permission already exists and any conditions attached to purchase.

Some of the plots are in great positions and most of them offer more land than those on Harris.

We will see.

In the meantime, the house is cleaned to within an inch of its life and we 
( I ) have to get into the habit of leaving it tidy whenever we go out and even when we don't. It's a bit of a trial but hopefully it will be worth it.

So, a few more challenging walks planned before we go - we should be fit enough to tackle the Cuillins - B&Bs checked out via Trip Advisor and no nasty surprises there although unable to read the review written in Spanish. Directions to our holiday accommodation in Ord have arrived; it sounds quite remote with views of the sea and the mountains behind.

All we have to do now is wait - easier said than done. I thought I had learned patience over the last three plus years but it's surprising how quickly you revert to type. 

Next post will be just before we go / as we start travelling - unless something happens that adds to the story. Have managed to use the Scanlife app to upload this webpage to my smart phone so will be able to update even if we are out of wifi range. Not bad for a non-techie!

A Dartmoor distraction

The plan - a long walk around the northern hills of Dartmoor.

The weather - cloudy, a fresh breeze and no rain forecast - perfect for walking.

Arrived at Belstone and set off as intended. Walked through the woods to Sticklepath and South Zeals looking for a different route up Cosdon Beacon. We know it would be uphill and then some whichever way we climbed it. The hill was indeed steep but gave us a different perspective and we (eventually) hit the top, sat by the trig point and enjoyed lunch no 1.

The route took us down the long ridge deep into Dartmoor's remote hills then we would go across to Hangingstone Hill, down to Steeperton Gorge and back along the Belstone ridge. A good 11 miles of fairly challenging walking.

As we set off down from Cosdon, Gary spotted a slight problem on the horizon - the army had other ideas and were exercising their right to use the moor for firing practice. As we usually walk the moors at the weekend, it hadn't occurred to us that this could be a problem.

After a quick re-think we decided on an alternative route and carried on to Hound Tor where we planned to about turn and find a track back through the marshes in the Taw basin. Well it had been dry for some time. However first of all we had a quick chat with a couple we met on the Tor. Did you know there were 189 Tors on Dartmoor?  No but we do now and we also know that this couple were planning to visit them all during their retirement. After a bit of a competition as to who could name the most Tors we headed off in the opposite direction towards the marshes.

(The last time we were on Hound Tor, we met a man who insisted on telling us all about his overnight bivvi up on the high moor)

Through the ankle scratching new gorse bushes, following sheep paths and narrowly avoiding pot holes, boulders and other hazards we fought our way down the hillside and finally picked up a good track that took us across the flood plain. This was easy if warm walking. The cooling breeze was hidden by the Belstone ridge.

As we were moaning about the army and red flags and perhaps we could have just visited Steeperton, the guns started up followed by what sounded like machine gun fire. Then the heavy artillery with huge loud bangs and flares in the distance. OK, so they really were firing today.

We were outside of the range so imagine my surprise when Gary mentioned the soldier in full camouflage gear, peering over the sights of his gun about two metres to our right. We smiled and walked on past and over the ford.  No idea what he was doing there or how many of his colleagues were hidden out of view from us. I imagine he was the boundary guard or something similar.  It was an interesting feeling to walk away knowing there was a man with a gun just behind you!

At the next ford, two cyclists - one of whom was in her swimsuit in the river (she had very pink knees); the other appeared to be dismantling his bike. 

An uneventful walk back to the car with a lunch no 2 and a final cup of coffee taken just off the track.

An interesting reverse required in the lane from Belstone as a knackered old lorry tried to drive past us. There was no way he was going backwards so we did; luckily Gary can fast reverse without hitting the hedge or wobbling off course.

The GPS showed we had walked almost 8 miles so not as far as planned but there's always next week. Note to selves - check the range firing programme next time!
An interesting day out, continuing the getting fit theme and a nice distraction from wondering about the house sale, plots of land and what jobs might be out there.
We have no photos to share as we took no cameras - would probably have been regarded with suspicion if we had tried to take one of the soldier!

4 weeks and we're almost there

In four weeks time we will be packing to return to Skye and Harris.

Driving from Devon this time with stops in Lockerbie and Invergarry (couldn't resist this one)

Back to Skye on Tuesday 24th June (mid-summer's day) to visit some potential plots in the north of the island then on to the late ferry to Harris. We have three nights on Harris before the late ferry back again on the Friday evening. Then looking forward to a full week on Skye complete with more exploration and a good bit of walking - of a tough nature!  Cuillins and the Trotternish Peninsula both on the agenda. We are staying in the south of the island so new territory to explore.

This time on Harris we hope to take a trip out to Taransay itself as well as walk around the headland / coast that was rained off in April. It will be interesting to see how busy the island gets in high summer. Will also be interesting to see what high summer weather looks like.

Not forgetting the mighty midges - we are stuffed full of vitamin B, I am eating enough marmite for an army and we are looking to buy the tried and tested Avon SSS shower gel. Will be interesting to see how effective it is.

Mary (Dualchas) is off to Harris next week to take a look at three plots for us. We should get her reports soon after that which will give us a better idea of what might be a possibility.

In the meantime, the BMW has been traded in for a sturdier, higher wheelbase Mitsubishi capable of 4-wheel drive so we will be ready for whatever the weather and roads can throw at us. 

Back in Devon the house is now on the market and we wait to see what interest there might be.

Can go ahead with the plot and possibly groundworks but would be preferable if the house had sold too.

So, treading water for the moment but plenty of planning going on. Especially exciting to be thinking of what we want to design into our perfect house.

No photos as we can't photograph our thinking!

Gary is about to launch his own photography website which will showcase some of the best photos from the April holiday.

Will report back once we have Mary's findings and can plan some more.

An update between visits

In the two weeks we have been home we have sent details of five plots to Mary from Dualchas. Four of these are on Harris and one on Skye.
She will be visiting them for us in a couple of weeks time to consider the size, levels, connections, access and to give us an idea of what type of building she could fit on the site / get planning for. Planning has lapsed on three of the plots so she will also look into that for us.
She will be travelling to Harris on her bike! Not sure if this is motorised or not. 
As stated in the last post, we are returning to Harris and Skye at the end of June, beginning of July. This time we are spending a week on Skye as we only had one day there in March (and it rained and it rained) There are several areas of Skye that we haven't even visited yet and quite a few attractive looking plots.
We will be travelling via accommodation in Lockerbie and Invergarry then sailing from Uig to Harris for three nights. Back to Uig for a week in the south of Skye. A few days walking being planned (getting fit now) as well as a further meeting with Mary and visits to several plots on Skye.
After this we will be making the decision regarding which island and then the hunt begins in earnest - or we make an offer on that perfect plot we have fallen for.
The photos we (Gary) took are making good progress in the photo lab (second floor of the house) and some of them are spectacular. Will be choosing one to have printed on canvas - trouble is at the moment there around 12 contenders and he hasn't finished processing them all yet. Gary is also in the process of setting up a new photography website where he will showcase some of the best he has taken. Also looking for photo competitions as some are of a high enough standard to be winners.
Meanwhile life at home goes on with redundancy a reality and work now finished - there are a couple of options being considered at the moment and we have plans A to D that would allow these options to work with the build! Also finalising the set up of my new limited company.
More exciting times ahead; for now considering another (longer) cycle ride to continue the fitness training. 
Will update again before we head off, and of course when we receive Mary's report on her visits.