The BIG (December) STORM

Qualified the title to identify December as I'm not sure that winter has finished with us just yet!
An accurate prophesy - writing this at the end of a stormy week that will forever be the benchmark comparator for exciting / scary weather. However, back to December.

So early warnings of a "weather bomb" hitting the UK with the north and west of Scotland feeling the leading edge. Forecast warned of three days of battering. 

Monday 8 December was dry, bright and calm so we made the most of this and worked on the croft. Enhanced and improved a watercourse, cut down some more dead wood and generally tidied up. As darkness fell we wandered the croft, making sure everything was battened down and shutting away anything that was littering the ground and / or could take flight. 

Tuesday dawned wild and windy and delivered almost 2 inches of rain. A starter for 10. It was recycling day - no sooner had the bin been dragged to the top of the drive than it had been blown over and distributed its contents everywhere. A quick collection from the mud and a nifty bit of work with a bungy cord or two made it secure. It was laid down for the bin men to pick up. During the day we gained a lovely green box from somewhere. The work done on the watercourse yesterday paid off and the house was surrounded by the sound of water flowing - safely away from us. 

Wednesday was forecast to be the worst day of the storm and we were woken by gale and severe gale force winds overnight. Accompanied by thunder, lightening and torrential showers of rain. The highest gust of wind recorded here was 50.1; further north on the island a fellow weather enthusiast recorded a gust of 91.9mph before he lost his anemometer and soon after his broadband as a result of a lightening strike. This was a day for staying firmly indoors, which is what we did. The Skye bridge was open, closed, open on and off all day. Ferries cancelled and roads dangerous due to gusting winds. Our own internet was on and off all day - particularly sensitive to rain and wind combined it seems. Towards evening, wind and rain eased back. So far, the power has only flickered off briefly then back on. Seems the work done earlier in the year to improve resilience of the network had worked. 

A brief video clip (via mobile phone) designed to try and demonstrate the force of the wind (Wednesday) Shows our newest indicator of wind speed, the washing line with easy to measure horizontal drift.

Another restless night followed with winds gusting to over 40mph. That last was so easy to write but difficult to describe the sounds of the building creaking, groaning, rattling and how you could hear the gusts building up before they hit. A roar like an express train or plane and Brace! 
The house survived without noticeable effect which was pleasing considering all that glass and wood.

Thursday, back to normal service by mid-afternoon. Winds abated, rain stopped and recommence the build up to the Christmas break. 

Some damage to report across the island and the highlands but nothing major, Pretty much as you were. Our only noticeable damage was to the bird feeders which took flight but were recovered. 

As stated above, there was far, far worse to come. Little did we know!
Details to follow...........

Late autumn tales

Early November and we were away on a trip to Devon, returning via Wales. Stopped over in the Lake District for two nights en-route, in a holiday village type complex with apartments rather than hotel rooms. The final two hours of the journey were in the dark, howling winds and heavy rain so our reaction when being told that meals were not available was as you can probably;y imagine! Not so polite. However, we followed directions to a very nice pub in Greystoke where we enjoyed a good dinner. The straight but narrow road to and from the pub was spooky with flooded bits and tendrils of mist lurking in the dips. 
The next day was spend reacquainting ourselves with our favourite Lake District shops and sights. Have to report that some of the shop staff were in decidedly end of season mode - lost our business there then. No excuse for rudeness or a don't care attitude. Cunninghams in Ambleside came up trumps as always and gained our cash as a result. Gaynors and George Fisher might wish to take note that good customer service wins the day and the customer's cash.
The journey to Devon was fine and we were lucky again with the roads. Arrived for dinner - impeccable timing as always. 
Spent three days in Devon catching up with family and friends then dropped mum off in South Wales where she was to enjoy a week's break. The journey up through the Brecons was stunning and we did it while the light was still good. North Wales saw us manage a good walk to a local mountain before the weather caught us up again. Back on the road to home via the Drovers Inn at Ardlui on Loch Lomond and the Outlet Village at Gretna. The Drovers was interesting and very old. Dark rooms, four poster bed, good food, stuffed animals on the walls with a cold en-suite that did not look or feel very inviting. Headed off after a good breakfast the next day and made it home in daylight. 

Regular viewers will recognise the view from our house, now in November light. Beautiful but fleeting.

The remainder of November played the game beautifully. I managed to work my last couple of days and handed over sorted files and folders then put away the computer and ipad and that was me away from the world of work. Scary, exciting, and who knows what the future holds??

Anyway to celebrate the gorgeous display of late autumn weather we visited a couple of favourite spots and found some new ones too.  

A re-visit to the Old Man of Storr. All trees on the approach walk felled and a new track which delivered you to the same boggy gate. Climbed above the Old Man for our lunch spot. Clear blue skies, sunshine and just a little chilly. Always a stunning spot with views back to the Cuillin and across to the mainland. As we were leaving, we noticed the sign suggesting you go no further past this point - oops, already done that! Still no harm done.

Old Man view from lunch spot

Old Man with added person for perspective

We climbed to the base of the pillar after lunch and circumnavigated the rock. Very eroded and exposed in places with rocks that would be slippy when wet. Slithered down the scree back to the path and the car. Very few people out and about. 

Across to the mainland

A few days later we had to visit Portree so decided to explore the Fairy Glen. Not to be confused with the Fairy Pools in Glen Brittle. Took a very small road close to Uig and followed it past a few buildings to the end. Passed a couple of Rabbies buses parked up with their associated tourists spread throughout the glen even this late in November. However they were soon away and we had this weird and wonderful glen to ourselves. Difficult to describe but it is like a miniature Quiraing (somewhere else we have yet to venture) with lumps, bumps, mini ridges, waterfalls and rocky outcrops. 

View from above the rock outcrop Castle Ewen

Several of these rings around. Man-made or natural? This one had a load of money in the centre. Fairy Wishes maybe?

Huge waterfall across the glen. To visit another day.

The lumps and bumps of the Fairy Glen

Castle Ewen from the road - a surprisingly thin and airy ridge and small scramble to the top

Spent a while here exploring then drove to a layby with a view of the ferry port to enjoy pastries and cakes from the bakers in Portree. A lovely morning out and about. Fairy Glen not recommended during high season due to limited parking and number of tour buses. November is fine though. 

Finally, on the day after my last "official" day or working we headed for Talisker Bay to walk on the beach and had the added bonus of one of the most amazing sunsets I have seen. I took over 30 photos that evening as we watched the sun set over the small isles along with half a dozen other people. Including a couple that sat romantically on a blanket on the cold, damp sand and a chap with a metal "peg leg". As we walked back to the car we saw and heard an eagle soaring above the cliffs. Perfect end to a perfect day. 

 

 

What an amazing end to the day and to November. Enjoying it while we can as a BIG storm is forecast for the first week in December. Experiences of that one to follow. 

Meanwhile, while not travelling, working or out exploring, we continue to make headway with the croft. Watercourse excavated and cleared; more steps made, trees felled to make space for new growth and plans made for a super-compost heap and raised beds. We spied the seal close to the shore again and have a robin that accompanies us wherever we are working, probably to eat the worms that surface as we dig but nice to think it is following us. 
One final picture from a still day lochside (we cleared brush, dead wood and branches from the shore that day) Can report that the midgies have all gone for the winter.

A rare still day at low tide.

The croft is starting to take shape but there is loads still to be done.  Future visitors will be handed buckets and tools and directed to a certain spot with instructions. We are staring to make numerous paths through the woodland. ferns dying back now and more bits of the buried car are emerging. Headlight and an indicator fitting being the latest to wash down the burn. 

Tune in later for an account of the BIG STORM the first week in December.

October 2014. Mostly wet

This will be a fairly short post as it rained so much in October that there was a time when we wondered if we would be able to leave the house again - and stay dry. 
Back from Arran and managed to get all of those return from holiday chores done before it started to deteriorate. 
The weather station stats for October read 26 rain days in October. 

We also experienced our all time record gust of wind at 47 mph on 6 October. The tail end of Hurricane something. Happy if that stays the record. Elsewhere on the island there were 70/80 mph gusts so we live in a relatively sheltered spot. However we often head the table in terms of rainfall. Heaviest rainfall in one day in October was 55.8mm. That's more than two inches!!  Stats here:  http://garyburnett.co.uk/php/wxhilowavg.php
The croft needed work, we discover it's a good time to do drainage work when you can see where the water is running. Very wet and muddy work though. 
Digging out anything was tough but we did manage to dig over the veg patch a couple of times. 
Also dug out the two burns on either side of the plot. One now pours over a rocky lip in a pleasing waterfall and the other winds through trees and reeds to disappear somewhere through the trees. We intend to search out its route and dig it out properly. The waterfall across the loch, always a good indicator of water levels, roared for days and weeks. 

Designated certain clothing as "crofting" clothing as anything worn out there was destined to become and stay muddy and grubby with fetching holes in interesting places. Duct tape tastefully applied as required. Wellies and wellie socks are the order of the day. Plus waterproof coverings of body and legs. Heads often just get wet. 

On one of the few clear days we re-visited the Coral Beaches, north of Dunvegan. The day we visited was a bright blue day and we could have been in the Caribbean the "sand" was white and the water a sparkling blue, It was Scottish half term so there were plenty of people out and about.  We sat on rocks and had our lunch looking across to Waternish and the Stein Inn. Walked back along the shoreline looking for driftwood for a future crafty project. 

Also revisited Coire Lagan and enjoyed a good scramble plus an explore of the coire proper including the base of the great stone chute. Looking for a route to the ridge. Probably not via this scree though! 

An Stac screes. Inn Pinn hidden at the top of the ridge to the left.

Views out to sea were glorious. 

Looks a bit like an infinity pool but it's the lochan in the coire with views to Rum.

Heard then watched a trio of Glaswegians descend the great stone chute returning from Sgurr Alasdair, Skye's highest Munro. Spoke to them on their way down - they had camped out the previous night (!) and were heading back to the big city that evening. Felt exhausted just listening to their exploits.

I had to travel to Alloa for work during the last week in October. Armed with shopping list (Gary) and accommodation booked for the two nights in Menstrie. A very welcoming hotel, good food and we had a huge room up in the turret.  I was finally handing over to my replacement in Clacks. Did a lot of talking over the two days, caught up with a few people then headed back to Skye in the dark, wind and rain. Sound familiar?   

Friends stayed during the last week in October. Yes it rained but we managed to get out and about with a nice lunch at The Stein Inn (limited menu and seemed surprised to be so busy) 

We did have a couple of calm, clear days. The view across the loch is ever changing and the autumn light can be wonderful. 

View from house after the storm

Same view lochside later in the month on a calm day

So a quick October report but a much more interesting tale of November to follow. A trip south and west to visit family and friends. Visits to north Skye and my final day at work finally arrived. Plus, pilates rediscovered, a craft fair or two and some mild and sunny weather in compensation for the above. 

From an island to an island

A week on Arran.
Worked it out that between visits to the plot/house, visits to Devon and Wales we haven't had a week's holiday since last September when we visited Assynt. Time to put that right.

So to Arran it was and off we went on the Friday to Largs, expecting to be held up in numerous roadworks with convoy systems in place. Except, it didn't happen and we drove through the highlands with only minor delays arriving in Largs around 17.30. Found the hotel then time for a stroll along the Promenade before dinner. Largs is a bit like Paignton but slightly more upmarket. Our hotel looked a little tired but the room was comfortable, we had a sea view from the en-suite and a view into the neighbours' kitchen from the bedroom. Dinner was very nice and very reasonably priced. A good start to the week. 

We had time to kill on the Saturday, being booked on the 15.15 ferry crossing. Took advantage of the later breakfast and checkout then did our holiday food shop at Tesco just up the road. Visited Troon - a bit disappointing but found a huge B&Q at Saltcoats which provided a welcome distraction and some retail therapy.The spoils stayed in the car boot for the next week - replacement doormats and seed trays. We were still amongst the first in the ferry queue. A coach load of young people arrived shortly after us. Decision to stay on the outer deck well founded. We watched just about every young girl from the coach party do the "Titanic" pose as we headed across the Firth of Clyde towards Arran.  The boys just shivered about in their t-shirts. 

First sight of Arran from the ferry. Goatfell clear to see

Turn left at Brodick and drive for 12 miles, 30 minutes (really? Yes the roads are as interesting as on Skye) and you will reach Kildonan where we have booked a house for the week. All in order except no towels anywhere to be seen. A couple of calls later and the key to the linen cupboard arrives along with the housekeeper - unaware that we were staying apparently. At least the house had been cleaned, last week presumably. We have a house very close to the shore with views out to Pladda island and Ailsa Crag. Beautiful blue skies, sunshine and a hotel with good food and a wonderful terrace 10 minutes walk down the road. 

Sunday: Decided to head for the beach at Blackwater Foot and walk to some caves. A day of brilliant sunshine, calm blue seas and quite warm. The September brilliance continues. The walk was on a sandy beach to start with but the challenge soon presented itself as the "path" wound through boulders below a steep cliff. Huge boulders with brambles, nettles and steep and rocky drops between them. Following a party of youths with a spring in their step and no apparent regard for the possibility of ankle breaking terrain, we eventually made it through. 

Walked along the base of this cliff to get to this beach and the caves

Walked across another beach then through head high bracken until we reached the caves. Peered in, dank, dripping and connected through dark tunnels, a quick look was enough for me. You could go through a gate and explore further if you had the inclination but we sat on a conveniently placed log and enjoyed our lunch. 

View across to the mainland at Kintyre (luckily, no song)

Unfortunately the name of the place resulted in Gary singing Blackfoot Sue at every opportunity for the remainder of the week - and playing it incessantly when we got home. It will be forever associated with Arran.


It was flat calm and we enjoyed the warmth of the sun and being beside the sea. Walked back across the cliff tops and the edges of a golf course which was much tamer and easier. An ice cream was in order to finish off the day then it was back to Kildonan for dinner at the hotel and a superb sunset. 

Not the best sunset photo as taken on my phone through a window!

Waling back from the hotel at dusk, we were mesmerised by a moving rock. Not the wine as it turned out but one of a number of seals that frequent the area - more of those later. 

Monday - too good a forecast to waste so it was off to Goatfell. This is the highest point on the island. The start of the walk passes a brewery which we clocked for later. An easy path up through the trees which climbed steadily until it reached open hillside. Goatfell came into view as we reached a bridge where we stopped for coffee.

Coffee stop, Goatfell summit in background

The first of the ferry / bus walkers passed us here. Until then we had only met two other groups. Good views opening up back towards Brodick. 
The next stage of the walk crosses moorland on a good path, still climbing up but relatively easy. We could see the final ridge and summit clearly now. It was another blue sky day although cooler than yesterday. A few wisps of cloud floated in and out just adding to the beauty. The path from Corry met our path and they joined for the final pull to the summit. 

The meeting of the paths with a view across Brodick to Holy Island in the distance

Someone could have warned me that the final third was 1) never ending and 2) surprisingly steep. Winding up through huge boulders with steps way too big for someone with my size legs.

Up we go

 It took much longer than expected but we eventually popped out on the summit to join the crowds of sweaty walkers who had made it. We could see the other Arran hills from here and they were magnificent for such a small island range. Quite ridge-like and scary looking in parts and certainly not a walk in the park.  Lunch,  many drinks and photos then back the way we had come up as the alternative would leave us with a 2 mile road walk back to the car. 
Different photographer / camera for the summit shots:

The descent was OK as it is easier to go down large drops than up. The walking poles helped too. Back at the car then home for dinner. In summary, a hill not to be under-estimated even if it doesn't quite make it to Munro status.   

Tuesday - today we walked the shore close to the house and discovered a path than followed the coast around to the headland. A good walk that brings you up close to what seemed like hundreds of seals. They had hauled themselves out onto the flat rocks and formed banana-like shapes. Signs said the area was a designated "haul out" area and asked that you didn't get too close. They didn't seem phased although there were only a few hardy folk out. Also found a "lost world" type waterfall which would be magnificent after rain. 

Seals and rocks - spot the difference

Waterfall

Got back to the house as it started to rain. A surprisingly nice morning out. Into Brodick for a look around and dinner later. Not a lot to see as it turned out. 

Wednesday - the weather was better than forecast so we decided to walk up north sannox glen and attempt the ridge from here. Shared the first bit of the path with a group of school children who were apparently going to go into the river and walk up against the flow. (Canyoning) The route appeared to cross a fast flowing river and disappear into a bog. Not for us thank you. We carried on up a reasonable path but that also petered out in a river gorge. A good bit of exercise and a good view of the witches gap which has a reputation of being tricky. Could see why. 

River gorge and the Witches Step in the distance

Close up of the Step

Back to the car and we drove north to Lochranza through a wild landscape and steep roads. Ruined castle very nice, heavy swell and waves. A pleasant drive back along the coast road. 

Thursday spent pottering, walking beaches and using binoculars to take a look at a private yacht that has moored in Lamlash Bay. It was huge and included a helipad and helicopter. Found it on the internet and we could either have a house or hire the yacht for a couple of weeks. Sleeps ten, twelve staff.  

Friday was intended to tackle the alternative route to Goatfell and visit a different summit. However, a sharp shower as we parked up changed our minds and we headed up to Lochranza and walked the coast path to the Fairy Dell on the north of the island. Considered the Cock of Arran (look it up) but ended up having lunch at the Fairy Dell then returning by the same path. We saw the most remote and inhabited house here. No idea how it would be accessed apart from by foot (2.5 miles) or by boat but someone was in residence.  It was at Lochranza that we witnessed a small bird of prey hustle smaller birds through a hedge. The distress calls went on for ages but the bird of prey was unlucky in finding its lunch.

So that was us and out week on Arran at an end. A very nice island with some good walking but we have been there for now and have other islands to visit before we would return. It will forever be associated with Blackfoot Sue, grey seals, glorious sunsets, blue seas and cupcakes. Lemon and chocolate cupcakes - on offer in Morrisons and enjoyed on many of our walks this week. We also enjoyed some very good pub food during our week.

Ferry home easy and the last hour of the journey home was completed in driving rain, zero visibility and great delight in seeing our house again. Power cut while we were away resulted in a warm house waiting for us as the heating defaults to zero setting which is warm!

The next installment is that of October - more of a contrast with beautiful September cannot be imagined. More of that later.  

  

September - Simply the Best

With apologies to the writer of the song but it has been the most beautiful month. 


It hasn't all been good weather, we have had our share of cloudy, dreich, wet and windy but the clarity of the light, the warm sunny days and the birthdays (of course we're biased) have made it a good month. 

Birthday view (mine) from our house

Oh, and the number of visitors has decreased to more sensible levels. Good for the island that it is so popular but the sheer number of visitors during July and August has put a huge strain on the facilities on the island and there is always the inconsiderate few who seem to think it is OK  to wild camp (it is) and then leave their rubbish either at the side of the road for the bin lorries or just leave it where they were camped - this last generally a few yards from the car in which they brought all the stuff in. How to get the message across I don't know but somehow awareness must be raised or we all risk more intervention and perhaps a change to the current access rights. Which would be a shame. So if you know of someone planning a visit, make sure they do so responsibly. 
Rant over but don't get me started on the visiting drivers and their habits. 

Anyway, the Referendum. Unless you had been away or asleep for the month of August you would have noticed that the Scottish people voted for either an Independent Scotland - YES or to stay within the UK - NO. Simple you might have thought. Several leaflets later plus regular instructions through the media on how to make your opinion known. Put a cross in one of the two boxes.  We voted. So did the vast majority of Scots. Result, Scotland wins with more powers, promises of who knows what and change of some kind in the months ahead. Scotland has never been more in the public eye. Now we wait to see if promises made in Westminster are delivered. 

Interesting YES signs seen in our travels include:
The YES mini, parked at the Slig each day
The YES rocks, some of which were in very high and inaccessible places
The YES quarry signs on the sheer rock face - who / how did they manage that?
The YES lampposts and fences
The YES sheds
The YES floating sign in the harbour; now half submerged
The YES boat / yacht
Best of all, the YES mowed into the croftland and kept mowed. 
All of the above in the correct font and colours (except the croft)

The Better Together bunch were much more reserved but turned out to be the silent majority after all.
Even now the posters, saltires, signs, opinions etc remain. No antagonism of note, leave that to those in the the big cities apparently.  

Otherwise we took advantage of the weather and climbed our second Skye Munro - Banachdich - on a beautiful day and with a few others. Managed to find the right path this time and climbed steadily up through the coire until we were faced with a choice of up the steep scree or up the steep hill with less scree. The others went for the scree slopes so we went for the hill. Very steep but a good ridge once the top was reached. The summit seemed to recede as we climbed but we wove through rocky outcrops and ever upwards until we reached the very small summit. There were a few others here including the father / daughter combo we leapfrogged all the way to the top.  We could see the whole Cuillin range including Loch Coriusk which I had not seen before. 

INN PINN! Zoomed shot from summit

The Inn Pinn was very busy today and looked close enough to touch if you ignored the huge drop in the ridge to get to it. We just looked. The summit is at the top of the almost detached rockface on the right and is a roped scramble with massive exposure. 
We enjoyed our lunch, taking in the views and pointing out the different mountains. 
A couple of hard walkers / climbers made it to the top. I have never met such a rude and objectionable person on a mountain. The father / daughter combo were in the way of his photo so rather than ask them to move, a loud FFS was heard. Needless to say, no-one moved an inch.  Luckily they left quickly and headed for the ridge taking their lunch and attitude with them. Hope they enjoyed the remainder of the day and managed to improve their mood. The hills are for enjoyment not cross people.

Cuillin Range. Pointy

Loch Coriusk at the heart of the Cuillins

Alternate descent route involving a scramble

 We decided to go back the same way although we did (briefly) consider the alternative. 

View to Loch Brittle and out to sea

Made the decision to descend via the scree slopes. Oh my knees, it was a constantly moving surface with sharp drops to the left and little in the way of stability. The walking poles came in handy. A quick break for drinks at the end of the path and we were back on reasonable ground. A troop back to the car and home with smiles on faces for beer and crisps (fluid and salt replacement)

On a similarly lovely day we decided to climb a pointy peak that would get us on to the ridge leading to Beinn Dearg and the Inn Pinn (to watch rather than participate) Yet another steep climb across scree with some exposure this time. I ended up scrambling up a gully and Gary stuck with the scree. We sat at the summit and could see the route to the top across a moonscape of rocks and dust. Not today though, today was lunch and a sighting of a pair of eagles enjoying the thermals in the glen below.  A privilege to watch until they spiralled up out of sight. Tried to find a better way back down but concluded that if you are going to climb a pointy mountain then it will be steep and dangerous near the top.

That's the way to the Inn Pinn

View back down from the ridge

At least we know the way when we decide to view the Inn Pinners up close. 

Back on the croft, trees are being felled, hedges cleared, more steps created and patches dug over, drainage constructed. Very busy, very muddy and very satisfying. Also quite scratched, bruised and suffering the last midge bites of the season. The cutting of a couple of trees has improved our view of the loch as well as getting rid of a load of dead wood. Just have to cut it up into log sized chunks now and leave it to season.

New, improved view

Thought we might be able to harvest some blackberries but the lack of light due to branches etc meant the harvest was not quite up to scratch. Not even enough for a teaspoon of coulis. Next year perhaps.

We have the largest spider ever set up home / web outside the kitchen window. Getting fat on midgies and other tasty insects. 

Boris the spider plus prey

Sitting on the patio one day after working the croft when two eagles just rose from the land and floated towards us then up on the thermals. Not quick enough to grab a photo this time. They were magnificent birds - huge.   

The last week in September we had a week in Arran planned. Decided to head south a day early and stay overnight at Largs to avoid any road issues heading to the ferry at Adrossan. 
Next blog entry will tell the tale of our week enjoying a new island. 

First Steps ......

towards making sense of the croft by exploring all the way to the loch with plenty of slipping and sliding on the way. Today (Sunday) we created a small set of steps, in the broadest sense of the word, to improve the slippiest bits of the path we have made.  And a rocky step plus handrail / post to avoid a big drop via tree roots.
We have a rocky loch shore complete with stranded jellyfish, rocks and stones, sea pinks  and seaweed plus a great view up and down the loch. 

Lochside just after high tide

The way back up is in there somewhere!

Steps - of a sort - to avoid the sudden slips down.

We have also toiled in the higher woodland to remove dead wood, clear a path, avoid the boggy bits and have trailed twine a la Hansel and Gretl so that we don't get lost on our return. 
There is a huge amount of work to do but at least we have made a start. Of course, to do all of this tools are required so we now have a brush clearer, a D saw and new secateurs. Those plus a spade and lump hammer all have to be carted down and back again. Good exercise for those involved. 

Away from the croft we have visited the Clan Donald centre in Armadale on a glorious late summer day with family who came up for a visit. They arrived to clear blue skies and sunshine which lasted for the whole trip.  We were able to dine on the patio, visit the hills and Portree and went for a lovely meal at the Stein Inn at Waternish. It's not until visitors ask questions like where do you go to buy clothes that you realise just how much our lifestyle has changed. 

We also visited the community woodland at Armadale where there is a trail through an alternative community (and then some) that takes you to an otter hide and a close up view of seal island. We traipsed through the wet wood land, over carefully placed sheep's wool where the ground was very wet (an odd and slightly smelly experience) to the rocks where we could hear the seals before we saw them. The views to the mainland across the Minch were fantastic. 

Mum sitting by the otter hide while the rest of us scrambled to the shore

Across to Knoydart, sea like a millpond today

Before our visitors arrived we have explored Coire na Banachdich then circled back off piste to pick up the track from the ridge to Sgurr Dearg. This was on the midgiest of midge days and we were unable to stop even for a drink so we ran back to the car and had our lunch at home.  

We also  climbed back up the route to Sgurr nan Gillean and went higher than before until we were on the rocky ridge above the Bhasteir gorge. Decided to descend into the gorge, across the rivers - easy with low rainfall levels - and back on the path to the planks we had crossed on our way up. This was a delightful circle, adventurous in places with good views all around. 

Our other venture into the hills was back into Coire na Banachdich where we had "enjoyed" the midge walk, to continue up towards the back wall of Coir an Eich . Up through a rocky cleft, steep on scree and rock and as high as we were comfortable with before stopping for lunch. Some climbers go this way to the Inn Pinn. We sat in howling icy rain to eat our lunch before retreating back to the car. 

The August weather station stats read "raining on 21 (out of 23 days) in August" Snow fell on the Cairngorms, walkers reported hail and sleet on the tops and the temperature fell to below 5 degrees here at Fernilea. It was cool enough to test the fire, which soon warmed us up but doesn't it look good. 

Cosy

We had a week of rainbows, always in the same place across the loch - vivid and beautiful.

Double bow

Full arc

Once our visitors arrived, the weather perked up and summer was on again. 
 
The bikes have been out at last. Tested on the road to Portnalong then down (and back UP) the road to Carbost although I confess to waiting at the top of the Brae (hill) while Gary braves the tourists at the distillery and the steep uphill back to the corner where we pedal back UP to the house. One week wind assisted on the UP, the next wind against. Managed to stay on and pedal both weeks.

Did I mention the chainsaw and maul?  Both have allowed us (Gary) to increase our supply of wood for the winter and with the number of trees to be felled lower down we should have sufficient wood for several years.

Splitting the chainsawed logs with the maul

Next few weeks will bring the Referendum, voting cards safely stashed, very little factual information to assist with decision making. Lots of rhetoric, much emotion and many slogans around. We saw rocks, lamp posts, fences, cars and  boats painted with the YES slogan. The YES people have visited the house with their literature, no sign of the Better Together bunch.

Our local hydro scheme is due to start the building phase soon and we have offered to record progress through a blog. Small scale scheme which will provide income and electricity for the community. A good rate of return on your investment although you have to be a local crofter to participate.

We also eagerly await the first sighting of the Aurora Borealis which is visible on a clear night looking north - if we can stay awake that is. During the clear skies earlier this week we had our first glimpse of the dark skies / stars fro the patio. Amazing. 

Hoping to "map" the woodland so that we can start thinking about what and where soon. 

Also planning on climbing the ridge to view the brave souls attempting Inn Pinn - if we can scramble up. Should make for some good photo opportunities. Will share if we get there.