The sun was setting in an unusual way. As it descended, it turned red, The sky looked overcast, with no red hues, making the fiery globe particularly unusual. As the sun approached the horizon, it seemed to disappear into a hazy layer, its lower portion blending into the sky.
This was a rare opportunity to capture the sun’s beauty with a zoom lens. The images revealed four distinct sunspots, dark blemishes on the sun’s surface caused by intense magnetic activity. Additionally, the sun’s circumference appeared uneven, with various solar eruptions, or flares, creating a jagged edge. These flares are sudden bursts of energy released from the sun’s surface, often accompanied by intense radiation and charged particles.
On packing up for the next part of the trip, R felt there was “something” on the back of her neck. I had a look. It seemed to have already been de-bodied (hairbrush), with only its legs visible, and head buried in her neck. I tried to remove it with a tick remover, but the head remained buried in the neck. Walked to the pharmacy to see if they could help. No, can’t remove the head you will need a doctor. Found the doctor and made an appointment for 12.10
We walked around the town for the next couple of hours. Had coffee and cake at the gin restaurant. Viewed the cemetery, not seen a churchyard with so many huge tombstones. A few notable ones were there. One in memory of several Royal Mail postmen killed in a storm in the Highlands.
Looked through the windows of many rather bizarre shops. One was still selling filament bulbs, seems to have a huge stock of them.
Visted the GP where the doctor gave R a numbing injection, then set to work with a scalpel to remove the head. If there was any doughnut shaped rash later, he said to contact our local GP for antibiotics. Strongly suspect our local GPs would not have done that, but how far were we from A&E?? (Two ticks cos one for the tick itself and another tick for the Moffat GP.) Soon we were on are way home to Buckinghamshire on the M6, M5 and M42.
Packed away the van, and we headed off to another CCC campsite, this time at Moffat.
The trip took us to Inverness, where we stopped at the Tesco which Steve was sure he knew where it was. No, it was somewhere else. Found it, used the loos and bought lunch.
Continued down the A9 and then the road down to England. Twenty plus miles from the border we left the motorway, and a short distance to the campsite in Moffat. A very large CCC site probably used as a stop on the way to and from England. Have no idea what this town was like, unfortunately the gin lounge closes early on a Wednesday, so we missed out there.
I had a short walk around in the evening and it turns out to be quaint. Very few national shops on the street, all independent.
On a particularly rainy day, I joined a group of Polestar 2 electric vehicle owners for the Electric Vehicles Festival at Stanford Hall. We met at the M6 service station to capture a photo of our vehicles charging before embarking on a convoy to the event.
However, upon our arrival, we were met with disappointment. The Stanford Hall event had been cancelled due to heavy flooding along the River Avon. Despite the organizer’s attempts to stop people from attending, many had already made the trip. With no mobile phone reception, it was difficult to communicate the cancellation.
Despite the unfortunate circumstances, we decided to make the best of the situation. We lined up for a group photo in front of the flooded Stanford Hall and then headed to the nearby Motor Museum for a tour and lunch. While I returned home, many of the other Polestar owners continued their day exploring the area.
The organizers have rescheduled the Electric Car Festival for September 8th, but unfortunately, I will be unable to attend due to prior commitments.
Rained in the early morning. It should not have done so. Weather forecasts can be unreliable.
First, we walked to the village hall. There was a bookshop there, plus a market. We bought four second handbooks, including one titled “Warm or very Warm – the Story of a Scottish Summer”, which we thought hilarious. In the main hall there were a number of stalls. Bought three 500ml bottles of beer. Two stout and a light citrus beer. Brewed in Poolewe.
Walked to the Inverewe Gardens where we spent several hours walking around. The flowers and trees were spectacular. Parts of the gardens featured plants from different places in the world, or plant types, such as New Zealand and a bamboo garden,
Unfortunately, the restaurant there was a bit crap, offering pies and soup, not much more.
Back to the campsite by four when it started to rain yet again. Didn’t look like a chance of a sunset tonight. What was that book called? Suddenly out to sea, there was a break in the sky, and the sun was setting. Think most of the campsite was looking out to sea and standing on the water’s edge to see the sun dip below the horizon. A drone joined us for the spectacle. Must purchase one of these, a useful tool for photographers.
It had been a nice stay in Poolewe. The campsite was lovely, right next to the sea front, well kept & well landscaped. Some of the hardstanding was concrete, the floors of army buildings from the war. The property is owned by the Scottish National Trust. Unfortunately, they only give the CCC three-year leases. The short lease means that the CCC won’t take the risk of investing in the shower block. with the result the block is rather antiquated and inadequate.
Today, the day started off OK, though rain there was promised for later. We were going to the Arctic Convoy Museum, and looking aroun Loch Ewe. First we took advantage of the roadside café up the road, and had a breakfast pie, while R had a savoury flapjack.
We set off in the van to go up the road to the The Russian Arctic Convoy Museum. Here we talked with one of the curators and were shown the convoys HMS Vindex was involved in. Rosemary left details of her father and promised to send on further information.
We headed back in the other direction, looked at the viewpoint overlooking the lock and the NATO refuelling station. We had noticed it before, and Steve assumed it was for tankers to pump up fuel for distribution in the area. Nope, it was NATO.
The whole area is either a yellow drone area, ie ask for permission, or red over, especially over the fuel depot, no drones.
We then went to the Southern headland where there are many concrete lookouts and gun emplacements. Took some photos
Next it was to Garelock, where we had coffee in a very radical, left-wing coffee shop. A very interesting selection of books on sale.
Visited the dock, but why is it you cannot ever buy fish?
Back to the campsite, and the rain came in a little harder. Cleared up for the evening, but not enough for a sunset image from the beach. Some lovely shots of birds on the shore though
Sleepless night waiting for the alarm, but when it did ring, I could not stop it quickly. Van packed quickly and we were away well before 6:30
Into the queue for the boat loading, and soon on board. Seemed quite a new boat, and the biggest we had been on this holiday amongst the islands. It even had a second layer on one side of the vehicle bay for cars.
Smooth trip across. Wish I had not eaten the Cornish Pasty for breakfast, everyone else was tucking into a Scottish Breakfast. The black pudding looked scrumptious, though I did hear they had cut corners on the beans, not Heinz.
The trip was 160 minutes and smooth. A pleasant view from the front viewing lounge. Whenever I went up on deck, I had to use the stairs that also go down to the car deck, the noise from all the car alarms going off is a real racket.
When we arrived at Ullapool what struck most was trees & green – green grass, green trees etc etc.
Unloaded and straight to Tesco. An exceedingly small one, but we did alright buying wine and Campari which was on offer. Had to do a big Tesco shop.
Now it was the drive to Poolewe and the Camping and Caravan Club site. I told Google to stop at various places along the route, some were viewing spots along the road. One though was a Gorge. The Corrieshalloch Gorge, run by the National Trust of Scotland. It has various waterfalls down the canyon, and a suspension bridge for pedestrians where you can a good view of the gorge and a waterfall. There is also a viewing platform further on to view the suspension bridge. A rain forest. Certainly, masses of moss. All very impressive. The NT carpark and buildings there opened this year. You can buy a coffee and cakes there.
A few more stops, and we made it to the campsite. Checked in and walked into Poolewe. A shop, which we may or may not use, and a small art café. All closed today or because of the time.
Had a quick look around the graveyard, sat on the bench, like two old people, looking over the loch, and attempted to photo the sunset. Today we had all kinds of weather, sun, rain and boring cloud. The sunset was photographed in the rain.
Looking forward to breakfast tomorrow. There is a roadside shack on the Northern end of the campsite. They do good coffee apparently and have breakfast pies. Never had a breakfast pie before. The place has all 5* reviews in Google, over 60 of them. Nothing less than 5*. I have never seen that before.
Day started dry. Hurrah. Actually, became a very nice day with mainly sun. Though we did get caught out during lunch when it became foggy with some low flying cloud.
We started off looking for the Stac a’Phris. Parked in the nearest car park at Dailbeag beach, didn’t realise it was a long walk to get to Stac a’Phris. Suddenly realized this was not happening, a brand-new fence across the fields stopped any progress. The map at the car park showed we had been on the correct route. Some wire cutters are required for this walk. I thought in Scotland you had the right to roam.
The beach and rocks were stunning, so I photographed them.
Disappointed, we drove on North and stopped to look at the show Black House at Arnol. Very quaint. It even had a peat fired fire on the centre with a kettle. Needless to say, it was very smokey in the room. Love the beds with their curtains around them.
There was also a white house nearby. After the land reforms, the crofters could invest in better homes. Still, they had no damp proof courses, but at least the livestock did not sleep in the same building. Single story. The house contained the cattle, in one section, and the family in the other section. Fire in the middle of the room. Some houses had a third room for storage.
The white house, these were more modern house and replaced the black house when crofters were allowed to live and stay on the land without being turfed out at the whim of the landowner.
The Black House was inundated with starlings who did not like us, so shrieked and squawked. They were bringing in food for their nestlings. Some lived in the chimney of the black house, and others in the crannies of the stone walls. What a din.
Still heading North, we stopped at the Clach An Truishal Standing Stone. At 20ft, four times R’s Rosemary height. Met a couple who were completing the Hebridian Way on bicycles. Seemed they were friends. They were doing it with a car and a van, and two bikes. Driving to the destination in both vehicles, piggybacking the route. Driving back and picking up the other vehicle. They said they were doing a lot of driving.
On northwards for lunch at the The Breakwater in Barr a’ Yard, Port of Ness, Isle of Lewis HS2 0XA.
Here the cloud and mist came in for a while, we thought this was the end of the day. Had a can of Iron Bru, well I am in Scotland.
Next on up to the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse. Brick built lighthouse. Lots of Gannets and Fulmars with the odd shag.
Drove back home, filling up with diesel. We had done over 520 miles on the islands. Navigation error on sat nav, had us going on a 20 mile detour, Why does google maps not do U-turns.??.
At campsite, lovely meal, and our Welsh neighbours with the 1940s bike were proficient in German and conversed with the German campers about bikes. Apparently our Welsh neighbour he was a real Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, and had worked in the building industry in Germany for eight years
We packed aways as many items as we could for a fast getaway early in the morning. We had to be checked in at the ferry before 7.15, so needed to leave at 6.30, giving us 15 minutes lee way. So alarm set for 5 minutes to 6 to do the final dismantle and quiet pack away.
The day started with a mist/fog and looked really miserable. Anyway, we set off to Stornoway, because we had not visited Lews Castle. There was a museum there, which has six of the original Lewis chess pieces. The drive across the island was in fog, with lights on. As we drove East the weather did clear up, so I was able to turn off the lights. Parked in the grounds of the castle and entered the reception. The castle rooms were not open, a wedding today. The café and museum were open.
We looked around the museum, small but interesting. The chess pieces were guarded by a very talkative Hebridean custodian. He was difficult to stop, and of course Stephen asked about the relationship with the British Museum, and how long they had the 6 chess pieces for. (Good, and on permanent loan.) The six pieces where the King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Warder and Pawn. Warders are foot soldiers in the King’s army. They are his personal armed guard and part of his royal household. The most ferocious Warders are known as Berserkers because they bite their shields to get themselves ready for battle. The pawn in the Lewis chess set is the only chess pieces that doesn’t look human.
There were other exhibits including the computer which used to run the payroll for the council in the 60s. We ate an early soup lunch in the restaurant, and another talkative employee regaled us about the London 5* chef that ran the kitchens. I presume they did posh food for events and weddings as was happening today. A bowl of soup does not need a 5* chef.
We took a walk around the gardens, rather disappointing, not up to the standard of the museum, or café.
Next, we drove East to view the Aiginis Farm Raiders’ Monument, and the St Columba’s Church (Eaglais na h-Aoidhe) church. They were next door to each other. The church was roofless and derelict but had a waterproof wooden building inside protection the tomb stones.
Drove on to Timpan Head, where there is a lighthouse. Automatic now, so the lighthouse keepers’ dwellings were now a home and dog kennels. Some nice cliffs here and sea birds were flying, nesting in the cliffs
Now drove back to the campsite, stopping at the The Shieling Barvas and Brue. A shepherd’s hut, where they slept while tending the sheep and cattle. R though the shieling was really very cute.
Back to the campsite, a slight precipitation, but not too bad. Running out of food.
Not a nice night, the wind blew, there were bangs and cracks throughout the night. The weather guess for today is also rain. So we decided to keep the sightseeing to a built-up area, hence we headed over to Stornoway, a thirty minute drive to a free carpark down on the docks near the ferry terminal. The drive across the island was on a straight road, but the land was very barren and inhospitable on either side of the road.
We found the carpark, and as luck would have it, it was in the area of Stornoway with shops and restaurants. Not many though.
The car park was pretty full, there seemed to be a number of vehicles driving around. Eventually they settled on the charging bays and ICEd them. We had no such problem.
A meander around the town, eyeing up the restaurants, while we homed in on the bookshops and charity shops. Rosemary came away with a jacket in the hope she will be warmer tomorrow. Yes, she will, it will be 4 degrees warmer tomorrow.
We also visited a newsagent, where I took a photograph of the newsstand. The Tories had announced a general election, some not very sympathetic headlines, such as ‘Drown & Out‘ and ‘Gone on the Fourth of July‘
Took some snaps of the art pieces on the quay celebrating the herring girls. We have Herring Girls too in Great Yarmouth on the East coast of England.
After the meandering, we homed in on a restaurant for lunch. The first, a 4.6 rated one, we rejected, as it looked too pretentious and austere, choosing the 4.7 called Stornoway Distillers @ The Fank. We had spied it already. Yes, this restaurant also does gin. Unpretentious because you could just eat a sandwich. Both of us started with soup of the day, very good, filling and thick. R for her main had the Ember Roasted Beetroot with Whipped Goats Cheese, Scottish Raspberry, Hot Honey. I was a little more extravagant and ate North Uist Half Shell Scallops with Seaweed Butter, Dill Oil, Kelp Vinegar, Samphire. Both of us were v happy with our yummy food. Of course, it would be rude not to end with a pud, so I had a chocolate brownie, while R had a rhubarb and custard blondie which she voted the best ever.
R had a glass of white, while I had a Scottish craft ale stout from the Black Isle. Yes, its origins were a long way from Stornoway. Oh and R had a G&T with the cafe’s new gin enterprise, started just this month. Called Landfall gin, first bottles went on sale on the 14th May. She wasn’t that keen, so we did not come away with a bottle. I quite liked the taste, it lingered for a while, and when you breathed out through your nose there was a definite spicy scent.
Weather still rubbish, so we headed to go to Tesco in the van to buy food. Then we went to see the Iolaire Memorial, a monument to men who died in a shipwreck repatriating those who had fought in the The Great War. More than 250 died, 78 survived due to the determination of one man who swam to shore with a rope, see https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/learning/first-world-war/the-iolaire-disaster-1919. The memorial had been opened by the then Prince Charles. R had very recently read about it in a book by Peter May, part of the Blackhouse trilogy.
Walking back it was wet, cold and icy, so we decided to drive straight back to the campsite. We are sitting in the van now, snug with the electric fan heater on, and glasses in our hands. Rain has now stopped, and the wind may be getting less. Tomorrow will be warmer.
