From a word doc typed in desperation last night, because those words have to go somewhere 😉
So it might be hard blogging in two places at once but being unable to blog in either is really torture! No internet signal here tonight (although phone is fine) so having to compose this for blogging later.
This morning we were all up around 830am and had leisurely breakfast admiring the view. We had noticed we were parked next to a sectioned off area with a sign saying ‘Marie Curie field of hope’ so we decided to lob some of the seed bombs Davies had brought along in a kit from the seed bomb workshop we did last year. Davies made them and we threw two in – one for Eira and one for Ady’s sister Deborah. Then back to the van for tea / coffee and Popmaster which has become a daily routine. The kids join in too and we keep score and everything – it’s the closest they are getting to a structured education but does involve holding a pen and adding up! 😉
I’d done some research of tourist places we may come across and had a couple on my list. The nature reserves tend to be plots of land owned by RSPB etc. which are interesting for a few weeks or months a year as migratory birds pass by, nest or breed there but are otherwise unoccupied by people / visitor centres / anything obvious to the casual observer. Some of them are SSSI because of the different butterlies or wild flowers or even type of heath / moorland or whatever which is excellent, but not actually that interesting to just go and observe, so we have found less places to go and spend time. We did stop at Strathnaver and grabbed some leaflets from the tourist office and peeked at the museum but it was one with an admission charge which although I am sure was worth it crosses it off our list of places as there are so many excellent free ones and even the signs along the roadside are full of information and educational to stop and read for nothing.
We did stop at a viewpoint taking in mountain ranges including Ben Loyal and Ben Hope from a distance and we had a drink and read a booklet we’d picked up somewhere about the history of Sutherland and the woodlands. Then we spent ages watching a bird we were fairly sure was a golden eagle. I was really slack about chasing free stuff before we headed off this year but the two bits of kit I’d have love to have gotten hold of retrospectively are decent binoculars and a good camera, even to loan / borrow / hire. I wish I’d thought of that before we left… We studied it’s flight patterns and sillouette though and then poured over our various bird books and decided it was almost certainly a golden eagle which was very exciting – top of Scarlett’s list of things she wanted to see J.
We stopped at a public toilets to empty the loo and fill up the water bottles – this is a routine we will have to do at least every other day really but is easy enough – Ady takes the cassette into the gents and deals with that while I go to the ladies with the 5ltr bottles and a beaker.
We stopped for lunch in Borgie – stunning views of lochs and mountain ranges. We passed various places which would have been great to stop at with footpaths down to the gorgeous sandy beaches but the weather has been really changeable today and severe downpours of rain were every half an hour or so and we were not sure where we’d get to to park tonight so we headed on. We did the long drive past tongue and the crossing of the Kintyre then all around Loch Eriboll with it first on the right of the van and then on the left. We drove past Ben Loyal and Ben Hope and the scenery was just stunning. I kept taking photos although I knew none of them would do it justice. The heather and gorse is starting to change to autumn colours and it is as gorgeous with sun illuminating it as it is with rain lashing it and the resultant rainbows every few miles just added to the beauty. I almost wish I didn’t use all these words so often as I fear people will think I am crying wolf about how lovely it is!
As we rounded the corner towards Durness we suddenly saw a large bird soar and hang in the sky before dropping right close above the van, close enough to glimpse the plummage and definitely identify it as a golden eagle. Ady was able to stop briefly so we could all watch it for a little while before it swooped off over the hill tops.
I had Smoo Cave on my list of places to stop at so we did although it was gone 5pm by then. We went down the steps and into the first waterfall chamber and all got soaked. We’d not expected it to be so wet or amazing and were all in flimsy fleeces and silly shoes. We pledged to try and park near enough to head back tomorrow properly attired and with fingers crossed that the tours will be running too.
Sure enough we have stopped at Keodale in a carpark overlooking Balankiel Bay so the plan for tomorrow is back to Smoo for a proper explore and maybe a tour, a look to see whether driving to Cape Wrath is possible and if not checking out alternative ways of getting there before starting to head south again along the west coast. We need to do some proper research regarding where we want to stop and visit and also work out some food stops and petrol purchasing based on next weeks budget. We have definitely spent more than I expected on petrol although we have also travelled further than I anticipated too. We’d debated briefly heading to Orkney yesterday but decided the ferry cost was too much with Willow (£30 one way trip plus passengers). Food budget is doing well though with nothing spend yesterday or today (tonight we had fish cakes made with two tins of tuna and the remainder of Kirsty & James’ potatoes and a tin of beans for Ady and Davies – sum total of about £1 given they were value tuna and beans) but we have now run out of cheese, fruit and veg so will need to get some supplies in tomorrow and may blow more budget on Cave Smoo tour (it’s a tenner for the four of us) if they are running. So far though we have done really well and already ticked loads of things off our list.