It was a hard slog driving up to the highlands of Scotland but so worth it. We were passing the famous Cairngorm Mountain range so had to pay them a visit. I ended up yomping up Cairngorm mountain - Phil has pulled a tendon so had to make do with taking the ski lift up and waiting for me in the cafe.
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| Near the summit |
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| The summit cairn |
We then carried on to Inverness where the bottle nosed dolphins are renowned for popping up to say hello! I had long days of work there, but it stays light until quite late so far north, so Phil picked me up one evening from work and took me straight to where they are to be found. It was an hours drive and when we arrived we were told we had just missed them, but we wandered along the beach anyway and just as we got to the bay they appeared. There were about ten of them and they seemed to be performing just for us!! It was magical - they leapt and dived while I took 'photos. We were completely bowled over by it:
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| Mother and Baby |
Following Inverness, we fetched up in Fort William. We have both always wanted to climb 'The Ben' but haven't managed to get the opportunity yet and as we were only passing through and I had an afternoons work, it wasn't to be. We will be back though ....
Then it was on to Skye. WOW what a place! The Cuillin Hills looked spectacular:
But they are mountaineers hills, not for us, we could only walk up to The Old Man of Storr:
Being in Scotland and having stayed in Stirling (William Wallace country), passed through Glen Coe and Glen Shiels, (both scenes of dreadful massacres) and having been on the Isle of Skye (escape route for Bonnie Prince Charlie) made me think about being an English Protestant and how much devastation William of Orange and his wife Mary caused to our History. Having also visited India last year and witnessed how negatively the British Empire impacted on their lifestyle, has made me feel quite ashamed to be English.
Thank goodness my next work stints are in Birmingham and ........ Yorkshire ...... Oh No I come from Lancashire and I'm going to Yorkshire ! I think the Wars of the Roses could be an issue .............
We arrived back at the boat this afternoon and were pleased that when we opened the hatch we were greeted by a pleasant smell! There were no sooty, damp smells which characterise the boat sometimes in the winter. However when I opened the wardrobes in the bedroom it was the same dampness I have become accustomed to. I examined all the damp collecters and they were full of water. I was amazed - I know we have had the wettest June this century but this was ridiculous! I need to get some more of these, as clearly they are working. They are not expensive so it is fine to just keep replacing them. I spoke to our neighbours who own the yacht at the end of the jetty and they said that the rain had been unbelievable at the weekend - they had never seen so much. This explained why my school records which I had left in the bow deck, as there was no room on the boat, were soaking wet. We have a sturdy waterproof cover covering the deck, but even this had not kept the rain out and protected my bag with the paper work in, it was all soaking. I had to get it all out and lay it in the sun to dry.
Luckily it has been sunny today and in fact it is a beautiful evening. I cooked a meal which was so good as we have been living off hotel food for the past few weeks and then I took a glass of wine and sat on the roof. It is magical up here, because we are the only narrow boat on the jetty and are a long way from anyone - I love that solitude. The basin was like a mill pond and I sat in the warm sun and just chilled! It has been a strenuous work stint and I have a couple more weeks to go (I travel back up to Scotland tomorrow before going to Yorkshire and Birmingham) and I needed the peace of the boat. I can't explain just how important it is to have this little haven to come back to. I love it and everything about it despite the odd problem (damp etc) and long may it continue!
Al :)
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