A Friend Stayed

I have just taken a friend to the plane for her journey home to Glasgow. We've known each other a couple of years shy of half a century.  It's a very comfortable relationship. Sue and her late husband had lived here on Lewis until 2006 but our friendship remains as close as ever. 

During the last week we have been blessed by a few days with stunning weather and we made the most of it to see some of the Island's scenes and beaches that we tend to take for granted.

Garry Sands

Traigh Mhor

Uig Sands

Uig Sands

Cliff Bay

Plus a walk in the Castle Grounds

We also enjoyed plenty of good food and the occasional (as in 5.30pm is an occasion) gin and tonic.

The television hasn't been on for a week. After dinner (by which I mean around 9pm) we played Rummy or dominoes. Unfortunately for me I managed to win only one of the evenings. C'est la vie. 

Visitors

After my October visit to my brother and sister-in-law (blog posts still to come) my God-daughter, partner and their 4-year old came up to see me from the other side of darkest Manchester. I apologise for mentioning the name of That Place which is at the other end of the Lancashire Road to the fair city of my birth.

It really was great to see them even though, for various reasons including the English schools half-term only being a week long, their visit was short.

They were fortunate with the ferries and young Joshua even enjoyed the ferry journeys. 

The weather wasn't too bad either (for Lewis) and we got to see beaches and the Arnol Blackhouse and the Garenin Blackhouse village. Everyone was disappointed, though, to find that we couldn't go inside the blackhouses at either place because they were closed. 

However the beaches and the Callanish Standing Stones were open! So was the Callanish Visitor Centre where we had a very enjoyable lunch.

I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and so, I think did my visitors. 

Haste ye back!

At Garry Sands - Traigh Ghearradha - Stacs and pools (full of little fish)

Sand is interesting

Chasing a ball is even more interesting

Traigh Mhor

Crowded

The beach below my house was positively crowded this sunny morning:

A Visit to Eoropie

On Friday CJ and I went up to Ness and spent some time doing a few things CJ hadn't done before and I hadn't done for a long time: visiting Eoropie Beach, St Moluag's Church (which will merit a separate post) and the Eoropie Tearoom.  Actually CJ and Jo tried to eat there twice before but it was full each time although there's more room inside than you might think from the exterior.

Keeping out of the wind

One Man and His Dog

Yesterday I was lured into a walk down the croft to the shore with David and Molly.  I am ashamed to say that it's the first time I've done that since I returned to Eagleton about 5 weeks ago.   I was not, at first, for going yesterday either.  With a wind registering Force 6 (around 40 kph) from the North East and therefore very very cold I was definitely in wuss mode.  However sanity prevailed (reminding me of a Laura Brannigan song) and I decided to be kind to my body and get the exercise.  The fact that I might get some photos didn't even cross my mind (and if you believe that.....).  After an hour or more we returned cold and tired but invigorated ready for nut, olive and wine time.  It's a hard life.

The Thrower in his subtle garb

Keeping one's eye on the ball 

Handbrake turn

Before it stops

The wet way back

Come and get it!

Heading it off at the pass.   If you are wondering Molly got to it first.

All four paws in the air

No.  It went that away 

Jumping for joy

"It's behind you!"

A Walk in The Sun

It's been a busy week away from Blogland so far.  I have had, Anna, (a friend whom I made in New Zealand some years past but who lives near Glasgow) staying for a few days.  So it's been a few days of entertaining mutual friends, relaxing, visiting, coffeeing and generally cramming as much into the days as possible.

Less than two months ago (20th August to be precise) I posted I've Started So I'll Finish about a walk on Traigh Mhor (the big beach) at Tolsta on the Isle of Lewis where I live.  That was the second occasion in nearly 40 years that I've done that walk.  On Wednesday I did it a third time:  with Anna.

I also took the opportunity to play with my new toy (The Jogtracker app on my HTC). It records the walk.

Because it was low tide we were able to go round the headland

Into a wonderful little secluded cove:

Sandpipers (I think!)

I really should do that more often.

We Went To Harris Today

Unfortunately CJ's reputation for bringing the sun has been tarnished this visit and the weather's not been sunny enough for photos recently for us to make the trip down to Harris.  Until today.  So we were out early and in Tarbert for coffee a few minutes after 10am.  I've little doubt that as CJ took over a thousand photos (so he reckons he'll have a few worth showing) that you'll be able to follow our journey on his Hebridean Blog.  I'll probably do a few posts too but first I thought I'd show you one of our beautiful Harris beaches with Cj doing what he spends a lot of time doing:

Horgabost, Isle of Harris (with a little blob near the water's edge)

The little blob using telephoto - I'm using the telephoto, not the little blob!

I've Started So I'll Finish

Yesterday morning started off beautifully sunny but the forecast was for rain coming up from the South-west by lunchtime.  So we decided against Harris (will we ever get there in the sun before CJ goes home?) and made an early start for Tolsta which, by road, is only about 22 miles away on the other side of Broad Bay (and half that in a straight line - in which, despite the saying, crows do not generally fly). 

Traigh Mhor must rank amongst the most beautiful beaches in the Country for size and remoteness.  I am ashamed to say that although I have lived for the best part of four decades on this Island I had, until yesterday, only once walked the length of the beach.  CJ and I started off yesterday with a leisurely stroll at the Northern end exploring, for me, the coves where we and friends used to take our children for afternoon and picnics.  It is only seven miles from the original family home.

After a while strolling in bare feet (I've lived in New Zealand too long to wear shoes or even jandles on a beach) I found myself drawn towards the far end of the beach.  The going is quite difficult because the sand on that beach is quite soft even just on the tide line so if I wanted to walk at a reasonable pace there was a lot of energy to be expended.  There was something in my head, however, which would neither let me stop nor turn back.  What puzzled me when I was within about 4 or 500 yards of the cliffs was how they seemed to get further away every time I looked at them but my mind allowed me no choice so I kept going the one and a half miles until I reached the cliffs at the end.

Then I had the return journey.  I rarely go long walks these days whilst I'm on Lewis so this was a welcome experience and achievement.  It helped that there was no strong wind continually to make my eyes water nor to require a battle in order to proceed.  I must do it again.  I must!

The red dot to the left is the car park.  The blue dot is the furthest point of my walk

At the car park end of the beach - Northern end looking South-east

A cove at the northern end where we used to have picnics with the children over 30 years ago - it hasn't changed!

The river is a rich golden brown from the peat washed down from the hills

The coastline to the North is rugged and uninhabited between here and Ness

The sand was soft and made walking difficult

Looking back with only a few hundred metres to go to the furthest point

It seems a huge cliff - it IS a huge cliff!

Looking back from the furthest point of the walk - just a mile and a half back to the car!

Another little cove we used to picnic in with the children - at low tide!