Coos!

    

Well today was exciting, we had booked a walking tour at a farm who have Highland Coos.  It was really well organised and the farmers very relaxed and easy to talk to and obviously very proud of their coos.  We started off walking through fields where Neale explained to us the ecology - what was managed, what was wild (pretty much nothing), how much subsidy he got for various things, and also some ancient landmarks showing an old roundhouse and another formation where people would heat rocks, and put them into the cold water, the thermal shock of hot rocks into cold water, would then make the rocks split and then they would throw the small rocks into a pile.  That pile still exists but no-one knows why the practice existed...

Eve

Anyway, we were learning lots of things, when the farmer's wife appeared and said that Eve the calf had come down for a scratch.  We then saw a beautiful blonde Highland calf by the gate.  That was the end of the ancient history lesson and ecology lectures we all went a bit silly for the coos.  The farm have 3 coos in a field who are ok around people - one of them being Eve (she was born on Christmas Eve) and who is a local celebrity having had a spread in Hello Magazine - she was beautiful and loved the attention.  Next door to her field was a field full of coos so we had a field day with photography.   Matt and Tom got to give Eve a scratch too (I was busy being shy!)

There were also lots of sheep: Beltex breed, not the most beautiful of sheep, but apparently very good commercially.  They make far more money from the sheep than the coos - although now they do this farm tour, that might change.

We got back to the farmhouse to find a selection of cakes each: marshmallow and rocky road, a chocolatey one, lemon drizzle and special highland moo shortbread.  All very lovely.  Was a lovely way to spend the morning.

We spent the afternoon touring round the Isle of Whithorn peninsula.  This is where the wicker man was filmed, one of our favourite films.  Although it was a little overcast, we got a great view of the Isle of Man, Cumbria and the Mull of Galloway.  

We stopped at Port William for a stroll on the beach, then Whithorn - nothing about it at all, so we turned around headed to the Cave of St Ninian, which was in the Wickerman. It was closed but the walk down to the beach was very pretty and the beach full of lovely smooth pebbles which are perfect for skimming on the very calm sea.  We went back to the car and carried on to Isle of Whithorn which was a pretty village with two open pubs and plenty of people milling around, we did a short walk to a lighthouse there. 

Next stop was Garlieston this is where they developed Mulberry Harbour, for D-Day.  They had photos of the various different types of structure they tried out before they settled on the final design.  All very interesting - must have been quite something being local and seeing all these constructions going on!

Next stop was Wigtown, where there was a distillery, Bladnoch Distillery, which we paid a visit to - Matt finally got his holiday bottle - and very unusual for him, he went for a blend.

We then got home and collapsed.  Was quite a busy day in the end.

Mountain Biking part 2

So we enjoyed the mountain biking so much on Friday, we decided to go for a return visit today.  We went to the same area but this time because we knew where the trails were, we were able to join them earlier rather than head all the way to the cafe and back out again. 

We did the full blue trail this time, it was a mix of down hill technical bits and forest roads.  If you were to ask me truthfully I would say I prefer the forest roads, the boys, on the other hand prefer the technical downhill bits.  I am no natural mountain biker but am learning all the time.  Blue is my limit though.  We got to a part where we had to decide whether to do an extension or not.  Tom was in need of food, so didn't want to do it - me and him carried on with the trail we were on whilst Matt went on to do another 4km of trail.  We met at the cafe and had lunch (pretty much the same as last time)

Here's a link to a video Matt took on his GoPro: https://youtu.be/kpS1-ZK5TuU

After lunch we had the problem where Matt was exhausted, but Tom wanted to do more (he wanted a go at a red trail).  In the end we found a compromise: Tom and Matt to do a short red trail but with Matt on my e-bike to save his legs.  I stayed at the cafe and read my book.  They came back exhausted - the red trail is a big step up from blue.  That confirmed what I thought - I'm sticking to blue!  They had an ice cream each, rested their legs and then we headed back home via half a blue trail. 

I then headed out to the supermarket to get all the remaining food we might need whilst the boys crashed.  We had a quiet night in.

Troon with the Blezards

Whilst in Scotland, the Blezards had been in touch to see if we could meet up.  Schools are back in Scotland so they were only available at weekends.  Today was the only day they could meet up, so we found out where was half way and decided on a meet up at Troon - which is a beach resort just to the north of Ayr.  The weather app said wall to wall sunshine, so it would be a good day out.

We both left our houses at 10.30 and met up at the beach car park at 11.30.  It was distinctly cloudy.  Ah well, we can't have wall to wall sunshine every day!  We walked along the beach to the town as several boys were claiming hunger.  Troon is a small place, which obviously doesn't believe in Sunday trading, we found the high street - but every unit was very closed.  

Luckily we did find a cafe which was open and they had room for the 7 of us.  We didn't really care how good it was, we were just happy to find somewhere.  It turned out that the food was really very good, all of it was home made.  The kids (of course) all had the bigger meals and the adults smaller ones.  Matt was back on Cullen Skink, I had garlic mushrooms, Tom a vat of macaroni cheese, Rory and Lewis were on burger and chicken goujons.  Anyway all was good, everyone cheered up (apart from Rory - but he is 14 and there was a big footie game on today - so he was excepted!)

We walked to the sea front and came across Crazy Golf - we couldn't resist so we had a round.  Matt of course won (doesn't he always?!) but I came second, not bad considering Neil is a handicapped golfer (not that that has any real bearing on crazy golf!).  

We then went for ice creams before walking back to the cars and getting all the beach gear out.  The afternoon was then spent with the boys playing beach cricket and then going for a dip in the sea with the rocket - they are all mad as the sea was freezing (that's what my big toe told me anyway!) No adults got wet!  Oh and Rory finally warmed up and decided it was more fun to hang out with the kids than the adults.  Only took him about 4 hours to work that out.  He actually ended up having a good time - although i'm sure he would never admit that!

The sun never made an appearance, but we had a good day none the less.  Didn't get back home till quite late.

Sunshine in the Forest

 Today, we figured we deserved a break after lots of exercise yesterday.  We decided to stay close to home and explore a bit more of the Galloway Forest but this time by van and foot.  

First stop was Clatteringshaw Visitor Centre which is famous for being close to the Robert the Bruce Stone.  It was on a reservoir, so Tom immediately made sure he had his swimming bag with him.  We walked to the visitor centre, Tom saw some wild water swimmers and immediately wanted to go in.  So he got changed in the toilets and came out and waded straight in - how does he do it?  It didn't take long for him to be up to his neck.  Once he was done, he got changed and we went to see this famous stone.  It was literally a stone, we were expecting something engraved or shaped or something, but it was literally a stone that Robert the Bruce 'may' have leant against after winning a battle against the English.  All very spurious and not really worth it.  Oh hum, never mind.

We got some sandwiches to take away from the cafe and headed back into the van to do a 10 mile trip along the Raiders Road from which we could see Red Kites, Buzzards etc.  We didn't see any big birds, but we stopped off at the Otter Pools for lunch, a beautiful place, the river Dee was flowing gently down over some rocks - all very shallow and very picturesque.  

After devouring our sarnies, Tom went back to the van to change into his wetsuit and went straight in again.  Didn't take long for him to be fully immersed and enjoying 'a bath' in the water.  I managed to get my ankles under - but did a little scream, I still don't know how people do it without screaming?!

In the end we had to tear ourselves away from the place to do some more exploring.  

First stop was a place to see some red deer - they were right by the fence, so close that it was hard to take photos - the 2 stags had some wonderful antlers and the second place was to see some wild goats - once again a bit too close to the fence to photograph, but very cute and nice to watch.

We then came home to have a quiet afternoon, we went for a little walk down by the river by our cottage - mainly to see if we could get to the peninsula across from us - but we couldn't - too much tangled wire to negotiate.  

Anyway a quiet day, much needed after the exertions of yesterday.

Mountain Biking

So we all slept well, had breakfast and then headed into the centre of Newton Stewart to stock up on provisions.  It has an Aldi and a lovely butchers so we will eat well here.  (Just as well as the restaurants and pubs don't look up to much).  Newton Stewart is the only 'town' for quite a large area, so has lots of facilities: Aldi, Sainsburys, swimming pool, lots of shops etc, but it is looking a bit down on its luck - the town centre is scruffy and as I said the pubs don't look very inviting.  However, it is a great place from which to explore the area and our cottage is just fine.

We got a lot of interesting items from the butchers: lime, coconut and mango sausages, chicken balmorals (stuffed with haggis and wrapped in bacon for the boys) chicken Aphrodite for me (covered in spices) as well as some good ole lamb chops.  

We headed back to the house and got ready for a day of biking.  There is a forest park just outside the town here, Kirroughtree, so we thought we would try it out.  It was only 3 miles out of town, so instead of grappling with the bike carrier we cycled there.  Was pretty flat to start with but there was a very very steep hill on the way, I got up it huffing and puffing on the e-bike, I don't know how Matt and Tom did it - but they did!  Very impressive.

We got a little lost trying to find the park centre, but we got there in the end.  We had lunch (toasties all round) and then did the green trail (the easiest one).  We all did it fine, in super quick time, no bother.  We had a drink and then set off again on a blue trail.  First stop though was the skills loop, which Matt and Tom went round a couple of times, I was a scaredy cat and waited for them!  My mountain bike skills are not great!

We then did the blue trail, it was at the limit of my abilities with rocks and roots to deal with as well as the odd steep downhill bit and slippery rocks etc.  I got a little stuck in a couple of places but nothing too bad, and luckily it wasn't so busy that people were getting huffy with slower riders.  Matt and Tom were in their element, loving it all and not making as many mistakes as me. I don't know how they did it all without help, but kudos to them, they did!  We had another rest with tea and a bun before heading back to the blue trail, we did about ¼ of it until it hit the road home.   Another 3.5 miles, we parked our bikes in the garage and then tumbled into the house.  We were all shattered but happy.

The rest of the day was spent lazing around the house, watching the paralympics, playing Ticket to Ride (just me and Tom so we played our own longer version which was fun - especially because I won!) making tea and eating it.  Think we (may) all ache tomorrow!

Plockton to Newton Stewart

So today was a travel day: Plockton to Newton Stewart - 280 miles and not the fastest roads, but the scenery more than made up for it.  

We got up, packed up the last bits from our Plockton house - which was a small cottage in 'the square' of what used to be stables.  It wasn't at all luxurious, not really comfortable (all soft furnishings eg pillows etc had been taken due to covid) but it met our needs and we weren't there much anyway.  Our hosts (and next door neighbours) were friendly enough and it wasn't actually that expensive.  It certainly had character - shame the double bed was old and its mattress almost dead - Matt and I were constantly rolling into each other, we ended up turning it upside down and around to see if that would help, it did a bit but we still didn't have great nights sleep there.

Near Invergarry

Asleep in the back

Anyway, we packed up in the glorious sunshine, lovely lovely sunny day today and headed due south through the stunning Scottish landscape.  Matt drove to Invergarry, I then drove to Rannock Moor, he then drove to Ayr and then I did the last leg to Newton Stewart.  It took 7.5 hours.  We stopped for lunch at Tyndrum again - but at a different eatery - TJ's Diner which did good food although the service was awful.  We stopped for photos at various places, but generally it was just a driving day.

Tom fell asleep in the van which is quite unheard of these days - I guess all these late nights have caught up on him!

The sat nav, unfortunately brought us on unmarked roads for the last 20 miles of the trip, they were single track roads along boggy terrain - a bit like Bowland.  Luckily we didn't meet many cars coming the other way, but my they were twisty, I barely got out of 4th gear and was more than often below that!  20 miles of roads like that feels a long long way.  Anyway, we got here unscathed.  

The house is very comfortable - definitely an old person's house - lots of doilies, fussy pictures, very frilly bedroom covers.  Lovely fluffy carpet and rugs which is great on my aching feet!  It is on the riverbank (River Cree) and we have a balcony overlooking it which is nice.   We went straight out to the town in the search of food and found a co-op so bought some meatballs, pasta and sauce and came home to cook it.  Will do a bigger shop tomorrow when we are refreshed.

Last day in Plockton

Today the weather forecast was for wall to wall sunshine, but we woke up to low clouds.  The forecast still said wall to wall sunshine.  Oh hum, it was warm and not windy or rainy so can't really complain.  

We didn't really have a plan for today.  We had no food in the house so either needed to go to Kyle and the co-op or eat out for lunch and tea, we decided on the latter.  With no other ideas, we decided to go on a bike ride again - back to Craig Highland Farm, where we went on day 1 with the lamas etc, the lamas were down on the beach today, they were also right next door to the train line, quite a strange sight: lamas on the beach in the Highlands - many wouldn't believe you!

We then cycled back to the Croft Cafe for lunch.  I had a goats cheese and beetroot salad, while the boys were boring and went for the same as last time, so Cullen Skink for Matt and Macaroni Cheese with chips for Tom.  All as good as before.

We then cycled down to Port An Eorna which was a hamlet of about 5 houses on a promontory before heading back to Duncraig.  Just as we got home all the clouds miraculously disappear and we were bathed in beautiful blue skies and sunshine again.  After about an hour of rest, Matt went out again on my bike to ride up a mountain, whilst Tom and I packed the van ready for tomorrow.  We are relocating to Newton Stewart - a 6 hour drive, we have to drive back to Glasgow and out the other side and then head West again in Dumfries and Galloway, an area none of us knows.

Once Matt was back we all refreshed and then took the van down to Plockton for fish and chips from the takeaway.  Plockton was looking its best, the sun shining on the lock and the mountains, there was a band playing outside one of the pubs.  I found a picnic table on the front and just drank in the view and atmosphere, it was just lovely.  

After our fish and chips - which was very good, we went for a walk along the front and found a sign infant of one of the big houses saying that visitors were welcome to explore its woodland, just don't go to the house.  Intrigued we decided to have a look. Wow, it turned out to be quite a long walk, through forest, through field and eventually to a view point on the edge of the rocks.  We found loads of different types of mushrooms, a pond full of lily pads and just lots of interesting foliage.  What a gem of a place and we had it to ourselves.  

We eventually pulled ourselves away and returned back to the front where the music was still playing, however, we had to go home, we had the bike rack to grapple with.  And although we got it on the van in record time, we got attacked by midges (first midges of the holiday so can't really complain) wasn't nice though!

Beach Day

We woke up on Tuesday to a stunning day, deep blue skies (yet again).  Tom had requested a beach day and we had found a beach in Plockton on google maps, so we had a slow morning of breakfast and getting ready for a day on the beach.  We included swimwear for all 3 of us (even me who HATES cold water!)  I cobbled together a picnic from the sparse food we have in the house (can't seem to think ahead enough this holiday) and off we went. 

We found the track which took us to a car park just outside the Plockton airfield (yes this tiny place with only 300 residents has an airfield - which does get used, we have seen helicopters and small aircraft using it).  We loaded up with bags and walked along the track to coral beach - so called because it is made up mainly of shells.  It was gorgeous and we had the place almost to ourselves. The water was mega clear, once again it looked like we were in the Caribbean.  The temperature of the water wasn't so great though.  Tom was straight in, but it took me a good 45 minutes of coaxing and playing with the rocket to get me in fully.  I just don't know how others just wade in as if it is completely normal to plunge your body into freezing water and without screaming!

Anyway, I managed it and once in, it was fine.  Although in the time it took me to get in, Tom was beginning to shiver, so I didn't have that much time in as I was worried about him.  We came out and warmed up in the sun - it reached 25 degrees - yes 25 DEGREES so we dried out and warmed up in no time.  We ate our picnic, Tom went back into the sea - which had retreated quite a way, where we were swimming he was now only ankle deep, I'm guessing this place has quite a wide tidal range.  I managed a little bit of relaxing whilst Matt went for a walk and Tom paddled, but before too long I was made to play rocket catch again.  I don't mind, just that my body is aching and stiff from the Skye hikes and Inverness walks yesterday - so everything is a bit of an effort.

Around 3pm, loads of people were arriving, the beach which was almost exclusively ours suddenly became busy (about 30 people) the shock of it - so we packed up and came home.  We had booked tea out at one of the Plockton pubs for the evening, we decided to walk there and back, so we had showers, got changed and headed down into the woods.  The walk was supposed to be 1.5 miles, but it felt a lot longer, through dense, muggy forest.  We walked quickly but it didn't seem come close for ages.

We had an ok meal at the pub - we felt quite rushed by the staff.  I got a portion of Plockton prawns for a starter for Tom and I (langoustines) whilst Matt had crab soup (which was very good)  Then moulds marieneres for me, cod and chorizo for Tom and a pork chop for Matt.  When I say pork chop, what was exactly what he got - a pork chop on a plate, a small bucket of chips on the side, no veggies at all which is a bit strange.  I was happy with my lot, but on the way home, my tummy decided to reject the mussels and I had to run to the toilet (not easy when it is 1.5 miles through a muggy forest!) Got there just in time!  Oh hum, it was nice to be out though.

Scenic Train Ride to Inverness

Not content with having a long, active day on Skye yesterday, we decided to head to Inverness for the day today.  Bit of a long day...the train out was 06.28 and we didn't get back until 20.15.  Bit of a long day then.  

None of us had ever been to Inverness but more importantly the train trip is known as being one of the most scenic in the country.  We got up at 5.45 and walked down to the station.  It was a beautiful morning.  Tom was very excited to be given the job of stopping the train (Dun Craig is a request stop only).  He was seen and the driver gave him a hoot to let him know he was going to stop.  We managed to get a table on the lock side of the train.  Our eyes were glued to the scenery all along the loch - it was very very beautiful.  Once we got to Strathcarron we headed inland we were really in the middle of no-where.  We can't quite understand how this line has survived - guessing the fish trade was a bit more lucrative in the past.  The smallest hamlets have stations - with literally 2 or 3 houses - there were 7 request stops on the line - so that gives you an idea of how small the settlements are.

We ate our first breakfast on the train - iced buns for the boys and an egg sandwich for me which we brought from home.  We then sat back to enjoy the ride.  Tom spotted some deer stags and we saw a couple of highland moos but really not enough!

The train got busier once we got to Dingwall - where it became a commuter train, arriving into Inverness at 8.50am.  We stepped out of the station, had a good look round and found a café that we had been recommended by a local in Plockton - the Artysans.  It opened just as we arrived and it did us proud.  Homemade baked beans on toast for me and Matt (Matt had haggis on the side of course) and a sausage bun for Tom - all very nice.  We then had a quick look around some touristy shops (Matt was after a T-shirt and me a patch) and then headed down to the river Ness where we did a walk down to the crazy golf which we had promised Tom.

We had a great time at the crazy golf - Tom and I were pretty rubbish, so Matt won.  But it was fun and it was sunny and hot and everyone was in a good mood.  

After a game we stayed for a drink and then had a good 'mess around' playing table tennis, where Tom got an attack of the giggles and couldn't stop! By now it was lunchtime so we headed to the Botanical Gardens next door for lunch.  It was quite busy but we managed to find ourselves a table and a sandwich each.  We then went for a walk around them - it was quite small but very nice.  

We decided to have another game of crazy golf as it was one price for all day, I did worse!  Matt won again!  Oh hum.  We said goodbye to the lovely man who ran it, then went for a walk in the Ness islands which were very lovely.  We then walked back to the city and found ourselves a cafe for a sit-down and a drink - all of us had aching feet and were hot, hot, hot!

We then went souvineer shopping - didn't find many interesting shops, but I did get a patch and Matt got himself a T-shirt and Tom found himself a tartan Rubik's cube.  

We got back to the station with an hour to spare, so we went to Pizza Express next to the station for a quick pizza before boarding a very hot train back to Dun Craig - no air conditioning, not fun when you are wearing a mask and it is hot outside.  Luckily the driver sorted it out after we left.  We were all exhausted and could have nodded off if there hadn't have been the promise of beautiful scenery, it was worth staying awake for and we saw loads of deer this time too.

View from Dun Craig Station on our return

Skye Adventure

Sunday, the weather had brightened up, it wasn't raining and the forecast was for it to get better and better as the day went on, so we packed the van and headed over to Skye for the day.  As soon as the road headed down we were in thick fog, so much so that you couldn't see the water below the Skye bridge as we went over.  Oh well, we drove up towards Portree - as we got closer, the clouds were beginning to lift.  

I had found an itinerary for Skye on the internet which we followed - full of places we hadn't explored before. First was the Old Man Storr which is very famous, huge cores of stone sticking out of the earth.  It was still a little foggy when we arrived, but as we walked up towards it, the clouds started to clear.  It was a hard and steep walk, but worth it and literally as we arrived the mist rolled back and we had blue sky.  

The formations were certainly quite a site.  We walked around them and then discovered a path up the back which took you further up, we went up - oh my, it was a scary path - basically vertical loose earth!  I had my pole so stuck that in to help me up, Tom was on all fours clinging to any rock sticking out the earth - I don't know how he did it, but he made it and I was very proud - he said if it wasn't for climbing club he wouldn't have been able to do it.  

We spent some time up there before heading back down again - a different route - still a bit scary but not half as bad as the route up.  By the time we left we were under blue skies.  It stayed that for the rest of the day - deep blue sky and no wind at all.  Just perfect weather for exploring.

We then headed back to the car and hopped in to our next stop: Lealt Falls - an impressive set of waterfalls right on the side of the road.  By now our tummies were starting to rumble, so we skipped the next site (Kilt Rock) hoping to find an establishment in the next village, Staffin.  We had googled whether things would be open in Skye on a Sunday and had found that it wasn't like the Outer Hebrides, and things were pretty much as normal on a Sunday.  We found 2 cafes and a little supermarket - they were all closed!!!  This is where having the van makes life a bit easier.  We drove back to kilt rock and parked up, turned the gas on and boiled some water for the 3 pots of dried noodles we had in the van for emergency.  They were spot on and helped revive us all.  As we were clearing up, a young piper turned up, dressed in full kilt etc and started to play.  Fantastic (I always like a man in a kilt), really added to the occasion.  The rocks were pretty impressive too.

Next on the itinerary was Quiraing which was an area towards the top of the island, famed for wonderful scenery we headed up a narrow one track road to see it.  

Got there to find a huge car park and  a burger van in it!  Oh well, not sure a burger would have sat well with all the walking.  We decided to do a short walk here - so instead of the 4 mile suggested route we thought we would walk as far as the big rock formation we could see - turns out it was about 2 miles there so although we didn't do the whole circuit, we did do another 4 miles (however, doing it that way we missed the steep bit of the route which was pretty lucky).  

It was a grand walk, with good views and interesting formations. 

We were pretty parched when we got back, so sank a bottle of pop and chocolate bar each before heading back south again to the Fairy Glen.  This wasn't even sign posted so we were a little unsure if it was a 'place' but luckily after passing a holiday cottage called Fairy Glen Cottage we thought we were in the right place and suddenly after a mile or two of very narrow road we found a decent sized car park.  We parked up and explored.  It was a shame we had tired legs (well when I say we - I mean Matt and I) the place was certainly very special. 

Lots of green hillocks which reminded me of Hobbiton and then in the centre of them another rock formation which looked like a turret and a perfect circle of miniature standing stones.  It certainly had an effect on Tom who went a bit loopy running around and around and up and down the hillocks - he made us tired to watch him!  Maybe he was a fairy in a previous life (or maybe he still had the spirit of the tooth fairy upon him - another one came out on Friday).  I was a little to sad to leave the place, could have spent half a day there just soaking up the atmosphere.  However, it was getting late and we had no food!

We made our way to Portree where we found the Co-op open - phew.  We bought some provisions, but then decided to head into the centre of Portree to see if we could get fish and chips as we were all mega hungry.  We could, we had to stand in line for over half an hour, but it was worth it to not have to cook or find a restaurant with space for us.  We sat on by the water eating them in sunshine.  They didn't touch the side!

Then the long drive home, I took over the driving at this point, figured Matt had done enough.  The roads are surprisingly good on Skye - better than on the mainland!  We were home sooner than we thought, stopped to take a pic of the bridge on the way home as the water was clearly visible this time round!

A fabulous day out, but we were shattered!