THE RAMBLINGS OF A STRUGGLING ARTIST ON LIFE WITH TWO TERRIERS, A PONY WITH ISSUES AND OTHER WILDLIFE AND BIRDS THAT CROSS OUR PATH

12 June 2014

SCOTLAND - PART 3


Friday; our last full day which involved a LOT of packing up but we also managed to make the most of the rest of the day. The morning started with an eerie mist over the loch:


OB and I took the dogs into a misty forest. The smell of wild garlic filled the damp air.



Dewy cobwebs filled the trees:



As we climbed up the steep hill, we rose above the mist. I spotted Billy's Button (Water Avens), one of my favourite plants in my garden, growing by the side of the track. The first time I've ever seen it in the wild:


These tiny yellow fungi were scattered in the rhododendron leaf filled shallow ditch by the path. Any ideas? 


Lots of these obviously....


And beautiful Bluebells:


One boy and his dogs:


Swallow on a power cable:



From mist to this in an hour:


When we got back we had our last kayaking session. I'm really going to miss it. I got out really far this time and it was quite choppy at times:


Snippet and Jack somehow made their way down to the beach through next door's garden. Jack lead the way obviously. Snippet picking stones from the salty water:


Making a little collection:


I think this is just a tiny Shore Crab - dead - but if you know better.....


Close up barnacles:


Sandhopper. This picture took some getting I can tell you. They don't hang around. 


Sea Slater (I think). A shore dwelling relative of the woodlouse.


Another dead shore crab I think:


We ate out on the last night. Not sophisticated food but very tasty. The whole place seems to be around twenty years behind the times and I'm very pleased I brought the contents of our fridge and half the cupboards as we couldn't have eaten out more than twice as we would have exhausted the menu. Also, the nearest place to buy fuel was nearly an hour away and the post office only had a bread delivery every three days. People think where we live is remote but Chagford, with its amazing range of shops for a tiny town, is only 15 minutes away and fuel only twenty. Our wilderness is a fairly cosmopolitan one.

We said farewell to Lochgoilhead that glorious evening. I'll miss it not getting dark till almost 11.00pm:



On our way to Glasgow airport the next day, we stopped at Loch Lomond to let the dogs stretch their legs; they had a long journey with M ahead of them:




We had to cross Erskine Bridge over the Clyde to get to there. M is not good with heights and there were white knuckles on the steering wheel......



OB had been practicing breathing exercises after the previous aerial nightmare and I kept everything crossed as we waited to board, in plenty of time today. We waited...........and waited. Some kind of problem with the wheelchair lift which was missing. The poor people in their wheelchairs were sitting out on the tarmac in the wind and blazing sunshine. Off at last, half an hour late but we took off like a rocket. No taxiing around, just straight up so OB had no chance to get nervous. I sat by the window this time and it was all fine. Because it was so clear, there was very little turbulence and he remembered to swallow. No visit to the airborne lavatory either............phew. 


It got a bit less sunny as we neared Bristol........


And landed safely.


2 hours to home via a very strange service station where I bought some stuff from a tiny M&S for our supper in the car...........my mum's car............now full of crumbs. Exhausted but not as exhausted as M who apparently got home at 2.00am. I was fast asleep I'm afraid. Best holiday for a very long time. However........East, West, home's best. Until next time, here's Snippet on our first walk back on Dartmoor.



38 comments:

  1. Just been catching up...what a fantastic holiday! I'd forgotten how magical that area is (where we lived we could see Ben Lomond from the back windows).
    Jane x

    ReplyDelete
  2. I do NOT like bridges; every other photo is fantastic. What a great trip you had.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A great series of posts, Em! I feel like I've been on holiday too!

    That shot of the dogs along the misty forest path is just stunning. I also liked your close ups of the sea-life. We have Sandhoppers here too and I've never even though of getting a picture because (a) they are tiny; and (b) they don't sit still for a second!

    Glad OB found the plane ride home better and hope you enjoy being back in the 21st century! Quaint little villages won't always be so quaint - if anything, I hope they stay 20 years behind the times for some things!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Sandhopper did take ten minutes of turning rocks over and watching the explosion of hopping, hoping a few might stay still, which they generally didn't! This one was in shock I think.

      This village wasn't really quaint. Our town is quaint in a thatched cottagey kind of way. This was just out of touch with the rest of the world and only just over an hour from cosmopolitan Glasgow. Not a cappuccino to be had for a forty mile radius.

      Glad I can inspire the feeling of having had a holiday....I feel like I could do with another one already.

      Delete
  4. I'm glad that the journey home was so much better. It sounds as though M made amazing time in getting home with the doggies. Your photos of the spiders webs are amazing, I never manage to capture them, so I am in awe of yours!!! I totally agree that home is definitely best. I am always glad to get home! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Driving through the night is always better.....for some!

      Delete
  5. So glad the homeward journey was much better.
    Those mist photos are fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We expected the whole holiday to be shrouded in mist but were so lucky to have the kind of weather Scotland is definitely NOT known for.

      Delete
  6. Replies
    1. I guess you don't get a lot of that over there Margarethe!

      Delete
  7. Hi Just been catching up and you obviously had a fantastic holiday. Your photography is outstanding. In this post I love the misty shots and the reflection in 2nd shots is fantastic. Love the shot of your dog in the last shot. i could go oon and go, i love all the shots. get rested up now!!! Have a good weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Some great photos Em. So glad you all had a good time :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Beautiful photos - the misty ones are stunning! So glad you had such a wonderful holiday and the return flight went so much better than the earlier one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MUCH better. I think he actually managed to enjoy it rather than it being torturous.

      Delete
  10. Beautiful photos, makes me want to go back to visit Scotland.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too! Welcome to Dartmoor Ramblings. I shall pop over and see yours now.

      Delete
  11. Love everything about this post !
    But I have to tell you Snippet and I are related ! Although his hair is better than mine... I would be standing in the water picking up stones too ! Did you save any to add to his collection ?
    I lurve him.

    cheers, parsnip

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nobody's hair could be worse than Snippet's Parsnip. He runs when he sees a brush.

      Delete
  12. Lovely photos. I am guessing EasyJet orange? We did that the last time from Bristol, and the Mercedes car-hire was £12 per day from Glasgow. Once again, lovely photos...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Easy jet indeed. £2.50 for a TINY bottle of what was probably tap water. Aviation fuel would probably have been cheaper.

      Delete
  13. You have taken some fantastic images on this trip Em.

    ReplyDelete
  14. That photo of the mist over the loch is fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had every kind of view of it except rain!

      Delete
  15. Fabulous family holiday and lovely photos as always Em......

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fabulous is the perfect description Thelma.

      Delete
  16. Your last day looks wonderful, the mist looks so magical. I'm so glad you enjoyed your holiday especially after having not been away for so long and also your journey home was much easier. Sarah x

    ReplyDelete
  17. It's been lovely taking this trip to Scotland with you via your blog. Wonderful photos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Ann. I feel (or felt!) refreshed too.

      Delete
  18. What lovely photos. Nearly as good as being there. I miss Scotland . . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do too already! Scrolling down to answer this made me sigh.

      Delete
  19. I've enjoyed the photos of Scotland. My father has very distant relatives around Aryes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have distant relatives of the Rose clan but I have no idea where from. It seems a lot of people do!

      Delete

Thank you so much for leaving a comment. It's great to read them and I will always try to reply.