Slowly does it

We're making progress, but at a gentler pace.  My cousins Peter and Sarah stayed a couple of nights with us in South Uist and ferried us around for this and that.  They had been canoeing and camping in some of the most exposed parts of the Hebrides and were the first people ever to treat living on board and sleeping in our tiny forecabin as a luxurious treat!

Then to Eriskay, a lovely little island near the bottom of the chain, with a very sheltered harbour.  We were so comfortable there that we couldn't be bothered to take the boat to Barra, the next island down.  We got the fery instead - now that's luxury!  Then we had the gale.  It blew all day and half the night, and we couldn't get ashore.  But we were comfortable enough in the harbour.

 And so to Coll, where we are now, 40 miles SE and out of the outer chain.  Small, flat and very friendly, 2 shops (more luxury) and an excellent hotel with showers and washing machines (yet more luxury) and a very good restaurant.  And wireless for the blog!  The beaches look beautiful (see above), but sadly are much to chilly to tempt a swim! Jim and Mae arrived today in White Magic, our previous boat, and we plan to sail on somewhere together tomorrow.

We've had no mobile phone reception for the last week or so, which also pretty much means no internet.  You realise how much you get dependant on these thigs.  We feel quite alone at times.  But we can get the Today programme so we know there is a world out there.  It just doesn't know about us!

Island Hopping

What a busy social whirl we live in!  Almost as soon as David and Hilary left us in Stornoway, Alistair joined us.  He's leaving us tomorrow (Wednesday 19th) and my cousin Peter and his wife Sarah join us briefly - in an intermission from their sea-kayaking in places we don't dare to go.  And then we meet Jim and Mae in White Magic - our old boat - next week.

Oh yes - and we've been exploring the Outer Hebrides.  We've passed most of the chain and stopped in Lewis/Harris and several Uists.  For the most part we've had lovely weather, which has been great for walking - we made a good attempt at Hecla, but were thwarted by a combination of cloud, lack of paths and Val's frozen shoulder.  And sheer indolence of course.  We've stopped in some lovely wild and isolated anchorages - and made rather closer acquaintance than we intended with a rock in one of them!  No harm done, we think. On the western side of the islands there are a succession of long white sand beaches - where we have not ventured into the water!  Communications have been non-existent, which should excuse the lack of blog activity. 

We're now in Loch Boisdale at the bottom of South Uist.  A tiny but pleasant place - and well sheltered against the weather which seems to be breaking.  As usual we try and eat and drink well between excursions but have been disappointed that all the fish and seafood from hereabouts goes to the mainland - literally without touching the ground.  It's particularly irritating, given the amount of effort we spend in avoiding lobster pots, that we don't even get a chance to pay for their contents!

Highlands and Islands - Scotland Rocks

...well Scottish rocks anyway.  There are a lot.  So far we've missed them, but you don't want to let your guard down....

We've visited some fairly remote places in the last week or so and also managed to collect provisions, water etc in the towns of Portree and Ullapool.  We're now in Stornaway on Lewis.  We thought it was lucky that we were in the town of Portree when Val broke a tooth.  Getting a dentists appointment though turned out not to be easy.  The dental receptionist mentioned that her dentist was in Fort William - about 50 miles away!  However all turned out well and the tooth was fixed.

One highlight was a stop at Gairloch where we met friends who were there for the trout fishing.  We had a day fishing with them and they had a day sailing with us.  They learned a bit about how to do it.  We on the other hand....  It was memorable however, tramping into the mountains to find lochs and streams where the trout might lurk, and eating our friends' catch on the mountain, cooked on an open fire in the sunshine.

That wasn't a typo.  SUNSHINE.  Every day.  Almost all day.  And warmth!  We even had a night without the heater last night.  More (non-sailing) friends - Hilary and David - joined us in Ullapool and sailed across the Minch to Stornaway with us.  Idyllic.  But the forecast is now for rain and wind - Alistair joins us on Wednesday and he may be less lucky than the others.

Back in touch

Well we now have communications again.  Mobile phones work.  Even the internet (at around 3 bits/sec - no photos this time).  We even got a newspaper!

We're properly in the  north now, having rounded Ardnamurchan point - incidentally it's the westernmost point of mainland Britain.  We've spent a day and a couple of nights on Canna.  Surely you know Canna (population 13 and lovely)?  It's in the Small Isles, along with Rum, Muck and Eigg. It was an unexpectedly hard sail to get there, but worth it.  Sea Eagles, Golden Eagles (we think) and other wildlife abound.  Surprisingly we found that they are converting an old Church there as a theatre.  Now Farnham can't support a theatre - Canna though...! 

And then back to southern Skye, with dolphins escorting us and dinner in a remote hotel.  Now we're in Plockton, near Kyle of Loch Alsh.  We're roughly on schedule, though we've chosen some different stops to the "plan" (which was only ever conceptual).

The weather's been a bit mixed, breezy, cold - very cold at times - and showery, but no gales.  It's a bit too unsettled for us to follow our plan to get into one of the lochs around the Cuillin mountains on Skye.  Unfortunately our friends Steve and Mandy couldn't be with us around Skye, but we hope to meet with other friends in Gairloch on Wednesday.  Betwen now and then...we haven't decided!