Highlands and Islands 2022

 Saturday April 30 The bed was comfortable, the breakfast as anticipated. I enjoyed my granola yoghurt with berry compote. Pam had the grapefruit variety plus waffles with berry compote. I didn't want much more so had a croissant. I put a cheese slice in a roll, wrapped it in a napkin and ate it for lunch. Pam did likewise, but added ham to hers. Even the toast was the small pre-packed slice variety.  We left at the prescribed 10 a.m. in steady rain. Pam again heard a Cuckoo call. The only other birds we saw en route to Uig were Starlings. A stop at the usual shop for papers, before logging in at the ferry terminal. We were first in the assisted travel queue, Lane 4 alongside a car containing three Dachsunds. For the first time, we sat inside on the boat. Still looking out of the window, marred by the rain and reflections, Pam saw two Kittiwakes and that was the total. It was very rough once we'd cleared Skye, the boat rolled rather too much for comfort. We had been playing ca...

Friday April 29   Not a long journey to-day, the leaving of a rented house is always a chore though. I still resent having to strip beds and, sometimes, vacuum, before leaving. Surely that should be part of the service provided for the eye-watering rental price. Pam is very good about it. We failed to locate both the toaster and the rubbish bins whilst we were here. The indoor bins were left unemptied. We did without the toast. A beautiful, warm, and sunny morning on which to see the Highlands and the scenic roads to Skye. The thermometer showed 16C at one time. We made good time to the Skye road bridge, despite a lengthy part of the A road being single track with passing places. My first trip to the island was a very long time ago, in a minibus full of schoolkids and camping gear, for a wet week on a beach in the Cuillins. The first time that I saw Highland cattle eating seaweed on the beach. To-day we followed an easterly route, stopping at a Co-op parking area, which overlo...

Thursday April 28  With a drive to Skye tomorrow in mind, we decided to stay fairly close to home. Abernethy Forest Lodge has always been a reliable source for Crested Tit, Redstart, Crossbill and - once upon a time - Capercaillie. Last time we came, the gate was shut until 10 a.m.. To-day, the gate was shut and had a new notice. Walkers and cyclists welcome, delivery drivers proceed. That's why there were cars parked outside. Their website does not mention that cars are no longer welcome. I knew that extra precautions had been taken to safeguard the remaining Capercaillie, but not that the reserve was off limits for driving. We discovered that Blue Badges can be a useful passport. A Loch Garten  warden gave Pam permission to drive up to the Visitors Centre.  I sat outside watching the woods where a Redstart had been prospecting one of the nest boxes. Coal Tits, Chaffinches, Blue Tit, Great Tit and nothing else. When Pam discovered that the drinks machine was only dispens...

Wednesday April 27  The day began at Spey Bridge, Boat of Garten. We stopped on the bridge itself so that we could peer through the fence bars. Nothing on Pam's side - until a Grey Heron flew in - a Common Sandpiper manifested out of a lump on a distant rock, on my side. I couldn't decide which photo to use.   Two Goldeneye swam upstream and out of view, all serenaded by the ubiquitous song of the ever present Willow Warblers. Turning off the A9 soon after the Slochd summit,  we took the single track road which takes one on a scenic seven mile ride up the Findhorn Valley. The valley soon narrows to a river, wooded hillsides, moorland and the winding road, often lined by crash barriers when the drop to the river below is at its steepest. Tall mountains line the valley. Home to raptors, a herd of feral goats, sheep, deer and the terrain appropriate birds. Mistle Thrush is a regular, we also saw Long-tailed Tits, Raven , Grey Wagtail, Chaffinch, Common Sandpiper, Teal, Redsh...

  Tuesday April 26 Another drizzly morning - the default option is the north east coast. We decided to travel as far east as we planned to go, at the start of the day, leaving the birding until the return journey. The C17th harbour at Portsoy is a combination of two  small granite walled harbours. The newer one was built for the export of Herring.  The older harbour was known for the local jewellery made from 'Portsoy marble', which is actually a form of serpentinite, not marble at all. Portsoy is well known to birders for the White-billed Divers which feed here on their way north in the spring. No birders about. Ominous. We could even park the car so that I could scope from its relative comfort - the wind was fresh, and rather cold. Plenty of majestic Gannets flying by, plunge diving for what seemed to be an amplitude of food from the sheer quantity of Gulls, Fulmars, Kittiwakes and Guillemots feeding. A small party of summer plumaged Turnstone huddled on the rocks, half...

 Monday April 25 I changed beds last night. The previous brass bedstead was so high that I needed a trampoline to get in. The new one is still a good height, and comfortable, so that's sorted. Dictated by the weather, we decided to visit the Black Isle. En route, we pulled into the layby at Dulnain Bridge from which to view the river. No Dipper to-day but Pam found a bedraggled Grey Wagtail huddled on a flat rock. Carrbridge holds a special place in our hearts, we stayed there in a chalet for over twenty years. A very short detour took us to THE bridge over the river from which we often see some good birds. As we turned round, a piper in full regalia climbed onto the ruins of the bridge and began to play. Awesome. In such a fantastic setting too. Pam is always very moved by bagpipes, she loves them. I joke that it's because she's tone deaf - although I'm fond of them too. A fellow teacher piped me on board the paddle steamer on which we celebrated my retirement.     ...

  Sunday April 24 Dreich is a good Scottish word meaning damp, drizzly, misty, grey, weather. That's what we got up to find this morning. Our view had disappeared. A Scotsman actually used the word to us when we met him later in the day. We needed to shop, and find that the coast is often drier, so we drove to Nairn were we knew that there was a large Sainsbury's. Along the route, we passed the northern entry to the Lochindorb road across which there was a sign, 'Road Closed' . Bother. Before shopping, we visited Nairn Harbour where many gulls wash in the fresh water of the river mouth. Nothing unusual to-day, very little variety too. A statue, which I find fascinating, stands overlooking the harbour, as though watching over it.   The Nairn Fishwife Statue is based on an actual fishwife, Annie Ralph, who was one of the last Nairn fishwives. She represents the fishwives of Nairn and elsewhere who worked hard in their homes, raising children and supporting their fishe...

 Saturday April 23 Loch of the Lowes is a Scottish Wildlife Reserve we have visited for some years, because it's a reliable Osprey experience. Three years ago, the old female did not return, the new pair nested away from the reserve. Fortunately, they took over the original site the following year. The nest is at least 300 metres away across the loch from the hides and centre, ensuring a lack of disturbance from the public. If only we had been five minutes earlier, we'd have seen the male bring in a breakfast fish, What we did see, was the pair standing on the nest.   What we believe was the female, then flew off to a nearby Birch tree stump, perch, to eat some of the fish. The male settled down on the three eggs.    Sometimes, it's worth a look at the feeding stations outside the centre windows, We settled down with our hot drinks, on benches separated by large perspex screens - Covid. The best position was hogged by a young staff member taking notes - until a Range...

 Friday April 23 Leaving the Travelodge on a sunny crisp morning, the air redolent with the nasal effluvia of remnant Macdonalds, diesel fumes, all honeyed by the sweet fluting of a Song Thrush.  A very few miles up the road, we crossed the Scottish Border, Saltires proudly fluttering in the morning breeze.   Cove, a tiny cliff top village, famous for its cliffs being part of James Hutton's geological theory of how the Earth was formed. James Hutton FRSE was a Scottish geologist , agriculturalist , chemical manufacturer , naturalist and physician Often referred to as the father of modern geology, he played a key role in establishing geology as a modern science. Hutton advanced the idea that the physical world's remote history can be inferred from evidence in present-day rocks. Through his study of features in the landscape and coastlines of his native Scottish lowlands , such as Salisbury Crags or Siccar Point , he developed the theory that geological features cou...

  Thursday April 21 Not an early start, which was not important to-day. Leaving home, laden, in our 'new' three year old car we arrived at our Travelodge at four o'clock. Our previous car went in for pre trip service last week, when we were told that it needed over £2,000 of new parts including four new tyres. Almost simultaneously, a three year old exact duplicate of our model, in black, came into the garage. Only 25,000 miles on the clock. Too good an opportunity to miss. Pam picked it up yesterday afternoon. Adrian came round to help do last minute jobs in the garden, and to carry out the luggage before packing the car. He's fantastic. Nothing is too much trouble and he's a perfectionist.  Two moth traps fill the back seat, my Rollator is perched on top of the full boot contents. A lovely sunny day to be travelling, marred by two tailbacks. The first a short one, at Sutton Bridge where only one lane is in use. They're painting the bridge.The second, in Yorksh...

 Highlands and Islands  2022  Thursday April 21 Leave for 1 night at Travelodge Berwck on Tweed TD15 1UQ Friday April 22 Travel to Kinross Travelodge for 1 night  KY13 0NQ Saturday April 23 Ballinluig Croft, Granthown on Spey for 6 nights   PH26 3NN Friday April 29 Ronan House Edinbane, Isle of Skye for 1 night   IV51 9PR Saturday April 30 Afternoon Ferry from Uig, Skye to Lochmaddy, North Uist, Outer Hebrides until Saturday May 21 April 30 - May 21 Bonnie View apartment North Uist May 21 Early morning ferry from Lochmaddy to Uig, Isle of Skye.  Overnight at Carlisle Todhills Travelodge  CA6 4HA May 22 Home late afternoon. Mobile Phone :07919046874