From Paris, we flew west to Edinburgh, the excitement already starting to build up for our next adventure – 11 days navigating through the wild Scottish Islands on a wee ship departing from Oban in a couple of days. The expedition would take us from the Hebrides in the west to the Orkney and Shetland islands in the north. On the way, we would be taking in some remote, and rather inhospitable, windswept specks of land in the Atlantic, some 5000-odd year old Neolithic sites, and some of the world's largest seabird colonies.
 |
| Here in Edinburgh it is after 10pm and the sun is just thinking about setting. |
|
We had an overnight stop in Edinburgh before catching a train for Oban on the west coast, gateway to the Herbrides. Rocketing along from Edinburgh to Oban, we were surrounded by sleepy green giants guarding the lochs and rivers. Deep river valleys, lush and moist. Dense green woods with mossy undergrowth and thickets of deep pink rhododendrons. Moss and lichen on all the trees and many of the rocks. Wildflowers everywhere, bigger and bolder than elsewhere. Ferns and brackens. Trees slapped at our carriage as we whipped along the valleys. Small flocks of black-faced fat white sheep. Stone walls and forests of Christmas trees creped up the huge monoliths.
And that’s just one short train trip. Just wait till get on the road with our wee motor home! That was going to be our next adventure but more of that later.
Oban (west coast) is a very quaint port, and we were experiencing typical Scottish summer weather - showers and 13C today. Brrr.... Yes, it is summer and almost the summer equinox!
Tomorrow, we head out to sea to the Inner and Outer Hebrides with their jagged peaks and heather-clad hills. Our first stop will be the tiny island of Iona, birthplace of Christianity in Britain. Then over the sea to Skye ... tra la la .... Sea stacks, whales, malt whiskey, Muckle Flugga, Iron Age towers, Storm Petrels, Puffins and ...... Talk about contrasts - from the deserts of Central Asia to the rocky sea cliffs of the Atlantic.
 |
| One of the many lochs we encountered |
 |
| So bucolic |
 |
| Quaint Oban |
 |
| Port side tranquility |
 |
| Quasi Roman ruins |
 |
| Lindsay found a gorgeous path behind our B&B |
 |
| A potter's shed at the bottom of the garden |
 |
| A Scottish blackberry - sweet and juicy and huge |
No comments:
Post a Comment