Happy (belated) Christmas and here's to a great 2016!

I usually write a Merry Christmas post but I've been slacking so much this year that this is actually my first post in December!

Christmas was over in a flash as always, but was a lovely day spent with the family. The brothers and I enjoyed our annual one club golf challenge which was lots of fun - it was such a still day with not a breath of wind.

 

Snow on Boxing Day!

I then made my way to Kinross to spend time with Dave's family, and we had a lovely few days exploring Stirling Castle and enjoying the festivities in Edinburgh.

 

 

The in-between Christmas and Hogmanay time is always a bit weird but I've loved having a few quiet days in Stow, getting my head around everything that has happened this year and everything that is coming up next year!

I'll do my 2015 round up in the next few days, but it has certainly been a good year. The lack of blogging this year means there has been less walking than I would have liked, but there has been a trip to Prague, laser eye surgery, and an engagement to name but a few exciting moments!

This time next year I will be a married woman, which is a daunting - but exciting - thought!

Wishing you all the very best for 2016

Helen x

An(other) Arran Adventure

Arran is a great island. Really, that's all this blog needs to say. If you haven't been to Arran then you should go, if you've already been then you'll know how great it is.

Dave and I have been lucky enough to travel to Arran on four occasions. On each trip we've discovered new places, and made brilliant new memories.

We made our first visit in November 2011 - for some reason I didn't blog about it. It ignited our passion for this 'Scotland in miniature' island. 

We made our second visit in March 2013, a week before the crazy snow and power cuts on the island. We climbed Goat Fell in a four hour decent weather window. We loved it!

 

We made our third visit in July 2014, with Dave's family from Australia (including nephew Arran!). We swam in the sea and got sunburnt. Magic!

We made our fourth trip in November 2015, with my mum and dad, basing ourselves in a great house in Whiting Bay. Unfortunately the weather was far from ideal, with some very heavy rain over the week. However we made the best of it, and enjoyed some great wee walks. The waterfalls were particularly impressive, and we enjoyed the walk out to Glenashdale Falls.

 

Blue skies looking back to Whiting Bay and Holy Isle:

Dave and I arrived on Sunday but I think it was Tuesday before we saw Goat Fell! The fog and mist had been so heavy on the ferry over that we couldn't even see land, let alone the mountain!

We also made the walk out to Machrie standing stones, a rather soggy walk but the stones were impressive!

 

We even took Robbie the dog to the beach - he doesn't walk too far these days!

Dave and I explored the grounds of Brodick Castle and Estate, and discovered some stunning wee waterfalls along the Merkland burn.

I got to play with my new (ish) camera and figured out to take photos like this:

 

Brother Ross joined us on Arran on Wednesday, and on Friday we thought we had a weather window to give Goat Fell a go. The forecast for the morning was pretty rubbish but it was to get better around 2pm, then worsening again in the evening.

Well, that's not quite how it happened on Goat Fell. But we left the car at 11.20am and the weather was fairly decent as we began our trek. There was a pretty raw wind, but the views were good. I could see dark clouds coming our way for most of the ascent, but was just hoping we could stay ahead of them.

After two hours on the up, we made the summit. However the weather took a pretty dramatic turn for the worse - the wind picked up and it started to snow! The summit was just wild; we were up there for all of two minutes - if that!

Beginning the descent - about to fall off the face of the world?!

Although the snow was not heavy, it was fresh on the ground and pretty slippy. We had to take real care with where we were putting our feet. My neck was sore from constantly looking at the ground!

With the snow falling and us concentrating on our feet, we lost the path we'd come up on. It wasn't a huge deal - we just took a longer way down than intended. We knew where we were going - we just didn't go the most direct route!

However it was a humbling experience, and made me realise how easily you can lose your bearings.

Easy once we'd found the path again!

It took us just over four hours in the end. By the time we got back down to the woods at the beginning/end of the walk, the rain was quite heavy and we were fair drookit. But time for a timer shot before getting in the car!

Sadly on Saturday we had to leave. Of course we woke up to blue skies! When we got to Brodick for the ferry, Goat Fell was looking rather fabulous with its snowy white coat on. Dave, Ross and I could proudly say we'd been there when that snow fell!

Had to get a group (timer) shot before heading onto the ferry. What's Robbie looking at?

Another great trip to Arran had sadly come to an end. Although the weather hadn't been too wonderful, we enjoyed lots of fresh air, and lots of good food!

Thanks mum and dad for a fantastic trip! I'm sure your second trip to Arran will be soon, and so will our fifth trip!

 

October - what a month!!

Wow, I don't even know where to start with this blog post! I'm just sneaking it in before the end of the month as there's been so many good and exciting moments in October. I think I might just let the photos do the talking!

The month started excellently with great weather - the summer we'd all been waiting for! It was lovely and warm, and Dave and I had some fortuitous time off work. We took a wee trip to East Lothian and enjoyed a fantastic walk along the beach at Tyninghame. 

 

The next day was just as warm, if a bit hazy. We enjoyed a local walk along the Lugate water on the outskirts of Stow, to Ewes Castle, which is very much a ruin. We found a wee secluded bit of deciduous woodland nearby, and sat for a while just enjoying the peace and quiet.

Top of Ewes Castle

 

Hazy day looking north along the railway line

In mid October we managed a trip north which was much needed after a summer of hard work. First stop was Hopeman on the Moray Coast, where I spent my childhood holidays. It's a place close to my heart, and I just love to be beside the seaside. 

We got plenty of fresh air - the cobwebs were well and truly blown away!

Searching for the perfect rock!

 

Taken 2 minutes after the previous photo - changeable weather!

My happy place - Hopeman beach!

After two nights in Hopeman we made our way west to the beautiful Isle of Skye. Another happy place!

Have to always stop here for a wee pic!

We were staying with our dear friends Bill and Line, and their wee baby Harry. As previously, we slept in a tent in their garden - but a luxury tent with an electric blanket! We spent a number of happy evenings in Bill and Line's wee hoose, chatting, sipping whisky and putting the world to rights. When darkness descended, the Milky Way sparkled above us, and the only sound to be heard was a nearby cow moo-ing away. 

Dave and I have spent a lot of time on Skye, and we visit our favourite places often. On this trip we decided to visit places neither of us had ever been before. We had an amazing time on the Isle of Raasay - what a place! We drove Calum's Road, walked out to Brochel Castle and found a lovely beach, and best of all climbed to the top of Dun Caan, Raasay's distinctive highest point.

Ferry to Raasay

Looking back to Skye & the Red Cuillins from Raasay House

Views from the end of Calum's Road

Brochel Castle

Cool wee lochans on the way up Dun Caan!

Summit of Dun Caan, but we have to go down before we head up!

Timer photo on the summit of Dun Caan!

 

The trip to Raasay was amazing, and memorable for a number of reasons (see the bottom of this post!). It's a really beautiful place and well worth a visit.

The next day we took the Bella Jane boat trip from Elgol to Loch Coruisk, another place on our 'never been before but always wanted visit' list. There aren't enough superlatives really - another stunning place on Skye. Very special. We took the return trip back, but one day I'd like to walk over to Sligachan.

As you'll see from the pictures, the cloud lingered on the Black Cuillins and just wouldn't shift during the time we were there. But that didn't detract in any way from the beauty!

Elgol

Seal spotting from the boat!

Timer photo with Loch Coruisk in the background

Doing a bit of scrambling on the gabbro, grippy stuff!

The closest the cloud came to lifting, just before we left!

Bella Jane boat arriving to take us back to Elgol

We were fair puggled after arriving back on dry land - so much fresh air! However we decided to drive out to Dunvegan and take a wee walk to the coral beaches. This is somewhere we'd both been before, once together, but we couldn't resist. It was surprisingly busy for a chilly Thursday afternoon in October, but we found a wee secluded spot to sit and enjoy this lovely place.

After three nights we sadly had to head south, but this trip to Skye and Raasay was memorable, interesting and wonderful. Thanks to Bill, Line and Harry for hosting us!

As if October hadn't been busy enough, the ultimate event was still to come! My mum had a notable birthday, and we had a rather crazy day to celebrate! There was cycling, loony-dooking in a freezing reservoir, running, treasure-hunting, cake-decorating, quizzing, golf, and plenty of eating and drinking! There was even a midnight walk! It was a brilliant day, and a great way to celebrate mum's milestone!

 

In she goes! In a Sound of Music inspired cozzie!

 

It's been a really busy month, October. But a great one! So many exciting memorable moments! I've had another change in my work life so I'm commuting to Edinburgh for the next few months. I'm enjoying the train journey, and having my weekends back. Hopefully there will be some winter walks to write about. Right now, I need some time to recover from the epic month that was October!

PS The most memorable moment of the month - a proposal at the summit of Dun Caan!

Obviously this is NOT the summit of Dun Caan! But we had an extra wee celebration on the Bella Jane the following day!