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.
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| Top of Ewes Castle |
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| 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!
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| Searching for the perfect rock! |
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| Taken 2 minutes after the previous photo - changeable weather! |
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| My happy place - Hopeman beach! |
After two nights in Hopeman we made our way west to the beautiful Isle of Skye. Another happy place!
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| 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.
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| Ferry to Raasay |
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| Looking back to Skye & the Red Cuillins from Raasay House |
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| Views from the end of Calum's Road |
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| Brochel Castle |
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| Cool wee lochans on the way up Dun Caan! |
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| Summit of Dun Caan, but we have to go down before we head up! |
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| 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!
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| Elgol |
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| Seal spotting from the boat! |
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| Timer photo with Loch Coruisk in the background |
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| Doing a bit of scrambling on the gabbro, grippy stuff! |
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| The closest the cloud came to lifting, just before we left! |
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| 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!
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| 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!
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| Obviously this is NOT the summit of Dun Caan! But we had an extra wee celebration on the Bella Jane the following day! |
