I drove to Dunvegan with a vague intention to reach the western coast. Despite a stormy night the sky was clear, cold blue brushed with strokes of white. I parked in Duvegan car park looking out over the bay where the tide was drawing back to reveal layers of vivid seaweed which I was remembering are typical of the sea lochs here. I fortified myself with a cheese roll at the oldest bakery on Skye and filled the car with petrol before I set off again.

I was soon distracted by a sign to a textile gallery so I diverted off the narrow man road onto a track that tested the shock absorbers of the hire car. The friendly owner chatted to me while I tried to find something I could buy. I had come so far out of my way and the artist was so pleasant that I felt obliged to make a purchase. I also regard it as part of my duty to support local artists. The goods were so varied; sewing, felt, knitting, paintings, cards, jewellery, that I was sure they couldn’t all be made by one person. “I’ve got the whole family involved” she said “ Keeps us busy through the winter.” I was feeling a bit desperate when I spotted a flowery teddy bear with pink roses and blue felt eyes. I grabbed him, made sure the eyes were secure enough for an eight month old and we digressed into talking about grandchildren.

Once he was sitting securely in a paper bag, on the front seat, I set off back along the bumpy track. Turning onto the single track main road I noticed that the tide was going out and there were patches of rock and seaweed emerging. I found a gateway to stop and started to watch activity on the water. There wasn’t much but there were some small dark heads which appeared from time to time. I began to hope that they might be sea otters. A grey heron swooped down to land on a patch of rock, beak pointing downwards, ready to fish for dinner. The ubiquitous hooded crows danced around and a small group of herring gulls stood looking around. Three oyster catchers sat stolid, statuesque. The bobbing heads did not give away their identity so easily so I moved on.

After a few miles I noticed two buzzards hovering overhead. They floated on the wind. They were only a few metres apart and spent some time with wing feathers fluttering but not catching anything. I watched them until they flew away over the hill. I followed a sign to The Red Roof Café. I was beginning to lose hope as I followed the winding road around more corners than I expected when the small whitewashed cottage with a bright red roof appeared. It was a small combined café and art gallery boasting bright oil paintings and wholesome organic food. A group of Americans had managed to find their way there. I settled for Earl Grey tea with rose petals and blue flowers and a piece of lime and coconut cake.

By the time I had found my way back to the man road I had lost the will to carry on to the coast so I turned back towards the loch. It started to rain hard. Steel grey clouds hung over the hills contrasting with the sun behind me. The resulting rainbow was so vivid I stopped to take a photo but cameras can rarely do justice to such sights. I pulled into the space where I had watched the loch creatures before. I soon realised I was watching young seals playing. They rolled and dived, bobbing their heads through the pewter sea. The oyster catchers did not seem to have moved and the heron was still poking about in its ungainly way amongst the weed and rocks. Black and sleek the young seals wove their way through the water waving their flippers as they played. There must have been half a dozen although it is difficult to count when they dive down and only reappear some time later somewhere quite different.

There is a colony of grey seals further along the loch nearer the sea. These seemed to be a group of juveniles.

I had to leave them eventually to enjoy a drive back alongside the peat bogs admiring the lovely colours of the Skye landscape.

Skye diary 2
I had forgotten how beautiful Skye is. It has been almost 40 years since Pat and I hitch hiked here.
Unfortunately the Whale Trip organisers emailed saying they were not running trips due to the weather. That was surprising to me at the time but I was lucky to be able to go on a boat trip from Portree Harbour. The Shags sat preening and drying themselves as we sailed out scanning the hill rising from the shore until we saw a pair of Sea Eagles. Magnificent creatures with wing spans up to six metres they look less impressive when they are perched on rocks above the bay. You only realise how large they are when you compare them with the sheep grazing nearby. Farmers believed the birds took the lambs but in fact Sea Eagles are part of the vulture family so carrion is their food of choice rather than live lambs. Certainly the sheep showed no anxiety so close to them. They pair for life but the female has a young partner: “A toy boy” said our captain. “She is about 19 and he is only 6 or 7. Her original mate probably died.” She was persuaded to come closer when the captain threw a dead fish. That attracted the herring gulls which seemed to encourage the eagles. The female swooped , feet first, to snatch up the fish and soared back to her rock to enjoy her meal. My camera was of no use at all so I just enjoyed the experience with my binoculars. The sea was rough and getting worse. The whale watching boats were probably right. Going out beyond the shelter of the inlet would have been risky. The boat bounced across the waves whenever we picked up speed. I was pleased I had my waterproof coat on and when we got back to shore the boat owner decided there would be no more trips that day.
I drove around the northern part of the island in the afternoon. Every bend in the road revealed a different vista. The sea lochs bite into the coast. Every inlet seemed to have its own Heron, or perhaps it was the reverse. As the tide receded, revealing vivid orange, seaweed carpeted rocks, the herons stood rigid, observing the water for any potential meal.
On the way back to the hotel I stopped to try and identify a bird of prey. It was the shape of a kestrel but too big; too small to be a hobby or to be a merlin. I eventually decided it must be a Peregrine Falcon; a good day for birds.

30/9/14
Through my bedroom window I look across a grey Loch Linnhe. Jeffrey is here to take photographs . I’m here as an accompanying spouse; to relax, draw, write, read and appreciate beautiful Scotland. We will be moving to Skye tomorrow and I have already emailed ahead to try and arrange a whale spotting trip.
We came to Edinburgh by train yesterday and drove here today through the National Park of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. Autumn is more evident here than in East Anglia. We left Edinburgh in warm, bright sunshine but reached a broad band of rain clouds as we made our way across. In the sunshine the mountains are patched with brown and green bracken. The clouds started to glower over the mountains but we decided to go via the coast rather than Rannoch moor. I planned to go to the moor and Glencoe tomorrow but now I’m not sure if it will be possible as we are leaving at eleven. I don’t think I can come so close to Glencoe and forgo a visit. The Weeping Glen is one of my favourite places and these dark clouds create the perfect weather to appreciate it. Jeffrey suggest we will be going that way on the route back to Edinburgh so I don’t have to get up at 6.00 to join their photo shoot.
I brought my drawing tools with me so I spend some time trying to capture the small pebbled beach outside the hotel. I fail. It is a scene for watercolours really but I want to learn how to use the coloured pencils. Perseverance is required.
1/10/14
This morning the rain has cleared and the mountains opposite are shades of rust and olive with dull blue-green patches of conifers stretched across. Yesterday everything was shades of grey. Now I can see three or four layers of hills stretching out to pale fawn as they recede. We are off to Skye today. The bad news is that the whale watching company replied to say they are not going out for the foreseeable future because of the weather. I will have another attempt to find a boat trip when we get to Skye. At least I should be able to see sea eagles and seals.