16th April

I am going to start todays blog with this seemingly innocuous blue picture. What do you see? Perhaps more importantly, what do you not see? The answer of course is - CLOUDS! You are looking at the Scottish sky over my head about 3 pm this afternoon. The really amazing thing is that I have my camera on its widest, wide angle setting. Can you believe it! You would be inclined to think (and I would not blame you for a second) that I am vacationing in some far off tropical country like India or South Africa, but no, you would be in error. This, my friends is Scotland in April. Now I happen to think the weather is always like this but the crafty Scots have sown the rumoric seed that the weather is perpetually cold and rainy. They have done this to keep the pesky, irritating tourists away. Pity they could not have done the same for the midges, or, as Carol calls them, the midgets.

The day began with a dilemma. Should I climb Canisp, for it was a rare and perfect day to scale a Scottish mountain, or should I go to Durness and try for Cape Wrath, the furthest north-westerly point on the British mainland? Durness won the battle on account of it being less strenuous. I reckoned the drive would take about one and one half hours but with stops for photographs it could easily be a days journey. Sure enough my first stop was at Scourie where there was an interesting sign for Scourie Beach and Burial Grounds. Intrigued, I headed for the perfect looking crescent of sand where the tide was conveniently out. Anticipating a 5 minute stop I wandered on to the sand where I was assailed with all kinds of beach forms and textures, from runoff channels and braided streamlets to mudworm casts, seashells and seaweed of several varieties. The fauna did not stop there because I encountered some local wildlife in the forms of a teenage girl and her younger brother and "Major" a large black dog that so badly wanted to be friends with me that he stepped across whatever I decided to photograph. The teenage girl spoke to me. Standing and shivering with her arms wrapped around her like any teenager anywhere (and clearly inadequately dressed for the cold breeze) she uttered some words in an accent so thick it could have come from some far flung corner of eastern Europe. The words were (interpreted) "Scald innit? Nee reet fer summa". I think she meant "It's cold for this time of year". I pointed out that it was still only April, barely spring this far north and that, have no fear, summer would dutifully arrive with temperatures soaring into the low sixties. Unimpressed with my broadest Manchester accent she once again called "Major" to her side and proceeded on her way. Pleased to have some time alone I fired away merrily with my camera for another hour getting photos like the ones below.

Braided stream stringers

Shifting sands

Braids on braids

Sea Urchin and worm casts

Is this one of the most peaceful burial grounds imaginable?

Scourie Beach with the tide out.

...and so to some geology. These are some fabulously folded and intruded Lewisian gneisses in a fresh road cutting several miles north of Scourie. The vertical lines are drill/blast holes. The dark areas are mafic metamorphosed volcanics, probably of granulite facies and the lighter stuff is actually intruded granitic material. Without experience of the area however I am just whistling in the dark about the true nature of stuff like this. It's VERY COMPLEX!

Further north we get to some really cool looking mountains, notably Foinaven and Arkle (weren't they racehorses?). They look so nice when they are covered with the last snows of the year.

Just before arriving at Durness we encounter limestones that form one of the most extensive karst topographies in Europe. This is the impressive estuary which was at least a half mile wide at this point. The scenery here is very different from further south.

If there is one thing that the Durness area seems to have in abundance it's sand. I decided to do the walk to Faraid Head, west of Durness and east of Cape Wrath. This was a 4 mile walk starting at a ruined church and graveyard (another one - sheesh), crossing the majestic beach at Balnakiel, then following a twisting little road into an army testing ground which was supposed to be safe. It so happened (I was told this on my return to the hotel) that today signalled the start of a major NATO exercise between the British and Danish armies! The artillery was going gung ho and scaring the heck out of me. Trying to take photographs while having blasting going on nearby belies the idea of peaceful contemplation that my chosen pursuit is supposed to foster. I wouldn't like to be the customs officer who decides to go through my soiled clothing when I return to the good old USA. What a shock he (or she) will have! Serves them right. There are 2 reasons I would not recommend this walk (well 3 actually). The first is the artillery fire - who needs it? The second is the wind blowing sand in ones face. There is a lot of wind up here and a hell of a lot of sand. The third is that this is not Cape Wrath (which is not accessible by car, only by boat). Next time I will try for the boat trip. The picture below is NOT Balnakiel Beach. It's one of the many lesser beaches in the area. Cool eh?

Finally, here are a few more smulchy shots of the ocean with waves (I still love that word). The best I can say is that the first of these is LOOKING TOWARDS Cape Wrath but is still 10 miles from it.

and finally, a last smulchy wave to signal a goodbye to this area for the time being. Tomorrow I start the drive south for a final stop/go, stop/go, stop/go day of photography with a planned stop at Knockan Crag to photograph a large stone ball. Hmmm.

Ooh, here's another photo. How did that get in here? It's a long exposure shot of that nice beach above, not that you would know it to look at the photograph.

And another photo that snuck in. I have started to sing to the sheep. That is a sure sign that it is time to return home to my beloved wife who I am really starting to miss. It starts out with just singing to them, then who knows? I noticed that they stand still and listen when I sing which is very gratifying because Carol doesn't do that.