Some time off the boat then on to Stornoway

As I mentioned at the end of the last blog we needed to go home for 10 days (trips to dentist etc). At the end of the 10 days we decided to extend as the forecast in the North West was for yet more storms so we took a trip down south in the car for a few days before returning and heading North on Feath. The weather this year is fairly poor, mainly from a wind perspective. In general we tend not to head out into wind when it is blowing much above 25-30 Knots . Fine if you are out in it, but leaving a safe haven to head out into it never seams to be that sensible to me, especially if you don’t need to. To get round the top of Scotland we were looking for 2-3 days where the wind would be below 20 Knots, but every second day at the moment has wind gusting Force 6 to 7 with a wave hight of 3-4 Meters. The long range forecast is not predicting a change so, even if we get to Orkney, the current forecast suggests we would be limited in what we can do. So rather than spend days holed up in the north west of Scotland waiting for that weather window our current plan is to spend some time exploring the outer Hebrides and see what develops. We can do 5-6 hour sails down the coast each time the weather is in our favour . All a bit of a first world problem really!

A Trip South

We decided to head down to Malvern to see our friends Antony and Sue for a few days . Make a trip of it and stay in the Lakes on the way down and on the way back.

We stayed in a smashing pub on the way down ( The Punch Bowl ) superb ! The next day was a tad warm (27 deg in shade), but roof has to stay down – its the rules. We’d already had to stop to buy sunglasses as Andy had left his at home and we stopped again to buy hats to keep the sun off our heads! Needless to say we were thirsty when we arrived.

It would be fair to say that Antony is a bit of a collector of projects . Normally, but not always, with wheels attached.

We also managed to fit in a trip to the 3 Counties Show ( one of the biggest agricultural shows in the UK )

We headed back to Dunblane, but before heading back to the boat we also managed to squeeze in a trip to the Red Kite Centre, where Jenny tried out her new camera lens. They were re introduced a few years back near Dunblane and have done very well .

Back on the Boat

We got back to the boat in Mallaig to find the boat all fine ( other than a small puncture to the dingy on the jetty, which has since been fixed. Bit of an interesting row out). We decided to make the most of the good 2 days and head North . First to the Island of Rona off Skye (fantastic anchorage) then on the Stornoway

Stornoway

We decided to stay in Stornoway for a few days as we had not been here before. Also wanted to see if the weather showed any signs of settling (the answer was no!). We were amazed by the number of foreign boats in. Scots and Brits were in the minority. German, French, Dutch, Norwegian, Irish, Swedish. Even a boat from the Faroe islands next to us. 3 blokes had sailed directly to Stornoway (220 miles against the wind) for 3 days of drinking then sail back again. That is dedication. Not sure if it was intentional but the marina guys parked the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust’s boat, (Silurian) next to the boat from the Faroes!

The Standing Stones

The Standing Stones at Callanish ( 4000 to 2600 BC) are quite something. The thing is , no one really knows what purpose they served. It is believed that they demonstrate that, with the advent of farming, people had time to build such things ( a bit like Netflix of the day !) At one point a small burial mound was added to the centre of the circle, but has since been removed.

Beaches (They do good beaches around here)

A cycle to Port of Ness

We decided to cycle up to the Port of Ness which is right in the north of the island. It was a 27 Mile cycle out and then we planned on getting the bus back. We normally take the bus out and cycle back as that way we know we can get the folded bikes on the bus before we commit – but as the wind was from the south we figured, what the hell? ( although neither of us fancied a round trip of over 50 miles). As it turned out, it all worked fine. It was a cracking cycle up, and even better we found a fantastic cafe in the Port of Ness called The Breakwater, which could do anything on the menu gluten free including pizza and battered fish, can’t recommend them highly enough.

And the good news is we got on the bus!

A Cholesterol Feast from local produce

For the last night we pigged out on the finest local produce we could find.

I am sure my heart slowed by a few BPM after that.

Leaving Stornoway

As the weather was good when we left to head south to Tarbert in Harris we decided to stop at the Shiant Islands on the way. It is a haven for bird life with more seabirds in a small space than I have ever seen , and no fear of people. More in next Blog…..

But, before we go, we had a visitor come to see us on the way out of Stornoway, we’ve coined a new phrase this trip, ‘Scotland, where you need a wide angled lens to photograph the wildlife’