Tollie beach & the River Ewe

Looking down Loch Maree from the Tollie beach

The mouth of the river Ewe at the north west end of Loch Maree.

River Ewe, Scotland's shortest river, only 2 miles long. The river drains from Loch Maree before falling into Loch Ewe - very busy during WW2 - masses of info availabe if you care to look for it.

Changes afoot

Finally got our disclosures through this week so it's all systems go. Andy starts tomorrow & Margot on Monday.
Had some lovely weather this week & made the most of it. Greenhouse frame is up, ready for glazing at the w/end - not where we wanted it but the winds are too strong on the south side of the house & it would probably end up in Sutherland if we'd risked it!
Jamilla has a wobbly tooth on her bottom jaw, one stick too many methinks.........we'll see what happens.

Out & about at the w/end

Peter holds an attentive audience with an impromptu geology lesson, during the local wildlife walk on Sunday.

Geese over Laide beach on Saturday.

Pampas grass growing above Laide beach.

Sea eagle over Loch Tournaig

Lovely, sunny day

Looking north from Laide

A beautiful day

Sail Mhor & An Teallach

Between Gairloch & Poolewe

Ringed plover at Laide beach

Goodbye Sophie & Josie

The girls went home today after a walk around the arboretum. Weather remains mixed but nothing extreme, after all, it's January.
We went for a run tonight down to the pier & back, with a couple of added loops through Flowerdale & up Strath. Good old head torches.

Tired girls after their walk in the snow

Josie is deep asleep - just as well

because Sophie's snoring is raising the roof tiles!

Dogs in the snow

Josie with a big stick & Sophie looking good.

Jamilla with a frosty chest.

Looking back at An Groban & Sidean mor, 5pm - the days are lengthening.............

Snow scenes

Untrod path

Up the "muddy path"

Sophie & Josie ahead, enjoying the scents.

Trees in the snow

Scots pine 1

Scots pine from a different angle

Monkey Puzzle

A walk in the snow at Flowerdale

Sophie & Josie

The meadow at the start of the walk, An Groban in the background

Flowerdale House

After the wind - the snow!!

Flowerdale walk this afternoon

Jamilla, Chilli & Nibs

Max appears (or rather, doesn't appear) to be camera-shy.

The wind is back

Wild again tonight after a fairly, calm day. Battered on our run tonight, fought all the way down to the harbour, but was exhilarating being blown back. Apparently it was gusting at 60mph at the time. The roof's definitely doing the Mexican wave again tonight.

Calm is restored

The weather has settled & so has the blog site! seems to be accepting pics again. A view of the hills above Gairloch, from just above Big Sand.

Gairloch Youth Hostel, (closed for the winter) with the north side of Longa Island on the left of the picture.

Miserable weather

Bad weather, gales & rain making it inadviseable to take a camera outside at the moment. Took some indoor pics but the blog doesn't seem to want to publish them-errors????? Will try again.
Chilli's been to stay for the w/end as Karen's not well, so we did Flowerdale Saturday, Laide beach on Sunday (Penny actually enjoyed the company of another small dog to play with) & local beaches today. Hardly seen a soul apart from "winklepickers" on Laide beach & diehard dog walkers. Even the golfers seem to have been "galed" off.
If anyone sees a flying, compost binlid, it's ours! Otherwise, no damage that we know of, despite the roof tiles giving a sound impression of a Mexican wave.
We've resorted to a jigsaw to while away the dark hours & even managed to complete a Telegraph GK crossword (thanks to the internet). For crossword addicts .....................http://www.morewords.com/ is a good site.
Also been honing the kitchen skills, & building on the homebrew cellar.
Cheers everyone.

A walk in the woods

Max, Nibs & Jamilla wait to be let through the deergate onto the higher reaches of Flowerdale

Max

Nibs in the burn on a walk today up Flowerdale. The temperature is on the up although we still encountered patches of ice & many of the wayside pools still had a covering. Only met a few other walkers with dogs. Think everyone else is at home with "flu".

A dreacht day

Good-bye Hamish.

Reminders of the heavy frosts last week.

Weather's turned wet & dull, also much milder. Hamish went home today, so just Jams & Penny in the woods today. Streams are in spate-must be the meltwater from the hills which are shrouded in mist. The lochans are spooky, where they've been frozen & the warm rain is falling on the ice, they're oozing mist - look like hot springs!

Dog days

Hamish still here, Tolly arrived early am, full of life as usual, Hamish wanted to attack him so took them both for a walk to the viewpoint & back, by which time they were best friends & chased each other round the garden for half an hour.
Took Jamilla & Hamish to Flowerdale for a walk before collecting Chilli. Left Jams at home for a rest & took the other 3 to do the Tollie path walk. A cold wind persisted & much of the track was iced over, taking care to navigate our way. The boys chased each other for most of the afternoon while Chilli did the canine equivalent of "tut-tutting".
Tolly & Chilli have gone home & we've had our tea, so now for a rest.

Cold, frosty weather persists.

Pair of cormorants at Carr Point.

Slioch in the far distance from the Opinan coastal path, which we walked today with Jamilla, Chilli & Hamish. As we approached what we thought was a picnicking walker sitting on a hill, it rose up & flew off. Our first sea eagle of the year?

Superb views all around & out to the Western Isles.

We're noticing the lengthening of the day already as we're usually getting home about sunset & with the current weather, it's almost cloud free.

New Years day pics

Looking to the Torridons with their misty collar, from above the Flowerdale fence.

Memorial to Matthew Warren, just below the fence.

New Year's Day pics

Baosbheinn & Beinn Alligan.

These young trees are part of the "new" Caledonian Forrest being planted over much of the Wester Ross landscape. They are in areas which have been cleared of deer & sheep, fenced off & an ongoing programme, planting millions of native trees. These are a few years old & will eventually, transform the area as we see it now.

Looking west over Gairloch & Longa Island.

January 1st 2009

Looking north from the hills above the house

Hamish

The lovely weather is back, sunshine, blue sky & frost. Hamish is still with us & we walk up the road, over the cattle grid, over the fence & on to the hills.

Proceed in a SE direction, across the undulating moor, past frozen lochans, frighten a grouse, watch a buzzard & eventually hit the JCB track down into Flowerdale.

Superb views in every direction but hard going underfoot as no paths, only deep heather & frozen moss.

Hogmanay

Not as good a day as previous, grey & dull & still cold but the frost has gone. Collect Chilli & Penny for the last walk of the year in Laide wood.
Home in time for a run in the dark to the harbour & through the arboretum. Tea & chill before setting offf to the Millcroft about 10pm. A great night is had by all & everyone joins in the "Auld Lang Syne" around the big, central fireplace as the logs roar - a true, highland Hogmanay.We make it to bed about 3am.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYBODY.