September beauties

Laide woods scores as a great place to study fungi

Sea trip

 We took to the water again this afternoon, paddled over to Badachro, round Eilean Horrisdale & back to the harbour. The dolphin pair joined us twice during the trip - how lucky we are to get so close to them. We also saw an otter, eating a fish he'd caught.

 Outside the Shieling a couple of days ago.

Amazing clouds.

Mountain Bike Day at Red Rocks

On Sunday the school took the Minibus & trailer over to the East coast to the Red Rocks Mountain Bike Trails. We had sunshine all day and did most of the easier routes. green & blue, graded like ski runs.

We have just bought a secondhand mountain bike from one of the teacher at the school so it was Andy's first outing on it.

The group have a rest after the first hours and then we push on to the top with great views over to the Moray Firth and the Nairn coastline

The last few runs were on a Orange route which had sweeping banked bends and really big humps which you could get airborne off, if you were not too careful. Home to a wet day in Gairloch so we were in the right place today.

Tonight's sunset

 The school wind turbine (blot on the land/seascape) which thankfully, Andy switches off at night, as it keeps the neighbours awake as well as me.

 Isla (on her holidays) watching Andy go down the hill to switch off the turbine

 Everything is bathed in a golden light,

One of the best sunsets we've seen in a while.

Jaws at Gairloch

Took a trip on Sealife Glass Bottom Boat  http://www.seawildlife.co.uk/  yesterday. Had great sightings of the 2 dolphins which have taken up residence in the loch.

 Time and again they swam alongside us, leaping out of the water, diving under the boat and cutting across the bows.

 Unconfirmed rumour has it that, it's a pregnant female with last years youngster.

 After that, the seals seem a bit tame.

Wonderful cloud structures inland,

just clipping the top of Baosbheinn.

Redpoint to Diabaig

The old YHA at Craig, now serves as a bothy, about 2/3 of the way to Diabaig

 Andy joined other school staff today, to monitor the first leg of the "D of E silver" expedition. He drove them all out to Redpoint where the participants set off, with the monitors following at a discreet distance. This is the first beach south of Redpoint, where the old fishing station remnants are to be seen. A few poles, from which they used to hang the nets to dry out.

 Not the best of days but they're all still smiling. Should be safe with a couple of ex-SARDA dogs along.

 First glimpse of Upper Loch Torridon,

 The road down into Diabaig, the village which featured in the 1996, Ted Danson film "Loch Ness". We stayed there in 1998, in the house which had been depicted as the garage in the film.

You can just glimpse the houses on the shorefront in the centtre of the pic. This is where Andy headed back the 8, coastal miles to pick up the minibus from Redpoint. The "D of E'ers" will continue on to Inveralligan where they'll set up camp for the night. Fortunately, the weather isn't too bad for them - the midges might be though!

Poolewe cycle ride

 Beinn Airigh Char rising in front of us

 Looking down the Inveran river towards it's outflow into loch Maree

 Across loch Kernsary - loch Maree is between the trees and the hill.

Looking down to Kernsary farm.