This year we spent our long August holiday in Scotland. We spent much of our holiday on the islands of the Hebrides, including Iona, Lewis, Uist and Skye. This was a complete change from our usual jaunt to somewhere hot and sunny. Paul was keen to see this unspoilt part of the UK and to drive along quiet roads with little traffic. It is always a challenge to find somewhere relatively free of tourists in August, but it is possible. Paul is also very keen on archaeology and in particular standing stones; there are plenty of those in the Hebrides! Look at this stone, which is reputed to be the tallest in the UK! Somehow I did not find it that impressive, but you may call me a cynic!
Okay it is big, but not that big. Also, it had no pomp and circumstance and no visitor centre. In fact, it was just near a domestic dwelling.
To go back to the first picture, that is me on Iona. It was absolutely beautiful, a really magical place. However, the sea was freezing cold. My thought was, if it is like this in August, then presumably it is always too cold to swim in the Hebrides! I usually like to spend much of our summer holiday swimming, but this was not to be. In fact, the only swim I had was in the hotel pool in Buxton, on our return journey.
Before I dipped my toes in the water that day, I had spent some time sitting in our pod (our accommodation for two nights) trying to decide what to do that morning. Paul had decided to go back to the mainland to fetch his laptop and some other provisions. It was windy and cold and I sat in the pod wrapped in a blanket and listened to an episode of The Archers! Thank goodness for a decent wifi signal! This is the question I posed to my helpful friends in my Archers Chit-Chat facebook group:
‘Paul has popped back to Mull on the ferry to fetch a few more things from the car. He needs his laptop to deal with some business. I have a book, facebook and radio to listen to including last night’s epidode. It is a bit wet and windy and the coffee I can make in a mug (taking the grounds off when it has settled) is not brilliant. Should I?
1) Stay in and have a cosy morning with a duvet over my legs and make more sub-standard coffee?
2) Listen to the Archers then walk to the local gallery and shop and get a decent coffee and some more shopping?
3) Go for a swim in the sea’
Of course there were all sorts of suggestions as to which option I should take, and in the end I decided to brave the weather and go and investigate the various shops and find a decent cup of coffee. Scotland has such changeable weather. One minute there is a gale blowing and you wish you had brought some gloves with you, then half an hour later it is blazing sunshine!
Despite the sea being really, really cold and the frequency of the rain and the wind, it was a really magical holiday with breath-taking scenery. The sea was also a really amazing turquoise colour, whatever the weather. The sand is white, and I assume the colour of the sea is related to the colour and nature of the rocks. These photos are of a beach on the Isle of Lewis. I just love taking pictures of rocks and pebbles.
One big advantage of going on holiday to somewhere which is not hot and sunny is that it is much easier to go for walks and appreciate the scenery. In hot places, I am constantly wanting to stop for cold drinks and ice-creams. So we did do much more walking in the Hebrides than on our average holiday in the Mediterranean. We took high quality walking boots with us, as well as waterproof coats, and a selection of jumpers. My favourite warm jumper is big and yellow and very cuddly (from Marks and Spencer if you are interested!) You can see it in the picture below:
I had not worn this jumper for months, but had the good sense to take it on our Hebrides jaunt. We stayed for one night on South Uist, which I found very bleak. We also hit a very bad patch of weather with wind and rain. In the morning, after checking out from our very pleasant but basic B and B, Paul decided to go for a walk to see some more standing stones. There really was a howling gale, but for me the last straw came when I realised that I had left my cuddly jumper at the B and B! I just gave in to my feelings and weaknesses and decided to stay in the car rather than go for a walk in the rain. I sat and read my book and made contact with my Chit-Chat friends on facebook. The happy ending to the story is that we had not driven that far from the B and B, so were able to go back and fetch my jumper!
Even my daughter Jess, who usually shuns my clothing, which is obviously only suitable for middle-aged people, took a fancy to my yellow jumper. Here is a picture of her wearing it.
Jess joined us for a week on our holiday, staying with us for one night on Skye and nearly a week on Lewis.
I have to mention our two night stay on Skye, staying at the Doll’s House, owned by my Chit-Chat friend Cheryl Mcculloch. It was lovely to meet her at last, and stay in her very well-equipped airbnb accommodation. See her facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/skyebirdsdollshouse
Jess stayed with us for one night at the Doll’s House too, and we even shared a meal in Cheryl’s home. We are not a dog loving family, but Jess fell in love with Cheryl’s dog Raasay and talked about getting a dog for herself in the future! See this picture of us enjoying a meal and getting friendly with Raasay!
In conclusion I’d say that the holiday was a complete success, even despite the incredibly cold boat trip we took whilst staying on Lewis. Jess had headed back home by then. It was wet from the sea splashing up all over the boat and then it started to rain. I could not understand to start with why we had to wear waterproof jackets and trousers borrowed from the boat hire company, as well as our own waterproofs. By the end of the trip, Paul said that he could not feel his feet! Actually it was a lovely trip and, as always, we had a very informative guide to point out all the birds and wildlife to us. Here is a picture of Paul before we set off on our trip, looking cheerful as he had not yet lost the use of his toes!
By the way, Paul and I both got hooked on Peter May’s books whilst on holiday in the Hebrides. They were recommended by one of my Chit-Chat friends. Many of them are set on Lewis, and I particularly enjoyed ‘Coffin Road’ and ‘The Blackhouse.’ I am on part two of that series, and Paul is reading part three. Peter makes the scenery come alive, with very evocative descriptions of scenery and places.
Yes the holiday was a success, but as an antidote we have booked 10 days in Croatia next August!