Treshnish Isles...

Monday, 18th April - (Catch-up)

Different breakfast again this morning - porridge (and Dougie does great porridge), and they offer Maple Syrup, Golden Syrup or Honey to have with it, and some others have salt on theirs. Then platters of toast, crumpets, pikelets, and all the jams and conserves you'd ever want. But again, more for the birds and fishies!

We went to Lunga, which is a renowned habitat for Puffins! Quite a few of the other passengers wanted no more than to see Puffins, then seals, then Dolphins and Porpoises, etc., not necessarily in any particular order. The flat islands around Lunga and the area, give the impressions of ships, from a distance. They are remnant bits of volcanoes, and from some angles look like those old shots of destroyers, etc.

All out in two lots on the tender, and this is tricky at Lunga, as there is no landing place, and we were warned that we'd have to scramble over large rocks before we could access the grass, and even then you had to watch your step, as there were depressions and holes, and more rocks. So, not an easy disembarkation, but it would be worth it!!

We reached the rocks, and it was tricky, and the crew let out a "plank" to try and get us across, but with the movement of the tender, and the swell, it wasn't just a quick jump across on to the land. Then the picking your way over the boulders, some of which are slippery, and finally the grass. At least there is some footing, and what seems a quite daunting climb up to the next plateau, but we took it slow, and once there, it was just magic.

Thousands of tiny Puffins, darting in and out of their burrows, and launching off the cliffs to the water and food below. They are not really afraid of humans, and we could get some great shots.

We'd been given lunchpacks and had nearly two hours up there, and with our picnic and a drink (water), it was a sparkly day.

Not long before we were to wander back to the "beach", another group arrived on a different boat, and the mood was gone, when suddenly 20 or more people started up to the plateau. Some of our group had gone to different parts of the island, and had their own bits of peace and quiet, so in our own ways, we all enjoyed the experience.

 

Wearing our 'fat' suits against the weather!

And, the other big plus was the silence, and the views. Just the gentle sound of the water below, and the sunshine, and the stillness. One of our best days so far.

That was until we had to try and get back on the tender, which by now was wet, and the plank was unstable, and I did the splits, (which isn't a good thing for any male), Maggy slipped and hurt her knee, and Lee did the full slip/slide/plop and landed on her backside! So, Dougie took we three walking wounded back and they swapped crew and managed to get the rest back the next trip.

Still, the memory of our day with the Puffins will linger...


We were to go to Fingal's Cave but Captain Bob said the weather was now against us and the landing there would be too tricky, so we'd come back tomorrow. We sailed by, and I took a photo into the entrance of the cave, to try and give an idea of its size.

We anchored for the night in Loch na Keal. Dinner was smoked haddock with cheesy sauce, and curly kale, and sticky toffee pudding. Yum.  Lee had cheese & biscuits!

Trains...

Tuesday, 26th April - (Fast forward)

Today I went back into Edinburgh to pay some money into the account of people in Sandwich, where we will stay later in the tour. (We had tried to do it on-line back home, and it worked, so I had the details saved. However, the final part requires a security number being sent to my phone number, and that can't happen because we are not at home!  We had gone in yesterday together, but discovered that even tho they didn't have a Public Holiday for Easter Monday, a lot of businesses were closed, including the banks, AND there is another Bank Holiday next Monday!)

So, off I set through the grounds of this wonderful house, through two gates and a mini woodland, towards the local train station, which is the last stop before the trains cross via the railway bridge over the Firth of Forth, before going on into Edinburgh.

I missed the train!
But, I had over twenty minutes to stand there in early morning sunshine, and took in the whole experience. There were no sounds, save for the other trains which sped through the station with no intention of stopping. There in the relative stillness, I could here birds chirping, small voices coming from the boys primary school across the road, but not much else. Then, quietly, a few locals would emerge up the stairs to the station , and then carefully cross over the tracks, and go to the only local shop which provided them with their daily newspaper, and then just as quietly come back, cross over again and go home to read what's happening in the world.

The other thing you notice is the deteriorating state of the station. Paint peeling on disused station doors, exposed wires into what was the ticket office or whatever, but NO STAFF!
You need a credit card, or you don't get a ticket. There is this very solid, very efficient machine with a touch screen, which you poke and prod, and then insert your card. The card disappears for mere seconds and almost instantly your tickets appear. One for the OUT, one for the RETURN, and the third one is your RECEIPT.

A voice from 'invisible' speakers announces the imminent arrival of your train. The train appears on time, (in my experience ALL Scotland trains are on time, very clean, and very efficient), you push the door button which opens to allow access, and you're off.
Sparkling sunshine through the windows, and a huge view of the river, far below.

If you catch the wrong train in this area, it is almost entirely your own fault! Once seated in your carriage, there are announcements about where your train is going, what the next stop will be, and when you are approaching it, and then the next announcement about the next station.
Unless you fall asleep, you cannot fail to get where you are going.

So, for something that started out as a drudge, and had to be done, I had a very pleasant morning.