It all started here..... well, no, it all started at home actually, and then RAF Scampton to watch a Red Arrows Practise session, and then a long drive north.....but in terms of actually heading across to the islands it started here - Mallaig...
I took that shot shortly after removing my shoes and socks and swapping to sandals as it was BLOODY hot. Seriously - short sleeves, cropped trousers and very definitely sandals hot. The feet stayed bare and the trousers cropped for the next several days in fact...as we wandered on beaches and admired some rather snazzy sun patterns in the sea....
One of the real plus points of being up later in the year was the sheer amount of flowers making an appearance...
...and the lack of internet signals across the Islands (the new lodgings don't have broadband) was but a minor inconvenience when you took into account that one of the places that DOES have a signal also has this view to look out while you're waiting for blog posts to upload...
There were masses of birds to be seen, including for the first time, one of these...
About time too! We've spent years wanting to see one of those in the wild! (pssst! It's a Corncrake!)
As usual we managed to fit in visits to some of the other Islands while we were across - as well as our base North Uist we spent time on Baleshare, South Uist, Benbecula, Grimsay, Berneray, Barra, Vatersay, Harris & Lewis...in fact we made it to the very top of Lewis - the Butt as it's known, complete with rather impressive looking lighthouse...
So thats "Below, looking up" dealt with - let's switch to an "Above, Looking down" - a shot from the top of Burrival (You remember, the little humpy hill next to Eaval) in fact...
Now as you know I don't do climbing hills just for the sake of it, for a view like that though I will quite happily tackle a bit of a steep scramble. Fabulous isn't it! Also fabulous were these fantastic waterlilies we spotted on Grimsay - "Stop!" yelled Ben "You HAVE to go back at look at that Loch - it's full of waterlilies!" and so it was...
And then, before we knew it, it was time to start thinking about heading home. One last walk in the sunshine that had been with us almost all the way through our trip...
Then as dawn broke the following morning it was time to go to the ferry - with the hills still shrouded in mist just across from us...
...and then all too soon we were off across the water back to Skye to start the long drive home, with the hills of Uist rapidly vanishing on the horizon.
Robyn
2 comments:
The photographs are stunning - the one of the beach looks like a tropical island!
Thank you! The Islands are stunning- they lend themselves to photographing! The beaches are mostly like that, clear blue seas with those sparkling white sands...just incredible!
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