On Scourie Beach

After breakfast we went from Inchnadamph to Lochinver to get petrol and also to visit Highland Stoneware. We got "seascape" patterned mugs there years ago and they have never chipped or broken, despite constant use, so we decided to get some more. After much selecting, because they are hand painted so the colours can vary quite a bit, we chose six mugs, a milk jug, sugar bowl and a wee plate. I am pleased with them, however I was surprised at how much in the shop I didn't like. And I don't think that the patterns have changed, it's my taste that has evolved; how strange! A lot of it seems not skilled enough or finely enough painted to me any more; it's hard to explain. Anyway I am pleased with my mugs, and we then drove to Kylescu where we had booked a boat trip on Loch Glencoul. This was excellent, made even more enjoyable by the amazing weather. We saw seals basking on rocks, gannets diving for fish, and thousands of jellyfish, transparent except for four purple circles in the middle of them. The skipper of the ship said that they don't sting and she has swum through a crowd of them before. The surrounding hills and mountains were beautiful and beyond the end of the loch we could see the Eas a Chual Aulinn - the waterfall that I didn't make it to on foot yesterday! We then had yummy home made fish cakes for lunch in the Kylescu Hotel bar and then checked in. I'm very impressed by the standard of the hotel; no offence to our previous hostelries this week but in both decor, atmosphere and food, the Kylescu Hotel is definitely our sort of place! We spent the last couple of hours of the afternoon sitting in the sunshine on Scourie beach (another favourite place of ours, where we used to go camping with the boys). Back to the hotel to get ready for dinner while watching the last two sets of the Murray / Tsonga Wimbledon semi-final. It was quite a battle and very exciting. Dinner in the restaurant was a foodie's seafood delight. Simple but delicious fish cooked perfectly with delicate sauces and fresh vegetables. We walked off our full tummies by following a path up to and across the bridge, which a plaque informed us was opened by the Queen in 1984. Before that you had to catch the ferry or face a 100 mile detour via Lairg!