Nanny’s Café in Shieldaig

Monday was the last day of our September weekend jaunt to the north west. I had the rather splendid idea of revisiting Shieldaig before we headed south, mindful that Nanny’s Café is open on Mondays. But first I suggested a 5 km walk around the peninsula just to the north of the village. Ally, Cat, Christine and Gerry joined James and me for the walk. Shieldaig has a pair of sea eagles on the island and we could see them flying about. The walk was a bit more strenuous than I had anticipated! There was a simple bit effective sign painted onto a rock by the path which indicated by a zigzag symbol that one way was hilly, and by a wavy symbol that the other way was more gentle. We did the circuit, starting with the hilly way, and were soon clambering up rocks to reach a stunning viewpoint. We also ended up climbing a small cliff with the assistance of a chain! As promised the second half of the circuit was gentler and we were soon enjoying lunch at Nanny’s, sitting outside at a picnic table overlooking the loch. The food and home baking was truly excellent; the salmon chowder was fantastic and Ally and Cat shared a generous seafood platter.

James and I bade our farewells and set off in plenty of time for our planned meet up with Alison and Hugh in Nairn. Or so we thought. We had slightly underestimated the journey time, we had forgotten that we needed to stop for diesel on the way, and there were some roadworks, which annoyingly delayed us a bit. However we phoned ahead to Alison to let her know that we were running late and before too long we were enjoying coffee and scones in the lovely town of Nairn. It was great to see them; and their house is very nearly finished now. They should be moving in by the end of the month. I can hardly imagine what it will be like for them to move into a brand new house, every detail of which they have designed themselves, and I can’t wait to see it myself! After a good chat James and I commenced the final part of our travels, down the A9 to home, where the young ones and the cats were all waiting to greet us.