Spring in Ullapool

I can hardly believe how this week in Ullapool has flown by. We have walked up Ullapool Hill a couple of times and enjoyed the views of the Summer Isles. I have been swimming in the pool twice; currently you have to book a space for lane swimming. It’s a very nice 25 metre pool, but the air indoors is far too warm for me - I’m used to getting changed outdoors at the poolside these days! The village is still quite quiet; the tourists have not yet arrived in significant numbers. We are here much earlier in the year than last year, when we were not allowed to be here until the beginning of July. The daffodils are still out and the path beside the river is lined with wood anemones. 

James has cut the grass and is tackling the remaining gorse at the front of the house again. He has removed so much - we were just looking at the “before” photos from last year and the gorse was about eight feet high and covered the whole of the front garden. 

We have walked around the village almost every day, and today we visited a “pop up” Rhidorroch gin shop, newly opened in a little wooden shed beside the Seafood Shack; the distiller is the sister of the Seafood Shack’s owner. James had a gin and tonic and was impressed enough to buy a bottle for his collection. 

Return to Ullapool

We have certainly made the most of our newly permitted day trips around Scotland this past week! Troon on Wednesday, St Andrews and Dundee on Friday, Glencoe on Saturday and then Dunlop on Sunday.

Our visit to Dunlop was to celebrate Cat’s birthday again and as the weather continued to be warm and sunny, we were able to sit in Gerry and Christine’s beautiful garden for drinks and then a delicious dinner. 

And then on Monday we set off northwards to the cottage in Ullapool. When we left there on the 12th November we thought that the second lockdown would last for about three weeks - little did we know that the second lockdown would last until Christmas and be quickly succeeded by a third lockdown. It was in fact five months before we were allowed back. Monday 26th April was the first day that people were allowed to stay overnight outside our council areas, so at 9 a.m. we were in the car ready to go. The cats knew that something was up because they both sat at the corner of the house watching us pack the car. We stopped off in Nairn to have lunch with Alison and Hugh. It was great to see them again after all these months. 

When we arrived at the cottage we were so happy to be in our wee home from home, and we had a walk round the village later. It’s so lovely to be back here. 

Glencoe

The good weather continues and we have had a brilliant couple of days almost completely outdoors in the sunshine. Yesterday James and I walked a section of the Fife coastal path between St Andrews and Leuchars. It was very near the main coastal road so not the most idyllic section, but we had nice views across ploughed and newly planted fields towards the sea. Leuchars is now an army base and we saw two Chinook helicopters flying overhead. St Andrews is such an attractive town, full of history and lots of students strolling about. The west beach was busy too, and restaurants were being spruced up; there is definitely an atmosphere of new beginnings as we move towards the next stage of lifting restrictions on Monday. We rounded off the day with pizza in Dundee with Davie, it was great to see him.

Today we were in Glencoe with Ally and Cat. They were keen to traverse the Aonach Eagach which is an extremely challenging ridge walk, and to tick off two new Munros. James walked 20 km to climb Fraochaidh, a Corbett. I parked in Glencoe village after dropping them off and intended to walk up Sgorr na Ciche, also known as the Pap of Glencoe. Despite being furnished with a map that James had printed and OS maps on my phone, I set off in the wrong direction into the forest and walked up a path to a pretty lochan. What I should have done next is to retrace my steps, but I thought that I could save time by climbing up through some trees to reach the open slopes of the hill. I struggled upwards with tree branches whipping at my face and the ground extremely uneven. Finally I emerged onto a forestry commission track and plowtered onwards up through an area of recently felled forest which was even worse going. Then I had to climb over a barbed wire fence, and found myself on open ground but with no path at all. I continued for a while but I was very hot so decided to abandon my ascent and to traverse the hill where I would surely find the elusive path. Not so. When I finally spotted the path it was far away on the other side of a gully. So I made my way across and downwards over very rough ground until I joined the path that I should have ascended in the first place, and headed down. The sun had been beating down on me unrelentingly all of this time, so when I got to the gate at the road I threw myself down in the shade of a large pine tree and lay down until I had cooled off. This self-inflicted ordeal did not put me off, because I actually really enjoyed myself. The views from the hill were absolutely tremendous. I could see so many beautiful mountains, and all down Glencoe and beautiful Loch Leven. 

It was soon time to pick up my fellow travellers, who had also had a great day. Ally and Cat had successfully conquered the Aonach Eagach and were very happy. Back home we had a celebratory curry, watched Spider-Man The Homecoming (which was very good) and then we showed each other our photos of the mountains. It has been an excellent day. 

Cat’s 2nd Birthday in Lockdown

Today is Cat’s birthday, and like Ally did a month ago, she has spent her second birthday in lockdown. I keep assuming that only people with Spring birthdays will have two lockdown birthdays, and that by the Summer life will be back to normal due to the vaccination programme and the warmer weather, and I hope that I’m right. But India is having a big new wave of Covid right now and the virus is so unpredictable. Who really knows what will happen with it next? 

Cat opened her presents at lunchtime and was delighted that Ally had surprised her with an amazing multi-cooker. She is a great cook and is looking forward to trying it out. Both Cat and Ally were working today so the birthday celebrations didn’t get properly started until Gerry and Christine arrived at about five o’clock and we all sat in the garden chatting in the sunshine. James lit the fire pit which was warming and only a little bit smoky. We ordered a Chinese meal and had a convivial evening. Christine had made a delicious chocolate cake to a family recipe and we all sang Happy Birthday and Cat blew out the candles. It was a really good evening. 

A bit dazed by the sun

James and I went on a day trip to Troon today. It’s now legal to travel in Scotland outside your own council area, so we packed a picnic and headed for the coast. As everyone who knows me knows, I do like to be beside the seaside!

We parked at the golf course as usual and then walked along the beaches then up onto the prom to the harbour. The Wee Hurrie (the takeaway part of McCallum’s restaurant) was doing a roaring trade in fish and chips, with a long queue at the window. It will be so good when the cafés and restaurants open again next week. 

Then we walked back to the golf course, pausing on the way for James to buy himself a newspaper. By the time we arrived back at the beach beside the golf course we had walked 10 km and I was a bit overheated. I was soon revived by our picnic lunch washed down by a flask of coffee prepared by James and I went for a refreshing paddle in the sea. We had a very relaxing afternoon on the beach reading and chatting. There was not a cloud in the deep blue sky.

When we got home we had a very important rendezvous with the television. We watched the very last episode of Engrenages (also known in the UK as Spiral). Over the last few months we have watched all eight series of this excellent crime drama. It has such high quality plots and acting and I’m very sad that we have finished it - although I was also very keen to find out what happened to all of the characters. The last episode was very exciting and was a fitting ending. I will miss Roban (who actually left at the end of series 7), Gilou, Tintin, Beckriche, Brémont, Edelman, Josephine Karlsson, the (handsome but deceased in Series 5) Pierre Clémont, and of course most of all the complex, brilliant and completely unmanageable Laure Berthaud. 

A good forecast

Rather excitingly the BBC weather forecast has promised us a week of good weather. It was so sunny and warm at the swimming pool this morning that it felt almost Mediterranean. The pool was also nice and quiet now that the school holidays are over and I was enjoying myself so much that I went on to swim 64 lengths (a mile) instead of my usual 40 lengths (a kilometre.)

Forrest and Marjory came round for coffee in the afternoon and we lit the fire pit, which was pleasantly less smoky that usual because there was almost no wind. Tom and Flora both came outside to entertain our guests by chasing birds and chewing on the newly grown catmint and generally being very cute. 

Notes on a Royal Funeral

This afternoon Prince Philip’s funeral took place at Windsor. James, Ally, Cat and I watched it together. Because of the Covid restrictions there were only 30 attendees allowed, the same rules as for the rest of the population, and they were mainly his children and grandchildren, and of course the Queen. Socially distanced military bands played music in the courtyard of the castle until the coffin was carried out to the specially converted green Landrover which carried the Duke of Edinburgh on his short last journey to St George’s Chapel. Of course when he designed the changes to the Landrover, (yes, he designed his own hearse!) the Duke will have anticipated a longer journey, perhaps from London. But he and the Queen spent lockdown in Windsor and that’s where he died. Nine senior Royals walked behind the coffin, led by Prince Charles and Princess Anne. Prince Harry had arrived back from his new life in America and walked in the same row as Prince William, but with Peter Phillips walking between them; rumour has it that the two brothers have not been on good terms since Prince Harry left his royal duties for a new life abroad. The family sat separately in the chapel, wearing masks, singly or in small groups, just like we did at John Leslie’s funeral a few weeks ago. This meant that the Queen sat by herself, and she did look very alone. The service was traditional and straightforward, and, like the hearse, had been planned by the Duke, who didn’t want a eulogy or a sermon. There were quite a few references to his Naval career, such as the hymn “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” and the battle call for action stations being sounded. At the end of the service the Queen got into a car to go back to the castle, but when the rest of the Royals came out, Prince Charles waved the waiting cars away and the family all walked back in the sunshine. Harry and William were chatting together as they went, after Catherine appeared to break the ice by talking to Harry, which was encouraging to see. It was a good send off for Prince Philip. 

The weather was beautiful here too, and this evening we had our first barbecue of 2021 with Ally, Cat and their friend Iain. The cats were very interested in our outdoors dining and joined us on the patio. Flora climbed up one of the pear trees in pursuit of a magpie, who was screeching at her angrily. Ally joined her by climbing up the tree as well in a show of support! The barbecue went really well and Ally and Cat made bananas with chocolate flakes inside for dessert. It’s still early in barbecue season however, and as the sun got lower James and I retreated to the warmth of the house, leaving the young ones to continue their evening beside the fire pit.