Trip report - northern Scotland and Shetland

[rlchew]

I have been back home for several weeks but have only just got round to writing up a trip report for my visit to northern Scotland and Shetland.

Some of you may already have seen my photos in the WAB Gallery but here is an account of what proved to be a very enjoyable trip . I hope you enjoy reading about it.

Health warning .... it is a LONG trip report so please feel free to move on to the other delights of WAB. I will not be offended .... well, only a little .

28th May 2008 – moving north

I drove up to Manchester on the Wednesday as I had a ticket to see Bruce Springsteen at Old Trafford, the Theatre of Dreams and home of the English and European champions!

Er …. sorry …. I digress .... back to wildlife before this thread gets kicked in to The Treehouse .

Having said that, my frequent visits to see United have produced wildlife in the past …. feral pigeon and an unidentified bat species. Not exactly a wildlife hotspot!

As I was going to Manchester, I dropped in at Neumanns Flash in Cheshire to see the pair of Black-winged Stilts that had been resident there for several months. This was my first sighting of this distinctive wading bird from southern Europe since the sad demise of “Sammy” at Titchwell in Norfolk who I saw every year from 1993 to 2004. The pair in Cheshire eventually produced a single chick which was sadly predated in recent weeks. It was very pleasing to see the Black-winged Stilts although the views were very distant even through a telescope.

29th May 2008 – onwards and up to Inverness

Thursday involved travelling from Manchester up to Inverness by train. The route across the Pennines, up the east coast of England, past Edinburgh and then up through Perthshire and Speyside was highly enjoyable.

There was plenty of wildlife to see en-route including Brown Hare, Roe Deer, Red Deer and Common Buzzard but unfortunately no train-spotted Osprey through Speyside. One of the most memorable sightings was the very white Bass Rock gleaming in full sunshine in the Firth of Forth, the white being caused by 1000s of breeding Gannet.

I thought small groups of Swift over Aviemore and Inverness was notable this far north but in fact I saw even more northerly birds later in my trip.

30th May 2008 – Speyside and the ferry to Shetland

On Friday I picked up my campervan from near the NTS Culloden Moor battle site and had a whistle stop tour round Speyside before travelling east to Aberdeen for the overnight ferry to Lerwick on Shetland.

Milton Loch at Boat of Garten produced a few Mallard and Tufted Duck and most notably a pair of Wigeon.

There was also a pair of Wigeon with 2 ducklings on Loch Garten together with just a single female Goldeneye. The forest around the loch and the RSPB visitor centre produced Siskin, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Woodpigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, a female Osprey on the nest and 3 Red Squirrel on or around the bird feeders. There was no sign of any Crested Tit which were very evident during my last visit in March but Common Redstart and Willow Warbler were both heard singing in the forest.

Red Squirrel ....



A lunch stop in Grantown-on-Spey provided a sighting of 2 more Swift and the river at Dulnain Bridge had its expected Dipper.

A visit to Lochindorb to the north of Grantown-on-Spey produced 2 beautiful summer plumaged Black-throated Diver, 3 Mallard, a pair of Greylag Geese with 5 young, 2 Oystercatcher, 2 Common Sandpiper, Common and Black-headed Gulls, a few Swallow, small numbers of Red Grouse on the surrounding moors and a calling Cuckoo.

After a minor panic trying to find the ferry terminal in Aberdeen, I boarded the Northlink ferry for Shetland in the early evening. Around 10 dolphins (unsure of species) were seen just outside the harbour and 1 Sandwich Tern plus plenty of Shag, Eider and Herring and Common Gulls were also seen.

A few beers on board prepared me for the 12 hour overnight journey to Shetland which was thankfully very calm .

Richard

[rlchew]

31st May 2008 – south Mainland

The early hours of the morning before the arrival of the ferry in Lerwick Harbour at 7 a.m. saw the expected range of seabirds from the boat …. Kittiwake, Fulmar, Guillemot, Razorbill, Black Guillemot, Puffin, Gannet, Great Skua, Arctic and Common Terns and Great Black-backed Gull.

On my first full day on Shetland the weather was cloudy and drizzly but bright sunshine did arrive later in the day.

This was an excellent start to my Shetland visit, with close-up views of some very confiding Puffins at Sumburgh Head being the highlight. By close-up, I mean a Puffin having to take a detour to walk round your boot. Sorry, I got in your way .

Here is a summary of my sightings:

Leebitton: 3 Red-throated Diver, 3 pairs of Eider, 2 Oystercatcher, 2 summer plumaged Dunlin, 9 summer plumaged Turnstone plus several Gannet, Shag and Great Skua offshore.

Loch of Spiggie RSPB reserve: 7 Tufted Duck, 2 Teal, 2 Mallard, 2 Mute Swan, c.30 Great Skua, 4 Swallow plus a few Oystercatcher, Redshank, Curlew, Lapwing, Rock Dove and Great Black-backed, Herring and Common Gulls.

Loch of Hillwell: 3 Raven, 1 Hooded Crow and 1 Great Skua all feeding on a Rabbit carcass, c.20 Mallard, c.20 Tufted Duck, 1 male Pintail, 3 male Teal, 2 male Gadwall, 1 Coot, 1 Mute Swan, c.10 Arctic Tern, 2 Lapwing, 1 Heron, c.30 Oystercatcher and c.20 Swallow.

Pool of Virkie: 6 summer plumaged Dunlin, 2 Redshank plus a few Oysterctacher and Curlew.

Sumburgh Head RSPB reserve: large numbers of Gannet, Fulmar, Guillemot, Razorbill, Puffin and Shag plus smaller numbers of Kittiwake, Great Skua and Cormorant, 3 Twite, 2 Wheatear, 4 Rock Dove, 2 Oystercatcher, Rock Pipit, House Martin and Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls but unfortunately no dolphins or whales (I saw a Minke Whale here on my last visit in 2003)

Twite ....



Oystercatcher ....



Fulmars ....







Guillemots ....



Puffins ....

























Loch of Tingwall: 6 over-summering Whooper Swan, 2 pairs of Red-breasted Merganser, c.10 Tufted Duck, 2 Mallard, large numbers of Black-headed Gull plus a few Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a few Redshank and Oystercatcher and a “drumming” Snipe.

A stop near Cunninsburgh to prepare my evening meal was accompanied by glorious sunshine and the following on the beach or just offshore: 2 summer plumaged Dunlin, 1 Ringed Plover, c.10 Oystercatcher, a one-legged Turnstone, 1 Eider, 1 Common Tern, a mixed group of Herring, Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls, 1 Great Skua, several Gannet, a pair of Wheatear and 2 Common Seal.

Great Skua ....



Richard

[rlchew]

1st June 2008 – east Mainland, Noss NNR and north west mainland

The weather was generally bright and sunny but it did cloud over later.

The highlight today, and one of the highlights of my whole trip, was the visit to Noss NNR, a huge seabird colony on a small island to the east of Lerwick . What an awe-inspiring assault on all your senses!

Apart from the huge numbers of birds, the sight of a Great Skua taking ginger biscuits from the hand of the captain of the boat will also stay in the memory! Feeding park pigeons or ducks on the pond will never seem the same again!

Here is a summary of my sightings:

Nesting area: 1 Red-throated Diver (at Billister), 1 Arctic Skua plus varying numbers of Fulmar, Gannet, Guillemot, Razorbill, Puffin, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Heron, “drumming” Snipe, Red-breasted Merganser, Mallard, Common and Arctic Terns, Lesser Black-backed, Herring and Common Gulls, Hooded Crow, Wheatear and loads of Rabbit and Starling.

Swinning Voe: c.10 Curlew, c.10 Oystercatcher, 3 summer plumaged Dunlin, 6 Redshank, 1 Ringed Plover, 4 summer plumaged Golden Plover, 1 Lapwing, 1 Heron, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Eider plus several Common Gull, Wheatear, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, and Hooded Crow.

East Lunna Voe: c.30 nesting Arctic Tern on the beach plus 3 Common Seal and several Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Wheatear and Skylark.

Arctic Terns ....







Lerwick Harbour: 2 Red-throated Diver seen from the boat to Noss.

Red-throated Divers ....



Noss NNR: huge cliffs, large numbers of Gannet, Fulmar, Kittiwake, Guillemot, Razorbill and Puffin, smaller numbers of Black Guillemot, Shag and Great Skua plus 2 mixed groups of Common and Atlantic Grey Seals.

Passing Bressay on the way to Noss ....



Gannets ....





A Great Skua that likes ginger biscuits ....



Common Seals ....







Sand Water between Tingwall and Voe: 2 Red-throated Diver.

Eshaness area: amazing cliffs and seascape, 3 Red-throated Diver plus small numbers of Great Skua, Arctic Skua, Fulmar, Gannet, Guillemot, Black Guillemot, Shag, Great Black-backed Gull, Rock Dove, Rock Pipit, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Lapwing, Ringed Plover and Wheatear.

Red-throated Divers ....



Eshaness ....



Dore Holm ....



Sullom Voe at Punds: 12 Greylag Geese plus a few Lapwing, Razorbill, Black Guillemot, Fulmar and Common and Arctic Terns …. but no sign of the hoped for Otter .

Sullom Voe at the oil terminal: a few Arctic and Great Skuas …. but no Otter .

The day closed with a few Arctic Tern and Razorbill plus 2 Common Seal at Toft whilst waiting for the last ferry over to the island of Yell and a stunning sunset on Yell itself overlooking Yell Sound, the northern tip of mainland Shetland and the Ramna Stacks.

Sunset over Yell Sound ....



Richard

[rlchew]

2nd June 2008 – Fetlar and Unst

The weather started very sunny (at 4 a.m.) but then deteriorated with a mixture of heavy rain, a thunderstorm, some weak sunshine and sea fog …. typical Shetland really!

The highlight today, and again one of the highlights of my whole trip, was the visit to the small island of Fetlar and seeing some of the rarest breeding birds in the UK, namely Red-necked Phalarope, Whimbrel and Red-throated Diver .

I suppose reaching the northern most island of the UK was also a highlight but the island of Unst was almost entirely shrouded in sea fog whilst I was there which meant a second aborted visit to the huge seabird colony at Hermaness (in 2003 it was heavy rain that forced a cancellation of the walk over the moorland to the cliffs). However, the car park here did produce an interesting “dogfight” between an Arctic Skua and a Great Skua …. very noisy and very violent!

Here is a summary of my sightings:

Gutcher ferry terminal, Yell: 4 summer plumaged Dunlin and a few Arctic Tern.

Fetlar excluding Loch of Funzie: 8 Red-throated Diver (various locations) and 2 Whimbrel (between Tresta and Houbie) plus varying numbers of Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Fulmar, Gannet, Guillemot, Black Guillemot, Common and Arctic Terns, Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed, Herring, Common and Black-headed Gulls, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Turnstone, Snipe, Lapwing, Swallow, Wheatear, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Wren, Starling and Hooded Crow.

Loch of Funzie RSPB reserve, Fetlar: a violent thunderstorm but at least 2 and possibly 3 summer plumaged Red-necked Phalarope, 1 Whimbrel, 2 Red-throated Diver, a pair of Wigeon, male Mallard, 7 Rock Dove plus a few Lapwing, Common and Arctic Terns, Fulmar, Great Skua and Wheatear.

Red-necked Phalarope ....









Whimbrel ....





Red-throated Diver ....





One of my photos of the Red-necked Phalarope has subsequently won the Rural Gateway competition .

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/fo...rst-prize.html

Gutcher ferry terminal, Yell: 2 Red-throated Diver, 4 summer plumaged Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover, 1 Oystercatcher, 2 summer plumaged Turnstone and 2 Arctic Tern.

Uyeasound, Unst: a summer plumaged Great Northern Diver emerging from the sea fog (many thanks again John for the e-mail discussion on the finer points of Great Northern and White-billed ID …. I did try and make it a White-billed Diver ).

Great Northern Diver ....



Central Unst: 2 Red-throated Diver, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Oystercatcher, 4 Turnstone, 3 Ringed Plover, 4 Dunlin, 5 male Eider, 1 Common Seal plus a few Fulmar, Black Guillemot, Gannet, Shag and Herring Gull.

Skaw, Unst: the location of the northernmost house in the UK with 2 Whimbrel, 1 Golden Plover and large numbers of Great Skua over the moorland approach with a few Oystercatcher on the beach and small numbers of Gannet, Fulmar, Arctic Skua and Arctic Tern offshore.

Nor Wick ....



Skaw ....



Great Skua ....



The day closed back on Yell with 3 Red-throated Diver on Loch of Vatser.

Richard

[rlchew]

3rd June 2008 – west Mainland and east Mainland

The weather was lovely …. very sunny and warm and a welcome relief from the rain and sea fog the day before although the sea fog did return at the end of the day.

The highlights today were an unexpected but excellent view of a female Peregrine and 5 or 6 Harbour Porpoise .

Here is a summary of my sightings:

Sand Water between Tingwall and Voe: 7 over-summering Whooper Swans and 2 Red-throated Diver.

Kergord (the only notable stand of trees on Shetland): Rook and Collared Dove (a reminder of southern England!).

Melby near Sandness: 2 summer plumaged Sanderling, 2 Whimbrel, 4 Turnstone, 2 Ringed Plover and a Blackbird (strange!) on the beach plus 1 Red-throated Diver, and several Arctic Tern, Shag, Herring Gull and Common Gulls and Fulmar offshore.

Brig o’ Waas: 2 displaying male Ringed Plover and 1 female, 2 Redshank, 1 Curlew, 2 Oystercatcher, male Red-breasted Merganser, 3 fly over Red-throated Diver, male and female Wheatear plus several Arctic Tern and Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls …. but no Otter .

Ringed Plover ....



Oystercatcher ....









Westerwick: 5 Rock Dove and 5 Twite in the cliff top fields.

Tresta Voe: 3 Turnstone, 2 Redshank, 2 pairs of Teal and 1 pair of Shelduck on the marsh, several Arctic Tern and Oystercatcher on the shingle ridge plus male Red-breasted Merganser, Black Guillemot and Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls.

Sandsound Voe: 2 Red-throated Diver calling from way out in the voe (1 in almost full winter plumage), pair of Eider on the beach, Fulmar nesting on the cliffs and several Arctic Tern fishing offshore.

South Nesting: female Peregrine perched on a fence post close to the road (it promptly flew off over Loch of Feester when I raised the camera lens ) and 2 Whooper Swan on Loch of Houlland.

South Nesting Bay: 5 or 6 Harbour Porpoise seen very well in a calm sea, c.10 Common Seal plus several Guillemot, Black Guillemot, Razorbill, Arctic Tern and Gannet.

Billister: 2 Red-throated Diver, 2 pairs of Red-breasted Merganser, several Oystercatcher and Curlew plus 1 Great Skua, 1 Common Seal and several Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls (including a juvenile of the latter which caught a crab and was protected by its presumed parent as it ate it) …. but no Otter! …. again .

The day closed at Billister on east Mainland with the sea mist rolling in and the eerie, wailing calls of Red-throated Divers out in Dury Voe. The RSPB website has the call of the Red-throated Diver here ….

The RSPB: Red-throated diver

Close your eyes and imagine that emerging from the seafog .

Richard

[rlchew]

4th June – farewell to Shetland

I woke up to a bright day of weak sunshine (and a crowing Cockerel which I do not think I can include on my trip list!) but that was not to last and the rest of my last day on Shetland was very rainy .

However, my last day did produce one of the highlights of my trip as soon as I awoke and wiped down the condensation from the campervan windows.

What was that on the rocks about 50 feet in front of the campervan? Oh YES, rewards come to those who are patient and persevere …. an Otter eating a large crab . Mind you, very unsociable starting its breakfast before I was awake .

It took until the last day to see an Otter but what a good view for at least 15 minutes . Unfortunately the light steadily deteriorated and the rain started so the photos were not as good as I had hoped.

Otter ....





Before I left Billister, the following were also seen: 2 pairs of Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Curlew, 2 Oystercatcher, 3 Turnstone, a fly over male Goldeneye, 2 male Wheatear, and several Hooded Crow, Arctic Tern and Black-headed, Herring, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed Gulls.

Curlew ....





The heavy rain prevented any wildlife watching in my last hours on Shetland but I did enjoy an extremely interesting visit at the Shetland Museum and Archives in Lerwick. Highly recommended if anyone visits Shetland and has a rainy day.

Shetland Museum and Archives

My journey south from Shetland commenced with the early evening Northlink ferry from Lerwick to Kirkwall on Orkney. This was not a pleasant experience due to the wind, rain and then sea fog. Sea sickness and the very limited opportunities for seeing birds and cetaceans from the boat made it a very long 5 hours .

However, a strange gap in the sea fog allowed the legendary Fair Isle to emerge bathed in evening sunshine and during the last hour of the ferry journey there was a wonderful sunset over Orkney .

Richard

[rlchew]

5th June – back to mainland Scotland

Early morning in Stromness on Orkney dawned bright and sunny with no wind.

The Northlink ferry journey from Stromness to Scrabster was everything the one the previous evening wasn’t .

Hoy, Orkney ....





Old Man of Hoy ....



The usual range of seabirds were seen but in smaller numbers than the seas around Shetland plus there was a cetacean (probably a Bottle-nosed Dolphin) close to the shore near the Old Man of Hoy.

Fulmar ....



Having arrived in Scrabster, I refueled the campervan in Thurso …. thankfully a little cheaper (but not much) than the £1.42 per litre for diesel on Shetland . In Thurso, I saw 6 Swift over the town, the most northern sighting I have ever had of this species.

In Thurso I had to make a decision …. take the direct route down the east coast to Inverness (110 miles) or take the much longer route west along the top of northern Scotland to Durness and then south down the west coast to Ullapool before travelling east to Inverness (195 miles).

No contest …. given the wonderful blue skies and sunshine, the additional mileage option was an obvious choice and the views along the north coast were brilliant .

Coldbackie ....



Kyle of Tongue ....





Ben Loyal ....



Loch Eriboll ....



Traigh Allt Chailgeag ....







Sango Bay ....



Balnakeil Bay ....



Kyle of Durness ....



The bird highlights on my journey back to Inverness were a Black-throated Diver near Laxford Bridge, a Golden Eagle at Inchnadamph (the first time I have just spotted one from a moving vehicle rather than a “stop, sit and wait for a long time” technique) and Red Kite near Garve 25 miles west of Inverness and at Culbokie off the A9 much nearer Inverness and the more usual area for sightings.

Before returning the campervan to Culloden Moor, I visited Chanonry Point on the Moray Firth, a site I have visited many times to see Bottle-nosed Dolphin. Unfortunately and unusually, I did not see a single dolphin on this occasion but then nor did many other people or a BBC Springwatch OB team including Simon King who were filming at the location. I watched the Springwatch programme back at my B&B in Inverness when they did show some wonderful footage from earlier in the morning.

Chanonry Point did provide 2 Arctic Skuas out in the Moray Firth plus 1 Turnstone, 5 Ringed Plover and 2 summer plumaged Dunlin feeding together on the seaweed and sand.

Some closing thoughts.

So that is it …. an excellent second trip to the northern most parts of the UK.

Highlights

- the rare and beautiful (and prize-winning) Red-necked Phalarope …. definitely worth travelling 800 miles to see
- the elusive but eventually seen Otter …. these wonderful mammals are always a highlight of any trip to Scotland
- the very confiding Puffins at Sumburgh Head…. what entertaining birds these are
- the trip around Noss NNR …. what an awe-inspiring assault on all your senses!
- meeting Simon King …. how do you get a job like that?

Disappointments

- failing to take a midnight visit to Mousa to see the Storm Petrels
- missing out on seeing Orcas although they were reported around the Shetland coast during my visit
- that horrible ferry trip from Shetland to Orkney!
- having to come home!

Questions

- why do Fulmars and Gannets regularly follow boats?
- why do summer visitors like Swallows and Wheatears travel another 800 miles north from southern England when they could settle in and breed much earlier if they did not undertake this additional journey?
- there are no Foxes and very few birds of prey on Shetland so what keeps the huge population of Rabbits under control?

Thank you for reading .... assuming you got to the end!

Richard

[monkey]

Well done Richard that account of your trip has taken you an awful lot of work and I am sure other people a well as myself are very grateful you took the time and effort as its great to see and learn about areas and trips like this I have been up to Fort William area and Speyside area on holiday but both before I got into photography and would love to go back to Scotland. I have been following your photos in the Gallery and the scenery and wildlife photos have been great
Glad you had a good holiday and shared it with us
Linda

[Tracey.A]

Richard, what a fantastic awe inspiring adventure and what an amazing read, with great photos as well! Thank you so much for sharing this - brilliant!!!!

Tracey

[big bill]

Thanks for the insite into your small excursion glad you enjoyed yourself and thanks for sharing your holiday.
Great set of pics with a lot more to see I wouls imagine well done on a comprhensive insight into your holiday .....Thanks

[snowdrop]

Here I was, silently grumbling to myself that compared to last year no one seemed to be posting a record of their travels when...Wow, up pops a whole page of magnificent views complete with fantastic wildlife shots...loved the close-up of the Great Skua flying above the waves....although at times the weather was against you, you achieved superb diary of your holiday. I didn't need the help of my imagination to step alongside you, thanks to your description and great pics.

Thank you richardew.

[Bub-les]

Thanks for sharing. I have relatives up there and one day I'm going to go...
Your post has inspired me to try harder. Excellent set of photos too especially the ginger snap eating skua.
Barbara

[ChrisJB]

Thanks for the report Rich. I really enjoyed reading it. It's always good to get up into northern latitudes.
Just thinking about one of your questions, I think the bonxies would be partial to a bit of rabbit, especially young ones.

Regards, Chris

[ron1863]

Lovely report Rich and pleased that you enjoyed your holiday, but where did you get those blue skies, today was the first decent day in Central Scotland for weeks.
Cracking photography

[deer boy]

Well that was short & sweet

Wow what an amazing trip thanks for sharing & glad you saw your otter in the end.
Wonderful pics & more than one competition winner in that collection i'm sure

[rlchew]

Many thanks all for taking the time to read my trip report and for your appreciative comments.

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip and writing about it when I got home.

Shetland is the not the easiest or cheapest place to get to in the UK but what a wonderful location for wild places and wildlife.

Richard

[PMG]

Managed to miss this - pressume cos when it appeared I would have been in the Outer Hebrides (having lousy weather!)

Appreciate this Richard as I know how long it takes to prepare an account like this - am going to settle down and revel in your travels and pics on this wintery December afternoon, full of flu and depressed - and will emerge later feeling so much better

Pauline

[Picidae]

Good report Richard.

Brings back lots of memories of my forays around Scotland with all the Diver species and auks etc. Tongue I know well as i have a friend that lives there and have made a few trips, lovely to see those pics. One year did October on Orkney and lucky enough to catch a large thrush migration including a few rarities such as Rosie Starling, Yellow Browed Warbler and Thrush Nightingale. Also made it to Islay and Mull on the West Coast the same year in time to catch the fantastic goose migration. Lots of Golden eagle and WTE's too. I have friends too in Elgin/Lossiemouth where it's fairly easy to get Crossbill and Crested Tit galore!. You just can't beat Scotland for British Wildlife and I often considered moving there but it's just too darn cold for me! I've never made it to Shetland though, it's always been a bit pricey and you need a car really all my trips are via public transport.

Thanks for the write up and thanks for the memories. (and great photos)

Ps Hope you feel better soon Pauline x

[Ruth Daniel]

I'm glad this has been bumped up as I'd missed it too.
But what a wonderful read Richard and the photo's are absolutely stunning too!
Glad to hear that you started with the Stilts in my "back yard"......well a mile away!
We did the Highlands last Spring to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary and would you believe it saw 3 Otters on the actual day!!
An amazing place that I can't wait to return to.
Thanks again for the read!

[PMG]

Originally Posted by PMG

Managed to miss this - pressume cos when it appeared I would have been in the Outer Hebrides (having lousy weather!)

Appreciate this Richard as I know how long it takes to prepare an account like this - am going to settle down and revel in your travels and pics on this wintery December afternoon, full of flu and depressed - and will emerge later feeling so much better

Pauline

A smashing report Richard and I'm glad I missed it and got to soak in it on a rotten December day instead - loved the views - and that RN Phal. Laughed myself into a coughing fit over the great skua eating ginger biscuits - whatever next

Pauline

PS Thanks for well wishes Picidae - wasn't this thread a tonic..........

[rlchew]

Well, many thanks folks for your kind comments.

The re-appearance of this prompted even me to re-read and re-live my trip report to the far north in May/June of this year.

It was a tonic for me too after a streesful day at work .... and I am glad it was an alternative cure for Pauline (I hope you feel much better soon).

Watch out all, there will be a report on my November trip to Islay and Mull on WAB at the weekend!

Richard

[PMG]

Originally Posted by rlchew

Well, many thanks folks for your kind comments.

The re-appearance of this prompted even me to re-read and re-live my trip report to the far north in May/June of this year.

It was a tonic for me too after a streesful day at work .... and I am glad it was an alternative cure for Pauline (I hope you feel much better soon).

Watch out all, there will be a report on my November trip to Islay and Mull on WAB at the weekend!

Richard

BRING IT ON ......... I will need a fresh 'injection' of Scotland cos I'm returning to work today - still a poorly person - but darn't take more time off.........

Pauline

[gess]

Rich, this is a great post... full of really interesting and informative info.. I hadn't seen it before but did see some of your lovely photos in the Gallery

What great memories you must have

Gess