Saturday 21 August 2010

Fab Holiday!

Howdy Folks! I'm officially BACK from a great holiday with Himself on the island of Jura, which is situated off the West Coast of Scotland. It's not a place to go if you crave buzzing nightlife and shopping sprees, but if (like us) you appreciate nature and scenic walks and peace and quiet, then I'd definately recommend it!

Of course, between us, we took millions of photos, far too many to put on here. I've chosen a select few, which, I think, sum up our week, but if you want to check out the rest of mine, please have a look on my Flickr page.



This ferry took us from the mainland to the island of Islay, where we then caught a wee ferry to Jura.

On the first evening, it rained continually but we took a walk to the main village, Craighouse, and had a very nice meal in the hotel.


On our first morning, the rain gradually eased and we saw this amazing rainbow:




This sign made us chuckle:


We parked our car as far along the road as we could go before beginning a 14-mile-round trip on foot to the Northern-most tip of the island, hoping to see the Corryvrechan whirlpool, but unfortunately it was just too far to go in one day and we had to abandon it before our feet gave out!


We did, however, get to see Barnshill, the house where George Orwell apparently wrote 1984:


And after taking a slight wrong turning detour, we were lucky enough to see seals sunning themselves in a secluded bay:


The thing that looks like a rock on the right is actually a seal basking, and there is also a seal poking it's head out of the water on the left!


All over the place we saw these amazing giant dragonflies that whirred around like insectilian helicoptors:


(Himself took this photo BTW!)

After a long day's walking there was nothing better than to come home and do a spot of BBQing:



Our wee cottage:




The next morning we took a walk to Craighouse and waited for the bread to be delivered to the one and only shop so we could buy some. The harbour provided a scenic waiting place:



Our next walk was a coastal one:




And we trekked to find this ancient burial place overlooking the sea:



I fulfilled an urge to paddle in the sea and walk on the white sandy beach:



Near to our cottage we discovered a very old graveyard:



And our final days' walking took in the "Paps" of Jura and this amazing raised beach of pebbles which stretched for a great distance:



As well as birds of prey, we saw a few of the 6000 deer that inhabit Jura and make it a popular place for stalkers; unfortunately I didn't get any good pics of those. And the midgies were as voracious as expected; even though we plastered on Avon's Skin So Soft, we were eaten alive each time we ventured out of the cottage!
And it seemed inevitable that every time we drove anywhere, one of these characters would be blocking the road:



We ate well, we chilled, we played Scrabble (!) and we breathed in fresh, clear air. Oh, and Himself banged his head about 85 times on the low doorways of the cottage! All in all, a brilliant, relaxing break away from the rat race!

1 comment:

Allison said...

fabulous photos looks lovely and the big Morag coo is super cool
AllisonX