Helmsdale

What did you think of Skelbo last night Marge. They're a really good Pop band. No Marge, that's Elbow. Enough nonsense.

wasn't the view across the loch this morning stunning? The clear early morning light threw shadows across the waters. Two seals played nearby. What a beautiful start to the day. 

Today we had decided to only drive for about an hour. Angela and Marge needed a rest, so we headed to Helmsdale, a small coastal village that we stopped at last year and said we'd like to return to. The oncoming traffic was busy and as we approached Dunrobin castle three people in vans waved to us. What's going on Marge, this is new. Must be your celebrity status, word was out. Move over Susan Calman and Helen Mirren, there's a new kid on the block. We felt we were in the NC500 club. Our intention had never been to drive it again, but here we are for now chasing the better weather.

Before lunch we walked to the nearby shops, calling in at Glencoast a small independent fishing and country shop. Where last year Angela bought a wool bobble hat. We talked to the owner, asking if there had been any further development on providing a service point for the vans. No, but the installation of three electric charging points for vehicles had. But they were all fenced of, some very small chance of flooding has delayed them being operational. Should have spent the money on the service point perhaps? We purchased two midge face coverings wanting to support the shop.

They were already on our shopping list for next year so we were pleased to find them at a reasonable price. 

The weather was due to change later today, so with the wind increasing we took the opportunity to walk out along the shore and onto the John o' Groats trail.

As we left the harbour a guard of shags lined the wall. Half an hour later a few spots of hard-hitting rain began spotting the pebbles under our feet. We of course were wearing appropriate footwear but not clothing, no waterproof jackets or trousers. After sheltering under a tree with no leaves, pretty pointless, we decided to head up off the beach to the main road. The path not too trodden took us up and in to who knows where. We were doomed. And then we arrived at a small graveyard.

What a lovely place to end your days looking out over the sea, but we weren't ready for that just yet.

Back up alongside the A9 we walked alongside the main road and back in to town. The filling station showed how serious the fuel crisis was here!

Joking apart we have been lucky so far. Back at Marge Angela modelled her new headgear, the things she has to do for this blog. Then the rain arrived with a vengeance. this was the heaviest rain we'd suffered since our first day on the Isle of Skye, and we didn't much like it. Luckily, as forecast, there was a window in the weather between six and seven and we were able to walk up the road to buy fish and chips.

Saturday night. Fish and chips, Strictly and wine, that'll do us wont it, Marge?

It seemed unusual to pick up a rock full of fossils on the beach which is composed mainly of very old rocks predating life on earth of the remains of molten rocks from ancient vocanoes, this one is coming home with us for further investigation.