Sea and Sky

The southeasterly wind strengthened last night, gusting over force 6.  Since this direction brings the wind almost straight up the Sound of Mull, the waves were heavy along the Ormsaigbeg coast on the south side of the peninsula.  It was a bitterly cold walk down to the shore but well worth it to watch the surf boiling across the rocks.  The 'mist' in the distance is sea spray which blows well inland, coating house windows with salt and rusting our cars.

The heavy snow that was forecast a few days ago hasn't materialised.  Instead we've had a day of bitingly cold wind and bright, sunny intervals.  The Diary drove to the lighthouse, stopping at Achosnich to take this picture looking across the valley of the Sruthan Bhraigh nan Allt towards the distant height of Ben Hiant.

The difference in the sea along the north coast was remarkable.  With the sea here in the lee of the land, even though the wind was just as strong - and cold - the surface was almost calm.  This picture looks from the Point of Ardnamurchan northeastwards towards Bay McNeil and the bald lump of hill called Sgurr nam Meann.

This is the old foghorn at the lighthouse.  It worked on air pressure supplied from huge cylinders which were kept up to pressure by three diesel pumps housed in an Engine Room.  This system was replaced by an electrically operated speaker until this was turned off a few years ago when the Northern Lighthouse Board decided that, in this modern age of digital navigation, foghorns were no longer needed.

For those readers interested in the aurora, there was activity last night but, although several people were out looking for lights dancing across the northern sky, including The Diary who was up several times in the early hours of the morning, nothing appears to have been seen from Ardnamurchan.  The best pictures of last night's events came from the north and east of Scotland, for example this one taken from Thurso.  The reason for the present activity, and an explanation of why we see auroras, is here.