An Unwelcome Visitor

This wild and beautiful shore to the west of Ormsaigbeg is dominated by the igneous intrusions associated with the great Ardnamurchan volcanoes some 65 million years ago. But these volcanoes had to sit on a pre-existing rock to do their business, and ours chose a wonderful sequence of Jurassic limestone sediments. In places, particularly along Ormsaigbeg, these 130-million year old rocks are exposed.

In them there is a wealth of fossil life. In their exuberance, the ammonites, nautiloids, belemnites, bivalves, sponges, algae and sharks' teeth almost leap out and bite you.

The Diary was sharing some of the wonders of these rocks with friends this morning when a chocolate-brown beast appeared, sauntering along the shore. He stopped. He regarded us: we were in his way. He hesitated. And then, perhaps because there were four of us, he carefully made his way round us.

We see fewer mink than we used to, but we saw a jet-black one at Sanna the other day, who walked right through the spot where we were picnicking, and then this one. We're very afraid they may be making a come-back.