Erratic Weather

Yesterday morning, with a dismal forecast for cold, northerly winds and the BBC issuing an amber warning for snow, the family decided to keep to lower levels for a quick walk, so chose the stretch of beach to the east of Mingary Castle. We wrapped up warmly, and wore full wet-weather gear.

No sooner had we left the car and set off towards the castle than the sky began to clear, the sun came out, and the temperature began to rise.

The beach is formed of shingle and stretches, with occasional breaks for rocky headlands, for some three kilometers. It's always an interesting beach as it seems to collect an unusual amount of flotsam and jetsam. More, there's a stream to cross, the Allt Choire Mhullinn and, just beyond that, tucked into the hillside, the remains of one of our local cleared villages, Choire Mhullin.

As we walked, the temperature rose further....

....until a point was reached where lying out in the sun seemed preferable to slogging any further along the beach. In any case, since the forecast had been so bad, we hadn't brought any lunch.

On the way back to the car one of the children had another encounter with local sheep. The previous day, while walking across the fields around Greadal Fhinn, the chambered cairn in Ormsaigmore, the sheep had run towards and around her, surrounding her. The Estate sheep showed a similar interest. Perhaps it's the fetching pink of her coat.

So, with a good forecast for this morning - light winds and sun all day - we planned a barbeque at Sanna....

....only to wake up to a biting northeasterly wind, driving snow, and a thermometer which struggled to reach 1C. Picture shows Grianan croft house with, behind it, the high hills around Meall an Tarmachain.

So we forgot about the barbeque, opting instead for a quiet morning at home and pea soup for lunch. It's all right for us, but this is miserable weather for a new-born lamb.