Chess and Chisels

Out of Scotland, but with no particular desire to rush back to a locked-down Wales, we set our sights on a trip to England. After making a full descent of a rain-lashed M6 from above and beyond, we arrived at the sanctuary of Fort Martin, where the fire was already lit amid the usual high standard of hospitality. While Clare got to work in the office, I set out with Pappa Martin for an induction into the wonderful world of woodturning.

After prepping the wood and sharpening the tools, it was time to get stuck and get coated in wood shavings. I was totally pumped from gripping onto the chisels to begin with and had my body braced for contact with the mahogany block.

It seemed an unsustainable posture until I was shown a more relaxed stance and then things began to get easier.

It was good fun and very satisfying to see it evolve.

There are all sorts of tools and some real history, including Grandad's saw. After a bit of sander-sealer and some carnauba wax, I had myself a finished product!

When we weren't turning wood, I was mostly getting beaten at Chess and a frustrating speed, although I did make a bit of a comeback the next day. Unusually, the weather was windier than Scotland, but we still got out for some fresh air around the village to admire the local sights.

Uncle Ken's ship is still coming on, thanks to astonishing dexterity and patience that I certainly haven't inherited! Incredible detail!

Cow Hill, Fort William

Given the close proximity of Ben Nevis and other giants, the modest peak of Cow Hill (287m) is hardly likely be be the most well known hike in the region. However, for a quick skoot out from town, it's well worth a trip, with an easy path and great views of Ben Nevis.

The colours of the trees at the moment are in full autumn mode.

As I didn't have much time, I had to walk fast up to the summit. I did stop to appreciate this little forest on the fence post though.

The summit views look right down Loch Linne and Loch Eil and far into the distance.

Further north it looked like the skies were bright again.

There were still a few patches of snow left on the summit of Ben Nevis from the showers earlier in the week.

Later in the day, heading south across Rannoch Moor, we stopped to view some magestic stags and old dears (deers). Through the binoculars we got some great views. In this photo they are harder to see!

The journey back south has begun - with a little business stop en-route in the mobile office....

Loch Leven Paddleboarding

We've begun to make our way south again, but only as far as Fort William. The clouds are still on the mountains, but the winds seem to remain eerily light wherever we go, so we set out for the quiet backwaters of Loch Leven for some more paddleboarding explorations. I've been up almost all the mountains surrounding this loch, but never been on the water. Today looked like the perfect day to try it out.

We'd worked out the wind and tide combinations better for this journey so that we could go up and back using the wind and tide. I also had my running shoes packed in a dry bag so that we had the option of doing a one-way trip and then returning to the van along the road.

Showers were still passing through the Glen, but between them the visibility and colours were great.

We set off towards the pointed peak of the Pap of Glencoe on lovely flat calm water.

Near where the lock narrows, we pulled over near some small cliffs and were delighted to see an Otter swimming about in the water!

For the return journey, we moved into the centre of the Loch, where we were exposed to most of the increasing wind. With it pushing us in the right direction, we flew back towards the van, stopping briefly in the lee of an island.

Back at the van, we got our feet back into warm socks and brewed up a couple of rounds of hot drinks while taking in the views.

Later in the afternoon, before meeting up with a friend in Fort William, we took a scenic drive up Glen Nevis. We had planned to hike up to Steal Falls but the weather had other ideas.

Climbing was also out of the question as the crags were soaked. It was good to look up at them though and remember the time when Daragh, Matt and I had climbed solo up this buttress nearly twenty years ago!

Attadale and Loch Carron

Mornings in Plockton have been really great this week and most have involved a pre-breakfast walk along the waterfront. Today is the first day that it has been breezy, so no paddleboarding, but it's probably been the brightest start we've had. Having the sun come up over The Crags (the hills that we walked up on one of our first days here) was spectacular.

It's probably quite a bustling little town in summer, but at this time of year, we seem to have the place pretty much to ourselves. It's a sleepy vibe, but one that we're very much enjoying.

A relaxed brunch back at the loft set us up for a little more local exploration. We didn't fancy going too far and the weather didn't lend itself to mountain climbing. There was certainly some good blue sky moments, but also some terrific downpours (some with sleet and hail) in between. 

A low-level hike seemed to be the best option and nearby Attadale, which heads south from Loch Carron seemed like a pretty good bet. The drive along the loch shore was spectacular in itself and on arrival at the estate, we saw a red squirrel. There are some impressive gardens and house, which you can have a look around, but we wanted the exercise of heading up the valley.

The stalkers trail leads up to a forest and a lochan, where we had partly thought we might go for a swim. However, incoming showers put us off this idea before we got there!

The River Attadale runs through the flat bottomed valley and we stopped a while on the bridge before it begins to climb up into the hills. We had the unusual, yet effective mountaineers weather protection of Uncle Ken's Essex County Cricket umbrella for the return leg of the hike. It just about stood up to the testing winds and certainly made things much more pleasant.

Back in the warmth of the loft, we watched the weather come and go from the comfort of the dormer window, while making further plans...

Weather Windows for Perfect Paddleboarding

The absence of all but a light breeze has really given us some great, calm paddleboarding opportunities this week and today looked to be the last day of such conditions. In order to catch the high tide, we could have a relaxing start to the day, which involved a walk around the village from the house and a big cooked brunch too. Just after midday, as the bay filling with water, the sun came fully out too! We could barely believe our luck.

Setting off from Plockton harbour was dreamy. Full sunshine and calm seas. We didn't even put on wetsuits, opting instead for a pair of shorts and a fleece.

The reason we wanted to go out on the high tide was that there is a small estuary that fills up and is only accessible at high water.

We were able to glide up to the tip of the creek with the last of the incoming tide and then get sucked back out as it began to fall.

It really was a magical trip and the scenery reminded me more of Canada than Scotland. The trees were such a mix of autumnal colours and the water crystal clear.

I was almost exploding with excitement and delight at our good fortunes!

As the turning tide dictated our return to Plockton, we noticed some dark clouds behind us. Initially, I suggested we carry on around the bay as we were so close to home, it didn't matter if we got caught out in a shower and got wet.

However, as we approached the harbour (and shelter of the van), the dark cloud was catching us up and looking incredibly menacing. It looked so dark and heavy, it was clear that it was about to unleash on us. Taking Clare's advice, we pulled in at the harbour and made it to the van seconds before the cloud emptied itself onto unsuspecting Plockton.

The full force of nature was unleashed for about ten minutes. Hailstones poured down and strong winds put ferocious waves across the bay. From the safety of the van, we were very glad indeed to be caught out in such a deluge.

Then almost as quickly as it started, the squall passed and calm returned to the bay and in it's wake, the most vibrant rainbows appeared.

Possibly some of the best I've ever seen!

After getting changed back at the loft, we took a late afternoon walk over to the far side of the peninsular to another little bay. Timed once again between the showers and enormous clouds.

There were more rainbows too!

And a fine sunset.

Back at the village, we celebrated our good luck at the Plockton Hotel. There can't be many Scottish Hotels or businesses that have a palm tree as their logo!

But they do have plenty of palm trees here - as well as an undercover beer garden with one of the best pub views you could ask for. For once, we were glad that the Scottish restrictions meant that we could only sit outside. In the time it took to have a drink, we watched the storm and sunlight pass overhead. Magic.

Here is the view from our table....