Our 75th Birthday Island Adventure Starts

Five years ago my friend John and I were 70 and celebrated by going to Orkney for a week with Gaye and Sandria. It is now our 75th year so to celebrate this we are heading to the Outer Hebrides and have a cottage booked for a week on North Uist. It's a long drive to the ferry which leaves from Uig in northern Skye so Gaye and I headed up to Fort William to break the journey and after a 5 hour drive we are staying in a lovely B & B near where the Caledonian Canal enters the sea. After a nice Fish and Chip supper I headed along the canal to walk to Neptunes Staircase along one side of the canal and back along the opposite side. The Cruise Ship anchored in the canal basin at the start of the Caledonian Canal is The Lord of the Glens a luxury vessel with capacity for 54 people.

The start of the Caledonian canal, which of course was built by a Langholm man Thomas Telford between 1802 and 1823.

One of the many Locks on the canal. This is on Neptunes Staircase a series of 8 Locks lifting the canal up 64ft. 

The Lord of the Glens and the best way to see the Inner Hebrides and the Caledonian Canal if you have a considerable amount of money.

The road and the railway pass over the Caledonian Canal just after Neptunes Staircase and from there its just another 2 locks before it reaches the sea. 

Another of the Locks on Neptunes Staircase

Ben Nevis shrouded in clouds from the canal. 

Neptunes Staircase and the series of 8 Locks

Taken from our bedroom window as the Jacobite Steam Train passes by on its way to Fort Willian from Mallaig. Tomorrow we have another 3 hour drive up to Skye and the Ferry Terminal at Uig. Then an hour and three quarters Ferry to North Uist followed by a short drive to our cottage by the Atlantic. we arrive about 4.30pm so hopefully a nice walk along a beautiful beach before our evening meal.

 

Our First Birthday Walk for 2 Years

Our first Birthday walk for over 2 years. With Niall back from 2 years exile in Australia it was great for us all to be back together again. John was absent due to a sore knee and Niall was limping, also with a sore knee as a result of a fall recently on a walk in Western Australia. He has 2 new hips since we last saw him and those are performing well. It was Martin's Birthday we were celebrating and his planned walks are always interesting. We did this same walk a few years ago and then the route in places was covered in deep snow. 

 

Crossing the River Tweed.

Neidpath Castle next to the River Tweed

A gradual climb up the hill. Niall did well despite his sore knee.

Tom stops to talk to Ken and have a breather. He is still recovering from COVID and was very tired by the time we got to the top but his recovery was quick for the downhill section of the walk.

Among the Gorse. 

There were places where the path was difficult due to the amount of gorse 

Peebles lies below us. An excellent walk in good company.

Our 50th Wedding Anniversary (Early) and a Family Visit

The Graham Family on the day they departed back to California.

Making my Speech at the Wedding Anniversary Afternoon Tea in The Buccleuch Centre

Out for a walk with Gaye

Our 5 Grandchildren, Hannah, Eleanor, Leo, Thomas, and Elliot.

Eleanor, Thomas, and Elliot out playing Soccer on Thursday evening with local Club

Mother & Daughter

Brothers in Law

Our Best Man John making his speech.

The Graham and Weatherstone families together.

The MacDiarmid Memorial and a lovely walk to the Monument

49 years and 8 months married. We will have a very quiet function in August.

Father, Son and Daughter at the Monument

 

A Day in Kippford

On Sunday we decided at short notice to have a day out at Kippford as it had been a hectic and difficult week for both Gaye and myself with several friends going down with Covid and also my busy schedule at The Buccleuch Centre. This would be an ideal tonic so we headed off at 9.00am which of course was the old 8.00am before the clocks changed. We parked up in the main car park in Kippford and walked along the sea front and soon came upon this Blossom that was spectacular.

The tide was on its way out so it was just perfect for us to walk the causeway to Rough island in about an hour after our arrival.

This is the UK Tree of the year.

The Causeway to Rough Island. It was a wee bit muddy in places on the way out but much better on the way back. We enjoyed a wee picnic on the shore at Rough Island.

I have admired this tree for many years and am so pleased it has been give the accolade it so deserves.

On our way home we took a short detour to Southerness and stopped at the roadside to take a photo of this herd of Cattle enjoying paddling in a flooded field. We did not enjoy Southerness as its has become quite grubby and is obviously a downmarket caravan site now which is not in keeping with the rest of the area. 

One of the lovely boats moored at Kippford. It was a perfect day except for the fact we could not have lunch at The Anchor in Kippford as they were fully booked for Mothers Day lunches despite the fact when we were there at 12.30pm it was still quiet but as we were leaving it got much busier. We just had a Coffee and a packet of crisps each and then Fish and Chips when we got home. 

 

Catkins and Snowdrops on The Annandale Way

Today my walk with Mike took us to Annan for a walk on the Annandale Way up one side of the river to Brydekirk and then back down the opposite side. We soon arrived at the spot where the first of 2 pedestrian bridges were washed away in the November floods.

The broken bridges still lie in the river, hidden from view today but the townsfolk hope they will eventually be replaced

Further up river is the second bridge.

As on all walks with Mike I learn a lot about the Flora we meet on our walk. Today we passed loads of Catkins of various varieties. The flowers are not out yet and the pollen is not quite ready to do it’s job.

The river Annan from the bridge in the town.

The Coll just up from Annan. This photo was taken on the way back from the opposite bank. There were 5     Goosanders fishing just below the Coll so there must have been plenty of small fish about. 

A Male Goosander

A Female Goosander

The 2 of them together. There were another 3 fishing but getting them all together in the same camera shot was impossible.

Further along the river on the way back we came upon this great hole in the bank where a tree had been.

And this was the tree. A huge Oak blown down by the November gale.

There were loads of Snowdrops about and Mike spotted a very special group of them.

This is a double Snowdrop and it really has a beautiful head that you don't notice until you look under it.

Near Brydekirk there is a small hut beside the river and a wire that stretches to the other bank. I have seen the same thing on the Esk near Canonbie. When we were returning on the opposite bank we saw this guy working with a devise that was obviously going to be swung across the river in the water. We waited for ages to see what he was doing but he was in no hurry so we went on our way. We think it is a way to test water samples but we remain still a bit unsure.