Welcome to the Isle of Skye! Today we drove up and over the Skye bridge to Dunvegan.

We saw a brief glimpse of sunshine at Broadford and then unfortunately it’s been very grey (or atmospheric if you prefer). For the next two nights we are camped at the very edge of The Minch, an inlet sea that opens out to the Sea of the Hebrides. It’s a lovely view, if a little exposed at present!

We’ve been sat watching large grey seals bobbing up and down, large gulls and pretty little wagtails. The tide is coming in fast now and it’s getting chilly so we have withdrawn to Mabel to pop the heating on.

We arrived two days ago to Morvich, at the foot of a spectacular mountain range called the Kintail Sisters.

Unfortunately it’s rained ever since with incredibly low cloud. I managed to drag Mr Fogg for a circular walk yesterday afternoon when it dried up a little (short for less heavy rain!). This was fab.

A beautiful abandoned old church and cemetery for followers of Bonnie Prince Charlie and a memorial to those from the local area who died for him in battles.

It’s March, must be time to prepare the veg plot. I’ve dug over 2/3rds of it and I’m enjoying the lovely soil and low weed population thanks to a few years of digging it over.

Still the last third to dig and to remove all the oriental poppies that keep popping up. This year we have an abundance of new veg to try growing.

Shame Mr Fogg has just read the weather forecast threatening arctic weather until Easter. Not planting potatoes yet then..,

It’s been so nice to get in the garden today. We had a small project to create a Japanese garden next to the decking, setup a big hotel and install bird boxes. All looks lovely now too

Ooh today we finished the gym shed. It looks amazing and I’m super proud of Mr Fogg who has toiled for the past fortnight to get all the walls done.

I finished it today by laying the flooring and we manoeuvred all the kit in. Plenty of floor space, dry and insulated, I’m so excited to try it!

Well done Mr Fogg!

And for a tally up we have used;

• 15sqm of 12mm floor boards
• 187, 3m spruce tongue and groove cladding
• 20m of beading
• 40.5 of 40mm insulation
• 1.300 4x25mm screws
• 70 nails
• 50, 10mm flooring
• 4 shelves
• 4 USB Power Outlets
• 2, 120w heaters
• 1 ultra bright LED strip light
• 6ltr of paint
• 96hrs of blood, sweat and sweating!

Next up, fitting the 28kg 1.82sqm mirror

Boo! Heading back south now and a short trip from Loch Ness down past Fort Augustus to Glen Nevis (the other side of Ben Nevis). It’s turning very autumnal now and the chill is definitely in the air

Still, managed to stop at Oich bridge, rebuilt in 1849 after the first one got washed away. Plus we also stopped at the macabre Well of the Seven Heads. An interesting little revenge story worth a google.

On then to Glen Nevis and one of the largest campsites we have been to (yuk). It’s full of families, kids dogs etc. The views of Ben Nevis are worth a brief overnight but we prefer the smaller family owned sites and you can definitely tell that people here don’t care about the facilities. We were given a pitch with a view of the chemical toilet initially but one call sorted that and at least we are now in a quiet corner.

It’s a really busy site. Looks like everyone came on holiday!!

Ignoring Mr Foggs previous blog. Today we had a trip of 103 miles down the coast to Evanton which is just outside Inverness. Although there are a load of campsites this way many of them are closed due to COVID or fully booked. We found a little recommended site next to Black Rock Gorge which is very peaceful and sheltered.

On the way today we visited Latheronwheel Harbour. A tiny fishing village created as part of the clearances where the natural harbour was extended and built in 1840 first to support Salmon fishing then the boom of Mackeral fishing. Today it is a quiet little place with no boats and a steady stream of tourists making their way down a tiny lane.

The villagers are clearly proud of their harbour. It has a picnic area and flowers and a decent size car park. Most of all it has otters and seals. We didn’t spot any otters but watched grey seals in the harbour mouth

The bridge was built around the 1700s initially and was the pony route for post services.

A beautiful place

1. Get BBQ out and find least windy location and spot the “between downpour moment”

2. Find big brolly

3. Hope for best

4. Watch from inside

The weather is poor today. Windy and heavy rain showers means it’s not a great day for sightseeing. The drive over the bog (yes endless boggy barren landscape) to Thurso was pleasant but due to such low cloud there’s not been much of a view. Contrast that with the setting sun last night.

Onwards then and past some bleak cliffs, an old church which houses a Pictish stone and a quick stop for refreshments

To Dunnet Bay. Our original planned stop was due to be a remote farm campsite. On the top of a cliff. We did turn up, it looked very barren and literally a farmers field so we scarpered and went back 2 miles to a Caravan and Camping Club site. It’s right on the edge of Dunnet Bay, a very long beach about 2 miles in length and has a number of Viking settlements found over the years.

So, a quiet night in tonight to stay warm and cosy. Then tomorrow it’s on to John O’Groats