Fingal's Cave

The Isle of Staffa
The climb from the boat
Some Puffins came to meet me

Difficult to believe that these strange shaped rocks have occured naturally

Our Boat

Monday, 18th June

My favourite day: I met the puffins. Met really applying here as they settled very close - just a couple of feet from me. Apparently they like it when humans arrive because we keep the Black Back Gulls away, enabling the puffins to come in to land for a while. We also saw some wild dolphins, which I found very moving. Lovely to see them swimming around like this (so much better than seeing them held captive at The Animal Kingdom in Florida, whic was where I last saw them). We also saw a mother seal and her pup on the way.

The cave was pretty spectacular also - we got to walk right inside it. Even more spectacular when you think that this and the Devil's Causeway in Ireland are the only two places in the world where rock formations like this can be seen.

I enjoyed the actual boat ride. We sat right at the back up near the edge. I had to hold on to the side with one hand and Marcus on the other as we rocked from side to side - great fun!

Torosay Castle & Moy Stone Circle

Torosay Castle & Gardens

Stone circle at Moy

Tormore Beach

Monday, 18th June

Not such a good day as my head was worse. Main problem is that we under estimating how long driving will take owing to single-track roads and having to stop every few minutes at passing places. So travelling onto Moy from Torosay perhaps wasn't a good idea; it is making Marcus very tired.

Gardens at Torosay very pretty and there was a friendly atmosphere throughout the castle. We had tea and cake on the terrace where a number of chaffinches came along to share. They are more assertive than the ones at Watendlath.

We liked the stones - again, there is a friendly atmosphere here that we are noticing more and more; it starts with the people but seems to leak out into the landscape.

Moy Castle a bit of a disappointment as it was covered in scaffolding but the bay was nice - I think we were a bit too tired to appreciate it fully at that point.

Went a walk over the headland in the evening and discovered Tormore Beach, a beautiful, quiet, secluded place.

Iona

Nunnery Ruins

Abbey Cloisters
The North Beach

Sunday, 17th June

Caravan wonderful, tucked away in the back of Seaview's garden. There is a beach just outside the house and a lovely view of Iona, which is only five minutes away by a small ferry. We have a shop one side of us and a pub the other, so there is everything we need.

Have headache but it hasn't stopped me enjoying seeing this truly magical isle for the first time.

I was impressed with the modern artwork in the cloisters in the Abbey and how the old arcitecture lends itself to twentieth century living. But there was a service going on when we arrived and I'm afraid as soon as the praying started my stomach turned over. Preferred the ruins of the old Nunnery where a garden had been planted

Up Dun I next and then onto the Northern Beach, with it's white, white sand and blue sea. There were about six couples on the beach and we were told that this is crowded for summer!

On the way back I bumped into Phillip Macloud Coupe, head of the Lakes Artists' Society. A wonderful gentleman that I had the privilege of modelling for some years ago.

Off To Mull

Loch Lomand

The Ferry arriving at Oban

Saturday, 16th June

Off to the Isle of Mull for a quiet week away. Hoping to see white beaches, wild flowers and some puffins.

Am very excited, especially as the ferry came in. Marcus kept saying that the island looked just like the one in, 'Lost', with the masts on a hill in the middle.

Stopped off at Loch Lomand for a few minutes.