Blipping the usual suspect, when hereabouts

This morning was very busy in the house on the Bog, as the family refer to their mum's home. Maria was preparing to go to Glasgow ready for an early flight home to Crete, after a long summer holiday with her cousins. Grandma was taking her, with one of the cousins, whilst the three boys were about to go on a local walk. Two 'handymen' arrived before 9am to start tidying up the garden and attend to various odd jobs. I had a long bath.

Helena and I drove a few miles northwards up the coast on a jaunt, taking in a pub lunch in the Creagan Inn, a very old shoreside tavern on the main road from Fort William to Oban beside Loch Linhe. We like it there as you can sit inside huge glass windows overlooking the beach and the views across the loch to Morvern. Last time we visited we actually saw a couple of otters swimming in the sea close o the pub, but not this time. The barman said he had one seen some a few weeks ago, but although I constantly am on the watchout, so far this time we have been disappointed.

After our meal we drove a few more miles to the far side of Appin, and parked on the steep hillside beside the busy road, as did a succession of other cars. The only reason to stop there is its position for the classic tourist and postcard view of Castle Stalker. The weather was still grey with mostly big dark clouds driving straight up the loch on the very strong south-westerly winds. It had been raining intermittently all morning and we luckily caught a short break. Luckily a patch of clear sky allowed the sun to shine for a few minutes and I got this picture then.

But the rain returned as we turned around to drive down the hill and then out to the mouth of a small estuary, where Port Appin is sited under a huge rocky outcrop that provides some shelter from the elements. It is just round to the left of the grassy headland on the left of the picture. From there an active ferry service still runs across the few hundred yards to the opposite bank of the loch, which is actually Lismore, a large, long and thin island. You can just see a couple of houses near where the ferry lands. The sea was very choppy with white horses driving up the loch from the open sea.

We wandered on a circular walk around the rock, where it is very peaceful and wild in the wind. Bountiful purple heathers adorned the rocky outcrops, set next to countless Rowan tree in full bud with their rich red berries signalling to me the approach of autumn, if not winter. But when we managed to get out of the wind on the far side of the walk, the temperature was mild and I started to sweat.

Helena and I took loads of pictures, but in the end the Scottish shortbread biscuit tin picture had to be my blip, one that everyone knows. You might also be interested in another blipper, StuartDB, who uses Port Appin as his subject in most unusual ways. He told me he will be coming here in a couple of weeks and taking a ferry over to Lismore, so I envy him his return to this magical little spot..

Helena (aka Woodpeckers )has added more information about the castle here