Hunish Chicks

Skye seems to be at some sort of a crossroads. It turns out we're not just imagining that the island is becoming busier. Speaking to a local in a shop, as we headed north to avoid the worse weather in our neck of the woods, she declared she had never seen the island as busy. And this is before the school holidays start.

We talked of our experience over the last 13 years of coming here, and recent changes that have had to be made (like double yellow lines along the road at the parking for the Storr, which can have people parking so haphazardly as to render the road singletrack (it's not at that point) and her daughter lives just below that point, and once counted 140 cars parked for the walk).

But what's interesting is the increase in visitors doesn't necessarily seem to be those looking to 'embrace' the outdoors. The busy places are those where you can drive to see the view through the windscreen, or at the very most have a 5-10 minute walk, before being able to retreat once again to cover. A victim of it's own aesthetic success to some extent.

Now that meant our walk out to Rubha Hunish, short by Skye standards, but 6 miles or so too long for most, with a seemingly perilous cliff descent to the headland, was devoid of people when we first arrived. In the end we only saw another four on the Point, with another 5 or 6 on the walk back to the car.

The Point itself was quieter of birds than in previous years, though the Shags were still brooding now-large chicks; and we took a wide berth round a couple of Bonxies.

Oh, and all of this after a 'functional threshold power' test on the bike first thing; and a hilly ride later, with bonus roadblocking Highland Cows. Another pretty active day....

The sun is back out (after driving through some torrential rain) and we've still got another week to go. Life could be worse.