Ben Loyal

This morning we bade farewell to South Harris as we moved onto the next stage of our summer holiday. Eight and a half hours after we waved goodbye to Bella in Northton, we arrived at our destination in Tongue. It is likely that this will be the last time that we stay with Bella and David at Tetherstone (extra) because the house and croft are currently up for sale.

David drove us up to Stornoway. Here there was time for a quick look around the art gallery and have a coffee before we caught the 2pm ferry to Ullapool. Mr hazelh and I collected a hire car on the mainland to transport us to Tongue, then on to Lochinver next week.

We hope to spend some time in the hills over the next couple of days. It is also likely that we'll be drawn to the beautiful sandy beaches of the north coast too. My blip is of Ben Loyal viewed from the main road just south of Tongue.

We learnt tonight that our friend Clarissa's beautiful Labrador cross Tania died in a tragic accident on Tuesday when she choked on her ball in the park. Clarissa's husband tried everything he could to save her, injuring himself so badly in the process that he needed hospital treatment himself, but all was in vain. We're terribly upset by this news. Had we been at home at the moment, I would now be booking my train to Manchester to travel south and comfort our dear friends in person. This evening all we could do was offer our condolences by Skype :-(

Exercise today: a little walking (7673 steps)