Whaligoe steps & Northern lights

Dropped a very excited dog off at the kennels in the morning before we headed over towards Wick and the Whaligoe steps. There are 336 steps which zigzag down a cliff face to a small natural harbour which is mostly populated by many sea birds these days. I wasn’t keen initially as there is no guard rail but the steps are very well maintained and there is a little wall to one side. It was rather spectacular.

We had time to take in the Cairn o’get which was just across the road from the steps. It’s a wonderfully preserved Neolithic chambered burial cairn reached via a rough path through rather boggy ground.

Back to the caravan site to get organised for the first 3 acts at the music festival. It’s not a long walk from the campsite to the marquee where Tunes by the Dunes takes place and the weather forecast was for a dry night.

We really enjoyed the music. First up was Cammy Barnes (a barber from Fife who appeared on Britain’s got Talent and is going from strength to strength), The Tumbling Souls (an excellent country music band from the Outer Hebrides) and Trail West who hail from Tiree and Uist and are leading lights of the Gaelic music scene in Glasgow.

A fabulous moonlit night on our way home yielded my first glimpse of the aurora borealis in many many years. Not visible to the naked eye but colourful through my phone camera. A bit of a later night than previously as we sat up over a nightcap or two.

Backblipped Wednesday 4th.