Little Assynt

Another sunny day but no mist as it’s been too windy. It started last night but fortunately it’s not a cold wind and has still been hot.

We headed over into Assynt via the main road to go to Elphin tea rooms and the Wednesday craft market. Sadly the tea rooms were shut so no coffee. The ladies who run it are Australian and are very nice (they featured in Ray Wynn’s book ‘Landlines’ which I was reading whilst here last year) but are as often closed as open when we are here. The food wagon at the craft market wasn’t up and running yet so we had to go to Lochinver for a coffee. The stall I wanted to see at the craft market wasn’t there either, he’s apparently moving to Edinburgh but we both got something. Chris likes the smoked food that is usually here, the guy originates from Leeds. Turns out only one of the 6 stall holders were from Scotland and three were originally from Yorkshire, one from Harrogate and one from Thirsk! They’ve all got good taste.

After our coffee we headed back along the R Inver where we saw a few deer in the river ( non at Inchnadamph ) to start our walk in Little Assynt. So a walk away from the sea today but immediately you leave the woods you see the wonderful edifice of Quinag and it’s visible throughout the walk. Behind you is Suilven these are two of the main mountains in the area.
The triple collage extra shows the views from the highest point called Ken’s Path in all directions. Quinag, Suilven with the point of Canisp to the left in the centre picture and the bottom one shows Loch Beannach. The main blip is Loch an t-Sabhail that the walk is named after where we stopped for our packed lunch. The hut is a shelter built on an old mill and one of the plaques on the side says ‘ Life is not about how many breaths you take, but about the moments that take your breath away.’
Lots of those over the last week!

The text of the walk says of the Loch view in the extra that the thriving woods are a result of deer management protecting them from browsing deer. Deer gates and fences as we entered the area so we were surprised when we crested a rise and saw this one - extra 2. Obviously no one has told it it shouldn’t be here and I think it just fancied a snack of bluebells which were everywhere. 

Back to Lochinver for pies for tea, a long queue but worth it, I got a pork, apple and cider, and a rhubarb and strawberry!  We also went to Highland Stoneware where I bought the mug of the year which is called ‘ Summer Isles’, well I had to didn't I?

Back on the wonderfully scenic but scary ‘Wee Mad Road’!

I can see the little black Hebridean sheep on the hill near the beach, no sign of the white ones, they are never together something I’ve observed over the years! Oops the white ones are now in the far bank the water!

Looking forward to the pies!

Spoke to a couple of guys met on the walk, they asked if we’d seen the eagle? I said no and asked had they? They answered no! 


** Whilst having our coffee Chris reminded me it was 57 years ago today that we met!