We took the bus to Corrie, then walked along the coast to Sannox, checking out various interesting rock formations. We stopped for breakfast at Mara Deli, which was really delicious - kedgeree with crispy tofu, and excellent coffee. They have banana blossom tacos too which I was sad I didn't manage to return to try. A lovely outdoor location with a sea view, and dog-friendly.
From Sannox we took the bus to Lochranza, then embarked on a far more substantive than expected hike over the hills. It was very glorious. Max met a boxer dog called Betty who wanted to affectionately punch him in the face over and over, and he wasn't sure what to make of that.
When we finally made it to the coast, by Laggan Cottage, I read on the beach for an hour while R went off to look for fossils. Finding none, we continued, only to discover the fossils had been in the direction we wanted to walk all along.
The return route around the coast was beautiful too, a bit rugged, and I was running on fumes. We were absolutely knackered by the time we made it back to Lochranza, in time for the 5pm bus.
We got off in Blackwaterfoot, on the west side, having had the original plan to explore there as well. But we were too tired, and just waited for the next bus back to Brodick.
We got very excellent sourdough pizza (with king oyster mushrooms) from The Parlour in Brodick, as well as nice sorbet, and ate it on the beach.
Tuesday evening departure for the Arran adventure. We caught three trains to Ardrossan, then camped on some empty scrub near the port.
We awoke at sunrise for the first ferry to Brodick. A bad night's sleep - as the first night in the tent usually is - left us feeling pretty heavy, so we had a slow day. We first pitched the tent in some woods up a wee hill. It was a good out of the way spot, but it was very midgey. Subsequent scouting - after a very good breakfast at Little Rock - yielded the beach to be a much better location. We relaxed at the (very interesting) Arran Heritage museum for a while. I had a nice cup of tea and a vegan cinnamon swirl, and wrote and read, while R and I took it in turns to visit the exhibits and chill in the garden with Max.
Then we moved the tent to the beach, though were beaten to the best spot by another very smug camper by about 5 minutes.
Midges were less persistent because of the breeze, but still around, so Max slept in the tent (after what happened last time). He loves it.
A long walk along the Water of Leith, with a detour to Green Bite Cafe. Tara made many friends, and frolicked in the water. At Leith Market, we met M and Lowenna. I bought much vegan cheese and not-pork pies (from Earthy and Kama) then we had more lunch in the Sly Fox. Tara and Lowenna bring their own special blend of chaos, sweetness, and antagonism to any outings.
We walked along the Water of Leith some more, then sat in a dog-filled park for a while as Lowenna joined a pack. Tara was bemused by all of the bigger dogs running around, and settled for guarding our perimeter and asserting her boundaries with yaps.
Up at 5 to walk to the Auld Kirk to climb the tower in time for sunrise. A tradition to welcome spring. Then a nice breakfast provided by the Auld Kirk Trust volunteers, and a glorious walk back home.
An adventure on a snow train, up a hill, to an amethyst mine. Where they let us scrabble in the dirt for 20 minutes to find a handful of our own small amethysts. The views from the top were lovely on another bright and clear and extremely freezing day.
In the evening - this time well fed (tonight's pizza had pickled milkcaps on) and better clothed - we went up the hill to the wooden house again. It was another incredibly clear night, and we met other aurora-spotters up there. We caught the end of another beautiful sunset, and stayed for hours in the cosy house. We saw a glimmer of green finally, but it didn't last long.
Our trek down in the dark was greatly helped by two other hikers with their own lights ahead of us, and a headtorch borrowed from a kind local.
We all took a night bus from Jyvaskyla to Rovaniemi, then another bus to Torvinen and another to Luosto.
I have never seen so much snow before in my life. Feet of it, sitting around like it always had been and always will be. Thick on top of roofs, clumped around fir trees like bulbous growths. Scooped the sides of roads and footpaths like it's nothing, to make space for people to pass. Dotted with footprints from hares and reindeer.
We tried to go for a walk around this epic landscape, but two kiddos straight off a night bus made it difficult. Even with borrowed sleds, there were many tantrums. We took them to the hotel pool instead.
Later we went out again, though everyone was still tired. The hotel reception said there was a nice walk and a wooden hut with a fire, "a little bit up" with good views. We expected a 30 minute walk and a log cabin type thing. We walked for longer than E could stand, lost track of the sign posts sometimes, and climbed a massive hill. We were surrounded on all sides by snow coated fir trees. Some were completely covered, forming beautiful natural sculptures in the snow. It was like a dream world.
The "wooden house" was an amazing modern construction, with heated windows and a wood burning stove. We arrived in time for an incredible sunset over this bizarre alien landscape. Absolutely just... like nothing I've seen before.
I walked the hour from Dave's place to the Dunoon ferry port, around the coast. It was a greyer, drizzlier day. After lunch in town, I took the ferry to Gourock. I had enough time to climb a hill, then back to the station for a lift home with T.
Visited J&F&E&E in Falkirk and worked on the crochet sea turtle but didn't finish it.
Enjoying Lilith's Brood, though some of the things the humans do are far more alien to me than the things the Oankali do. But also many aspects from the stories are working their way into my dreams quite severely.
Visited Dave in Dunoon. We climbed Bishop's Seat, visited Loch Eck and ate lots. Completely failed to see the northern lights despite being in a northern location with perfectly clear skies and low light pollution... because I went to bed early.
I went to visit Dave in Dunoon. We had a hearty breakfast in the Swallow Cafe, then went on a hike up Bishop's Seat. It was an easy hike, but varied in terrain, with some sufficiently steep and rambling bits to keep Dave satisfied, and fantastic views from the peak.
