Framedlight

We intended getting to Harris by the end of the day, but we were determined that our trip out from the Uig peninsula should be as interesting as possible. At Camas Uig we stopped the van next to a large wooden replica of one of the Lewis chessman. This Viking chess set was found in a small stone chamber at the top of the beach in 1831. The pieces, which had been carved from walrus teeth, are thought to have been made in the 12th century, during the period when the Vikings ruled Scotland. The set is in the British Museum, not a popular place for exhibition with the Scots. We walked down to the dunes on the beach, presumably it was this shifting sand that had disclosed the treasure. Retracing our steps to the main road we came across a little stream and waterfall which I stopped to photograph from a slightly precarious position balanced on the rocks at the side. As you can see the weather was quite dark, although not actually raining and we made a spurt to r...

On our last morning in Kilchattan we got up early and did those things you are supposed to do when leaving a holiday home: clearing the fridge, hoovering up the dog fur and packing the van. We left the place pretty unscathed apart from a light patch on a dark red carpet in our room. It must have been dyed from a lighter colour, as, when the damp dog slept on it, she got up the next day with pink fur and the colour of the carpet where she had lain was in turn rather paler. After that we ensured she slept on her blanket and hemmed it in with chairs so there was no escape. After breakfast I took a picture of the little rabbit in the garden who had entertained us most mornings. We took Rene for the 11.00am Rothesay ferry back to the mainland where she was meeting Alan's cousin who was driving her into Glasgow for the train. There was momentary panic and a short series of phone calls as she had got stuck in the lift on the ferry and was nearly returned to Rothesay. We drove to th...