Frustrating day off!

Yesterday we got a long view to the Gulf of Corryvreckan (of whirlpool fame) from the top of Fire Tower mountain bike trail near Lochgilphead. I had arranged to go sea kayaking today with my daughter and Jim Wallis. A forecast of clear skies light wind and slack water in the Gulf at 11:10am today had me planning a trip out through the Gulf and back round Scarba and Lunga.
Unfortunately another mountain bike run beckoned. On the way home we stopped at Arrochar and climbed high into the hills below Ben Ime before several breakneck descents (almost literally) to Glen Loin and back to Arrochar.



Battered and bruised, I had to cancel our sea kayaking trip. So I will just need to savour our first trip through the Corryvreckan in May 2006.



I have only been out mountain biking 5 times this year. I have lost count of the number of spills. I have hurt my shoulder twice and have decided to invest in some body armour. Perhaps I should stick to sea kayaking instead!

What a lovely day to clean my bike.

Autumn nights.

With the autumn nights drawing in, I thought it might be nice to look back at a midsummer sunset taken on the west coast of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. The marvellous ringed boulders in the foreground are Lewisian gneiss. These are some of the oldest rocks on the planet.

Hebridean summer surf, sand and sunset.

The Hebridean surf was up on our first morning, we chose to paddle in the lee of the islands.

Alan surfs in at Cliff.

Alan at Camas na Clibhe, Lewis.