Breakfast with a view…

As predicted by the BBC, today is wall to wall sunshine and the wind has dropped by about 50 miles per hour to a light breeze.  On Angus’s newly painted seat (exactly how new I was to discover later) we had our coffee and toast in the fresh air, looking out to Eriskay over the Sound.

Then, as the tide was out, we walked along the beach via the very rutted field in front of Bessie and carefully avoiding the cow pats.  Unusually, the beach is covered in seaweed, the result, Peter says, of the gale force winds lately.  It’s certainly interesting seaweed though, with much of it attached to stones…

We drove the short distance to the airport and, using the excuse of publishing the latest blog, I munched my way through a slice of pineapple cake again, with coffee.  The eastern coastline looked beautiful in the sunshine and we inevitably made our way to Vatersay, where we were determined to walk along one of Scotland’s most beautiful beaches.  First though, our rocky bay where there was a lone Black-tailed Godwit, a handful of Dunlins and the usual characters in the seaweed strewn rocks.

On the winding single-track road to the beach, we pass the memorial to the dead aircrew and remains of the Catolina sea-plane that crashed here in 1942.

Parked off the road, we walk down to the beach and Peter immediately spots a group of Red Mergansers swimming past.

The beach is pure white fine but firm sand – wonderful to walk on and always something interesting to spot.  Two years ago it was rather large jelly fish but not this year thank goodness.  Just the usual shells and, uniquely, a lobster pot…

… while onboard the fishing boat ‘Fulmar’, the pots are being being gathered in.

We left via the winding coastal road (the only road out!)…

… and saw a few Golden Plovers in a field wearing their ermine capes.

Back at the airport they were serving fish and chips (or in our case scampi) as a special Friday night venture from 5pm-8pm.  Delicious.

Oh, and that painted seat – yes, you guessed it I expect, spots of navy blue suspiciously appeared on Bessie’s seat cushions though, oddly, not on my jeans!  Luckily, they came off with a wet wipe – they’re wonderful.