Changing islands again…

It’s moving day once more and the weather is still great.  The photo above is the beach and coastline just outside the site.

This little static van always makes me chuckle!

Not only has this cottage been re-thatched but the little outbuilding in front!

I imagine that life could be a little lonely at times with the crofts spaced so widely.

These sheep are using a natural causeway to get from one field to another…

There is a causeway between two parts of South Uist and it is a hot spot for Mute Swans and there are literally hundreds living in this area so no apologies for yet another cygnet photo – this eight are very well behaved!

During the same stop here Peter was quick enough to spot this Red-breasted Merganser female arriving.

Elegant in flight but always a bit scruffy afterwards!

Approaching the causeway between the islands of South Uist and Benbecula, we couldn’t help noticing a change in the colour of the sea water.  Decidedly green…

I love the changing colours of the shallow water and the shifting shades of the sand.

You can just see the Benbecula Co-op shop to the right of the photo below.  Not many of their branches would have the scene lilke this behind their shop!

While still in the Co-op carpark we spotted this Eider with a crab.

The Clan Ranald hold on Benbecula only ended in 1839 when it was sold to the notorious Colonel Gordon of Cluny.  For the next 100 years Benbecula’s population went into a steady decline, which was only halted at the outbreak of WW2 with the building of a bridge across South Ford to South Uist and the development of Balivanich as a major RAF airfield.  Since then a new causeway to North Uist, via Grimsay, the opening of the missile testing range on South Uist, the replacement of the bridge to South Uist by a causeway, the development of Balivanich as a regional airport, military base and local authority administrative centre and the building of new educational facilities have all brought about new optismism for Benbecula’s future prospects.

Notice pinned up outside the Co-op

First used as a grass airstrip in the 1930s, the airfield at Balivanich grew into a major airbase for the RAF during WW2.  Between 1942 and 1945 squadrons of B17 Flying Fortresses and Wellingtons flew long and lonely sorties out over the North Atlantic, seeking out German U-Boats and protecting convoys.  Now used for domestic flights to Barra, Stornoway, Inverness and Glasgow and also by the Military in support of the Missile Testing Range which came into operation in 1958.

Anyone fancy a church conversion?

I love this red ranch fencing…

We arrived at Balranald campsite in the middle of the afternoon and found our reserved space next to the office where we SHOULD get a good reception on the wifi*

* We haven’t!  Another struggle looks on the cards…

This episode published partly at the Cladach Kirkibost cafe and partly in their carpark!