Weather Report Hot and sunny - probably last time I will write that for some time. Found a water tap in the grounds of the church which is a blessing - filled all my empty bottles and returned to camp and then the short walk down to the beach and had a good wash. More detailed cleansing is available in the swimming pool (also has a laundrette) but not at 7am. Walked around the village taking photos and then sorted with the car hire firm a sensible place to leave the keys. Found the cycle hire place - it double as [View Full Entry]

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Weather Report Hot and sunny. Hire car booked for 10ish so took the 8:45am bus to the airport where car to be picked up. Interesting wander around the airport and photo of plane taking off against background of sea / hills. Flights are mainly to and from Glasgow. Car eventually arrived 1045. Set off towards Port Ellen which I quickly reached. Parked and explored the small harbour and various views of the town. From there followed the road around the south east corner of the island. Inland side of the road is mostly open moorland while the coast is a lovely [View Full Entry]

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Weather Report Started sunny with clouds building. Eventually an overcast day. Generally warm although felt cool on the deck of the moving ferry. On the go shortly after 5.30. Surprised to find I was not the first in the shower block. Fell into conversation with a retired Glaswegian (that is a Glaswegian who has retired not someone who has retired from Glasgow !!!!!). This was to prove useful. Packed and decamped by 7.20. Struggling along the road towards ferry terminal I crossed the path of said Glaswegian heading back to the campsite. We fell into conversation once more and he offer [View Full Entry]

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Weather Report Dawned sunny and seemed likely to be another scorcher. However by late-morning cloud cover had developed and it was pleasantly warm but definitely not hot. This presages the expected downturn in the weather. As planned decamped slowly and calmly. Took 2½ hours to pack - quite a skill shoving all my goods into one large rucksack, a smaller rucksack and a camera bag. My feet are blistered - unusual for me - so the walk with 45/50 lb weight was doubly painful. Fortunately as I neared the halfway mark I arrived at a bus stop at the same moment [View Full Entry]

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Weather Report Hot and sunny - again. Decided that my organisation of this assault on Arran had not been all that one would have desire so took the plunge and hired a car for the day. Really the large islands such as Arran, Islay and Mull need a car for one day at least. However it was Saturday and I had no great hope that the one car hire company would have anything available. Arrived at their door just after 8.30. Explained my desires. Lady at counter said ‘you need to be between 25 and 70 to hire a car. Not [View Full Entry]

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Weather Hot and sunny - v hot ! All day ! Unlike last night which was cold. V cold. Set-off shortly before eight and headed up the road known as the String which cuts across the middle of Arran. First part as expected v v steep - fortunately not too long and reached summit shortly after 9. The strain of the climb was more than balanced by the delight in sea a golden eagle close-up. Some good photos as it soared across the glen, perched on a telegraph pole and finally crossed overhead. The last four hours of the walk (it [View Full Entry]

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Weather Report Not too sure - and I was there ! About 6am the sky was clear but gradually became overcast and there was a short shower just after 9. Remainder of the day dry and warm when in the sun. Cooler when clouds came at odd intervals. Sort of day when you are unsure what to wear !!!! Walked into Brodick and hired a bicycle - although by that time I was not sure what I wanted to as the weather was a little unpredictable. Took the plunge and set off at 9.20 when the aforementioned shower had cleared. Began [View Full Entry]

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Hi there folks ! On the road once more. Sitting in Brodick (Arran) under gloomy skies with intermittent drizzle. Forecast much better for next few days so today just mooching around Brodick. Left SOS at 740am yesterday (Tuesday). Comfortable drive to Stansted with mother - just over an hour. The last section of that journey much improved by the new road. Checked in - bag narrowly under the weight limit. Nobody noticed the two (or three) items of hand luggage - supposed to be just one. Cup of coffee then said our farewells and mother drove back to SOS. Wandered through [View Full Entry]

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Weather Report Weather in Northumberland was abysmal. Low cloud, thick drizzle and poor visibility. Further south it was warm and dry. Quickly took down the small tent - much easier than the large one. On the road soon after 7:15 and made my way to Amble where I had a last look round what had been my home for many years - may not be back this way for some time. About two miles out of Amble the car started to cough and splutter. I put this down to the damp but it was soon obvious that the problem was more [View Full Entry]

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Weather Report Overcast with occasional light rain. Virtually no sun. Prompt start and made my way to Morpeth which is the county town of Northumberland. Spent an hour wandering around taking photographs in poor light with rain threatening. Headed west from Morpeth and about two miles out of town found Mitford Castle which I had last visited as a student - a long time ago. Little remains of this medieval castle. From there I wandered through the Wansbeck Valley and made my way to Otterburn where I had a shprt break. Continued on to the small market town of Bellingham on [View Full Entry]

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