Challenging terrain

What an exciting day! I woke to the sound of rain, having slept without dreaming of hospitals, appointments or any other such horrors. Looking out at the trees that surround the hotel, it soon became apparent that although there are no floods, it was raining extremely hard. However, the rumour was that it was dry in the west. So, off I went on a drive through spectacular mountain scenery until I reached the other side of the country and was able to view the sea lochs and ports along the north west coast without the need for waterproofs and rubber boots. What a shame that it isn't possible to take photos and drive at the same time!

After a short break, I decided to continue heading north and then to return east via one of the main west-east roads through the mountains. I'm delighted I did so - the 'main road' (well, it was red on the map, which means 'major road') turned out to be a single track path with 'passing places'. I'd been really quite disappointed on my way from east to west to find that the highways north are now paved and wide - there's no challenge in that. This was more like the terrain that I remembered from more than forty years ago, even though it's now paved. No photos though - it's very bad form to stop in a passing place to take photos (though that didn't seem to deter the several picknickers I spotted guzzling their sandwiches without a care, while blocking passing places willy nilly). The wildlife was interesting; I saw what I think was a mink standing in the middle of the road; it wasn't deterred by the fact I was in a car and was clearly hissing furiously at me. I was surprised by how big the animal was - about the size of a cat - and how aggressive! At first, I thought it was an otter, but the shape was wrong, so I think it must have been a mink.

Anyway, I got back to the hotel in one piece, invigoragted and ready for another big journey tomorrow! It's so good to feel enegetic enough to do these things again.