Catching up with family
So on Monday we left Mitzi in Vincent and headed off into Ardfern village with Luna. We had a lovely walk across the top of the peninsular and through woodland to the village the other side. We walked along the shore for the last bit and lost the path so we had to do a little bit of rock climbing which Luna found quite (very) scary - definitly not an agility dog. At Craobh Haven we stopped at the pretty marina for lunch. Sadly the pub, The Lord of the Isles, was closed so we bought a sandwich from the shop and sat and watched the boats in the sunshine.
We then made our way out of the village and down the road and back through the woodland. Mitzi had been fast asleep but was pleased we were back. The motorhome park started to fill up again and Simon the owner appeared so we paid our fees. We then fitted in another walk for Mitzi to the village boat yard before settling in for the night.
On Tuesday we drove up through Oban and Fort William before turning left towards Arisaig. On the way you pass through Glenfinnan which is famous for its viaduct that was used for the Hogwarts Express and a monument to Bonnie Prince Charlie. It all looked very busy so we continued on our way to our next campsite - Sunnyside. This is quite a big site, about 30 hardstanding pitches, just north of Arisaig. A short walk down from the site is a lovely little sandy beach so we took the dogs down to explore and play on the beach. We then got on our bikes and cycled down to Arisaig as we needed to visit the little shop and then cycled a little way towards Rhu before heading home.
The next day we had arranged to meet up with Lesley and cousin Jeremy so we thought we would take the dogs off for a walk first. We headed down the road and then round the 'Back of Keppoch''. The path was very difficult to follow at times but it was a lovely walk and we managed to find our way into Arisaig.
We then headed home and got back in time to have quick cup of coffee before Lesley picked us up. Lesley drove us to Mallaig via the coastal road, which had lovely views of the white sandy beaches, for lunch. Jenny, Jeremy and Lesley's daughter, was also with us and we had a lovely catch up over a lunch of local Mallaig prawns. We then had a walk around Mallaig, it does not take long, and visited Lesley's sister's shop where Mike bought a lovely 'Weirdfish' sweatshirt in the sale! We then stopped off on the way back at the lovely little white sandy beach - Camusdarach before being dropped back at Vincent.
Jeremy then picked us up later on his way back from work and drove us to their house at the end of the little peninsular south of Arisaig - Rhu. We walked the dogs down to their little beach before it got dark. Mitzi had a lovely time barking at a girl 'wild camping' near the beach. We then had a great evening meal with Jeremy, Lesley and Jenny before Jeremy took us home. It was lovely to catch up and also see their lovely house in a truely beautiful place.
Today we had a slow start but took the dogs for a pre-breakfast walk on the beach. The tide was right out so the dogs had great fun running around. After breakfast we got on our bikes for a hilly cycle. We took the coastal road and stopped at the house belonging to the Shaw Stewart's - who are related to Mike's grandmother (Michael .... My grandfather Jack Mackintosh had a brother Christopher and his daughter Vora married John (Jackie) Shaw Stewart. The family house at Traigh still belongs to their 4 children. My uncle, father and other family used to stay regularly in the late 1990's. The Golf Club is old family cow fields!)
We had a lovely chat with the women who is currently staying there - friend of the family. We then cycled to the village of Morar and followed the lane along the side of the Loch Morar until the path got so rocky we had to give up. We sat and admired the views - a very quiet and absolutely beautiful spot.
The sun had come out and so we decided we had better not hang around too much because of the dogs in Vincent. We headed into Mallaig to buy a sandwich and were passed by the 'Hogwarts Express!' then cycled back to Vincent. We got back to a busy campsite - everyone enjoying the sunshine.
In the evening we headed down to the beach to watch the sunset. The tide had come right in so we had to negotiate our way round to the beach but it was well worth it. The sunset was stunning and we were lucky to see a couple of seals in the sea in front of us. A magical end to a lovely day.
