. . . . . . . . . from Aberdeen!
We are aware some areas of the UK are experiencing the wettest & coldest June/July on record. For some reason the thought 'it will be better in summer' keeps replaying in my head. I loved the 'a summer to remember' banner.
Today's canvas was gorgeously green on a decidedly misty grey backdrop. Brimming rivers & creeks bubbled through densely wooded areas, plantations of pine & farms supporting sheep, dairy & crops. Potatoes & oilseed rape were easily identifiable, other crops not so.
Kildrummie Castle was a ruin. A wrong turn into the adjacent hotel & its magnificent gardens surprised, as did the signpost we found west of Bellabeg.
This afternoon we returned to a different area of the Cairngorm National Park. It was as equally beautiful as the southern end we visited several days ago. Manmade metal monsters, a necessary evil to deliver electricity, were a blot on the landscape. Barely visible at 2090 feet we happened upon the Lecht Ski Centre. Low cloud reduced visibility to approximately 50 yards. While the slopes weren't covered with the white powdery stuff, it was cold enough for snow. Plumes of smoke, rising from chimneys, suggested today was also cold for the locals.
The cold, damp conditions were ideal for the fungi that flourished in the wooded areas. The lichen embossed trees, fences, gates, signposts & rocks appealed, as did the stands of silver birch & their variegated foliage that glistened in the misty conditions.
We had an early arrival at Inverness. We have a one-bedroom apartment to call home for the next three days. While not commanding views, River Ness is visible & we face Inverness Castle, my history lesson for tomorrow.
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