Pony club pony!

Chamfron Almendra has been to her first pony club camp.

Keep Moving - Week 30 (Part 2)

We headed South out of Oban and crossed the "Bridge over the Atlantic" - The Clachan Bridge which links mainland Scotland to the Island of Seil where the local scarecrow competition was in full flow (photographed some highlights like Bertie Basset waiting on the bus and Ed Sheeran (or is it Hedge Shearing?) on the way out and the way home).  From The Island of Seil we took a three minute ferry ride to Easdale which was the most important and prolific of the Slate Islands. Easdale slate helped to build major cities around the world and can still be seen on rooftops as far afield as Melbourne, Nova Scotia, Dunedin and Dublin.  

The island is the smallest permanently inhabited island of the Inner Hebrides, the old slate mines, visible amid deep pools of seawater, have not been worked since the end of the 19th century when a massive storm came roaring in from the Atlantic and carried away an entire industry. If the waves had reached a little higher, the human population would have been washed away too. 

These days one of the disused quarries is a perfectly formed arena which has come to be used for the World Stone Skimming Championships.  This unique event is held every year in September and the best part of the championship is that anyone can enter, no matter their age or ability.  Anyoine can come along and have a go at winning the title for World Stone Skimming Champion.  

Heading back to the pod we had two stop offs, the first was at The Dog Stone, this was once a huge sea stack, but now it seems to be growing out of the land with trees protruding from its summit.  Science tells us that this is made from Conglomerate, deposited about 415 million years ago, but perhaps there is more mystery involved, legend says that this is where the giant, Fingal, tied up his dog, Bran, when he went hunting in the Hebrides.  As Bran circled and struggled, he wore a groove around the base of the stone with its colossal chain and they say you can still hear its ghostly howls.

We also stopped to peer at Castle Stalker, a four-story structure that is picturesquely located on a small tidal island located in Port Appin. In Scottish Gaelic, the name of the castle is known as ‘Caisteal an Stalcaire‘. The word ‘Stalcaire‘ can be translated into "hunter".  Famously Castle Stalker made an appearance in one of the popular British comedy Monty Python films. In the Holy Grail it was appropriately renamed Castle Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh!”

Keep Moving - Week 30 (Part 1)

Spidey did my steps on Sunday and Tuesday, cantering along giggling behind Craig.  On Thursday we drove up to Connel, to Island View Pods and other than a small stroll along the foreshore we just chilled.  The initial plan was to do very little over the weekend but one (ahem) G&T later I had booked a 12 hour trip to Staffa, Lunga and Iona for the Saturday and as a result penciled in a whistle stop tour of Oban for Friday.  So off we set, quick spin round Connel and down to the Falls of Lora then on to Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel.  After a coffee at the Ocean Explorer centre we headed up to McCaig's Tower, a massive folly on Battery Hill overlooking Oban.  McCaig's Tower forms a prominent landmark which was commissioned by John Stuart McCaig, a local banker. Built in the style of the Roman Colosseum and comprising two tiers of pointed arches built in granite and arranged in a circle c.63m in diameter, the folly serves as a memorial to McCaig himself and his family. 

McCaig promoted the project to employ local stone-masons who were without work during the winter months. It was therefore during these months only when construction was undertaken between 1895 and 1902. McCaig had planned a more elaborate structure, with an internal tower containing a museum and art gallery, but his death brought an end to the money and the construction stopped with only the outer walls completed. 

Next stop was the ferry to the Isle of Kerrera, a five minute trip across on a ferry that takes twelve "souls" (yes the three dogs already on board were counted and a family left to wait on the next sailing!)  On landing we headed South to Gylen Castle, the walk to the castle is about 2.5 miles and it is an easy route to follow as it is a well-defined farm track that also takes you to the island’s celebrated “Tea Garden”. There are teapots that act as waymarkers along the route to the tearoom. The teapots also come with cheerful little signs that give you words of encouragement to motivate you (It is well known that I follow a sign that says "this way to cake"with ease!)  I'm not sure that photos do it justice but Castle Gylen is my favourite Scottish castle to date.

Returning back to the pod we stopped to wander out to Ledaig Point in North Connel, heading back to the car and 100% fantasising about the Prosecco in the fridge we met an elderly golden retriever with no owner in sight, we called her folks and sat on the beach for a bit before we were descended on by the rest of her furry family and off she tottled without a backwards glance.  We also returned to an email saying the boat trip was cancelled due to serious swells making the landings impossible, bugger!

    

Chamfron outings

Chamfron Agata de Fuego having just finished another 30km at Northhouse and Chamfron Mojito has been out XC schooling.

Keep Moving - Week 29

Sunday stroll along to the Straiton pond nature reserve followed by the Loanhead graffiti tunnel.  Coming back through Loanhead we spotted some lovely starling sculptures by Helen Denerley and thought "how nice, they've not been nicked" then we saw the sad severed feet of of another twenty or so.  Quick stroll along the canal before work on Tuesday and then on Thursday I took Spidey for a stroll and as he was in a thoroughly charming mood, has a new saddle and I'm not as fat as I was I hopped on and rode him home.  I rode him on Friday too then we went for a walk around the Glenkinchie lagoons.  Not the best weather on Saturday so a stroll around Lothian Lavender and then the Glenkinchie summer fete.