While in London I had met someone who offered to introduce me to Glasgow, so I collected my car a day early and headed down the A9 instead of going down the Great Glen along Loch Ness and on to Mallaig as originally planned.

The A9 is a fine road, with ever-increasing amounts of dual-carriageway, though it seems I read about a disturbing amount of accidents. I was able to find a good few places to stop and take photos, before things started getting crowded and more complex as I got nearer to Glasgow.

No time for photographs in Glasgow, and although the drive alongside is long and has great views, I actually saw very few places to stop, but Glencoe is a different story; I will have to visit again when I am not racing the light to get to my B&B for the night.

The drive from Fort William out to Mallaig for the ferry to Skye is relaxed with a great variety of views and places to stop. After my trip to Connemara last year, I had bought a light tele zoom lens and this saw plenty of action on the ferries (as well as on the train and walking around Inverness), though not that many proved to have any interest (I have much more experience with taking photos from trains).

On Skye I thought I could finally get a good hike in, and thanks to Tania at the B&B I visited the beach at Loch Brittle before heading out on the Rubha an Dunain peninsula. Just when I got close to the headland, the path disappeared, and I was crossing a very boggy area when I made an ill-advised step and I was lucky only one foot disappeared (and soaked my boot through). I was getting close to the Viking harbour reputed to be there, but I obviously wasn’t going to make it and dried out my foot as best I could when I got back to the path proper.

In the evening, I went to Carbost on Loch Harbort, home of Talisker whisky, and had a great time along the old pier, looking back to the Cuillins.