Jonathan:

After two days of boisterous south-easterly windy and cold showers, a day of non-stop rain, and then another day and night of Severe Gale with rain, today was a welcome relief. Virtually no wind, mild, and sunny enough to feel real warmth. Heavenly! (Though it’ll be cold tonight.)

I decided to take the opportunity to go Drimore Farm, roughly mid-way up the length of South Uist, to collect a trailer-full of hay.  It’s not easy getting hold of folk at the farm, so I decided to make the most of the trip and go all the way to Baile a Mhanaich in Benbecula, to drop off a big batch of donations to the thrift shop there.

A good job I did so, because otherwise it would have been a wasted journey: there was no-one around at the farm on the way up, and no-one there on the way back. After the second visit, I decided to take the trip up the lane to Loch Sgioport. A very very lonely lane it is, with only one habitation along its length – an off-grid holiday cottage at the very end (though I’ve never seen anyone there, certainly not in winter!).

This ‘half-hour holiday’ turned out to be the highlight of the day … although actually the sun was getting rather low in the sky, bathing the landscaping in golden light and casting the hills and glens into dramatic relief.

The sun sets into the Atlantic

Feral Shetland Pony, Loch Sgioport

Feral Shetland Pony, Loch Sgioport

Feral Shetland Pony, Loch Sgioport

Loch Druidibeag

The sun sets into the Atlantic, Isle of South Uist

Beinn na h-Aire

Beinn Corrodail, Isle of South Uist

Beinn Mhor, from the north

On returning to Drimore Farm, there was still no-one around. I drove home with an empty trailer. But a head full of dreams!