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It is always a problem to select a good excursion. There are at
least five considerations:-
- The Place - is the geology interesting.
- The Leader - does he know his stuff and will people get on with
him.
- The Accommodation - will we like it - comfort, food and welcome.
- The Weather - will we enjoy it.
This excursion scored better than 3.8 out of four and the culprit
was the weather - and even that was, as George said, better than we
deserved!
As you will read the geology was extremely interesting, the leader
was George Downie who was on top form again, the Doune Bay Lodge was
excellent for comfort, our welcome, transport on the Mary Doune and,
especially, the food. And the weather was mixed, but generally good.
We only lost one morning and even if it rained we could always rely on
getting dry again, overnight, thanks to the facilities in the Lodge.
The people who put us on the track of such a paragon of the
excursionly virtues were the McIntyres, Roy and Elizabeth, who had
stayed there on previous occasions - none of them geological. Not only
did they suggest the place they went to infinite pains to arrange
everything, giving the secretary the privilege of sitting on the
sidelines while all was arranged by Roy and Elizabeth.
Here is Roy's introduction
A big thank you to George Downie and all of
you who came to Knoydart for making it such a happy and enjoyable
trip. We were fifteen in total and with 'Mary Doune' only licensed to
take twelve passengers, three of the party stayed behind each day. The
walking was more strenuous than on our previous trip with George, so
Mary and Gill came for a holiday at Doune. Norman and Frances took it
in turn to go on the excursions. Andy Tibbetts's advised us on what
would be feasible, and the Tibbetts and Davies families looked after
us well all week, and helped us bring
our plans to fruition. Graeme's photos on the WEGA website show what
we were able to see.
One thing we could not plan was the weather. We chose mid-May to be
ahead of the midges, but this year the weather was cool and unsettled.
The Small Isles were in the centre of a low-pressure system which gave
us calm seas, except one day. Fortunately for us, most of the rain was
overnight. We aimed each day to depart on the 'Mary Doune' at 9 am
after a hearty Doune breakfast, and start our return journey shortly
after 4pm, so that there was time to relax before dinner.
We kept in reserve nearby localities on Sleat, and the Moine rocks
surrounding Doune in case any day's weather delayed our departure or
prevented sailing altogether. After dinner each evening, Andy looked
in to tell us the morrow's forecast, including the wind strength and
direction, so that we could pick the best option. For every possible
excursion, George's itinerary included localities within a couple of
miles or so of the landing point, plus some that we could reach if we
extended our route slightly.
So read on. There are two versions of each day, other than the
first - mine in blue, and Roy's in
red.
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Saturday 13th May 2006
We got up at 4 and we managed to set off at 5.
The journey was very quick with no problems. There were a huge number
of buses travelling from Gretna - their team was in the cup final with
Hearts.
I dropped Chris at Rowardennan at about 1 and I was able to leave at
1:30. It was quite a tiring journey and I had to stop for a very short
snooze at Fort William.
I followed a car through Corpach. I was just about to pass and was
accelerating hard when I saw the car brake suddenly. I looked to see
why and saw a sheep and lamb in the middle of the road! The brakes of
the Volvo work very well. The sheep escaped unscathed.
I got to Mallaig at 5:10, parked the car and went to the station and
was able to greet the others as they arrived. John Gosling and his
wife had come along for the ride.
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| The train travellers
arrive at Mallaig Station |
Leaving Mallaig on the
Mary Doune |
Leaving Mallaig |
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| The long-term car
park, Mallaig |
Sandra and Elizabeth
on the way to Doune |
Michael getting wet on
the way to Doune |
Down to the harbour and met Andy Tibbetts. We had a fast, bumpy ride
to Doune and found it to be a lovely place. The bunkhouse is good
although the rooms are small - tiny actually. People who do not want
to share do not need to do so - I have a double bed to myself.
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| Looking up Loch
Nevis towards Sgurr na Ciche |
Getting off the Mary
Doune at Doune pier |
Walking towards the
Restaurant, Stone Lodges and Doune Bay Lodge |
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| Doune Bay Lodge |
House at Doune in
evening light |
The anchorage at
Doune |
Dinner was at 7:30 - Carrot soup, salmon wrapped in bacon, and
profiteroles. We will need to have lots of walking in the next week!!!
I had a couple of "Black Coullin" beers - very nice. You have to put
what you drink in the book.
If the weather does what it should, we will be off to Loch Coruisk
tomorrow.
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| Sunset over the Sleat Peninsula
and the Coullins from Doune |
Sunset over the Sleat Peninsula
and the Coullins from Doune |
In Doune Bay Lodge - a bedroom |
Tried to phone C but got no response, so sent her a text. She would
love this place.
Saw a couple of deer round the bunkhouse this evening.
Here is a link showing where the photos were taken.
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