It's the small things

My blog isn't a diary of what I've done each day as I'm not sure how interesting that would be - my days are generally spent either walking or cycling then driving on a bit further. But every day there are things which happen that make that ride or walk or drive stand out, often they're small things.

Yesterday I went for a walk - it was a walk up a hill in a guidebook I have so I thought I'd give it a go. I knew there was a cafe along the road that I'd walk down so thought that after the walk I'd stop there for lunch. I walked past the cafe - closed on Mondays. I wouldn't be stopping there on my way back afterall.  On my way back down the hill I saw an injured sheep, it's leg stuck in a wire fence. I tried to help it but I realised that sheep are quite scary and strong when they're thrashing about so weighing up my options I left it (and luckily flagged down a farmer and told her) Walking along the road back it started hailing, driving hail, just as I was walking past the closed cafe. I think the closed sign smiled at me. Then I saw Croft 36 farm shop, it was a shed in someone's garden that had been closed on my way down. I expected maybe eggs and homemade jams, neither of which I needed but it was out of the hail so I went in. There were eggs but there was also a little oven with hot homemade pasties in! Ceapebhal hill was a nice walk but it's the sheep and hot pasty that I'll remember the day for. 

Today, after a bike ride (it was big and memorable!) I decided to drive to Huishnish on the recommendation of a tanker driver I spoke to a few days ago. It was a 14 mile drive from the main road so I might not have done it otherwise but he'd told me the beach was worth it, he also mentioned driving past a castle but I'd forgotten about that part. A few miles of Highland roads in (sorry Bertha) the road stopped at a gated entrance, but there didn't seem to be any other option so I cautiously drove through. Then I remembered, the castle! When he said you drive past the castle - it then comes into view and you drive past its front door. The beach was worth the drive, as was sitting in my wild camping neighbours motorhome chatting to them for the evening, but the surprise of the castle was the best bit.

And for anyone still reading - Huishnish may be remote but it is significant for the fact it hosted the Rocket Post trials. A German scientist Gerhard Zucker, tried to send mail to a nearby island in 1934.  Zucker toured Germany and then Britain from 1931 until 1934, when he reached Harris, selling a postal service.  His powder powered rockets never successfully provided flight or delivery and his 1934 demonstration was no better with an explosion and singed letters spread over the beach.