Pat Trotter

Next it was on to Ergol on the Isle of Skye and our rendezvous with the boat Nicola Louise.  The boat passed by the Isle of Soay which was purchased in 1946 by author Gavin Maxwell, a naturalist best known for his book Ring of Bright Water.  He established a

Ancient stone structures called Brochs were the first target destination of the day. Dun Telve and Dun Troddan are two of the best preserved Brochs in Scotland and can be found in Glenelg. They date to the end of BC and beginning of AD and are thought to be places

This morning we said goody-bye to the beautiful Coul House and headed off to a visit to Trees for Life headquarters. In the heart of the Highlands sits Dundreggan, their  flagship example of rewilding in action.  The Trees for Life vision is one of a revitalized wild forest in the

The Cromarty Firth is also home to many oil rigs which are either being refurbished to be sent back out to the North Sea or dismantled and sold for scrap. There is a large facility in Cromarty where they are manufacturing and assembling the platforms that will hold the offshore

Our first drive this morning was to the Black Isle and an eco-adventure on the Cromarty Firth. Our quest was to find the bottle nose dolphins for which the firth is renowned. We were not disappointed! There were several spotted and a few that came close enough to the boat

This was moving day and time to join up with the Natural Habitat group.  I managed another 30 minute walk along the River Ness before being picked up. The weather remains partly sunny but now it is a bit warmer – 70 degrees – than it has been for the

As the day continued we set off for St. Mary’s Clootie Well, near the Black Isle village of Munlochy.  It has been a tradition for centuries to take a cloot – Scots for a rag or a piece of cloth – and tie it to a tree after dipping it