Saturday, May 27, 2006

Loch Lomond

I had a great paddle today as a guest of the Garnock KC, what a nice group of people. The weather was windy with gusts, rain and glimpses of sunshine. The wind got a bit much for me just at the end and I came of the water a ten minute walk from the launch point. We saw swallows, swifts, canada geese, swans, oyster catchers, seaguls and ducks. You could smell the bluebells from across the water, they were flowering on hillsides and islands, I saw a wild violet at the lunch stop but the rain prevented me from getting the camera out.
bluebells on Inchcailloch Island, there are old oak trees and holly all round the island.
view from the top of the island showing Ben Lomond hiding its head in the clouds. I think you can see the 'texture' on the water and it blew up more than this on the way back, I am a big scardy!!

7 comments:

Michael said...

Hi!

Glad to see you got out on the water in your wee kayak. I was out as well today, first in mist, then it cleared with a little wind to make it interesting. I could smell the balsam fir trees as I passed under some some cliffs by a point. A nice treat out on the water.
Cheers to you!

Lowa said...

What a wonderful day it sounds like you had. Although I am sure you would not have minded it being a bit drier!

Gorgeous photos, as always!!

Wildside Musing said...

Gorgeous with the bluebells under the trees -- reminds me of my grandmother's hazlenut orchard. She had planted bluebells to naturalize as well and it was a treat we could see from the dining table. Something I've tried to emulate here in my patch of streetside hedge -- but the space so small and so many things growing wildly that it looks quite different than her serene view.

Sometimes, not often, the water gets choppy here too with whitecaps. I kinda of rather like bouncing on the waves and getting airborne. My stomach doesn't!

Glad you had a good time out.

Sigruns German Garden said...

Claire, thank you for this pictures from a place we have been some years ago!

Sigrun

Granny said...

Your posts make me long for a country I've never seen.

Ben Lomond and the bluebells of Scotland. What an image.

Other post - good luck with your veggies. Quite an assortment.

Ann

patsy said...

i like the picture of the mountians, that is how i think of scotland.

clairesgarden said...

Wildside and Michael, it is nice to get out, as you know, but it did get a bit too 'ineresting 'at the end, I've checked it up and it was bordering on beaufort 6, having spent most of the day in 4 gusting to 5.
Lowa, no I would not have minded if the rain had stopped blowing into my face!!
Sigrun and Patsy, Loch Lomond is a fantastic area to visit, its beautiful and typical of scottish scenery, mountains...rain.. .
Granny, thankyou for the veggie wishes!