We are still sitting on our lochside pitch at the campsite in Bunree, but today and most of yesterday Basil’s roof has been echoing the traditional highland welcome of rain.
Sarah and I are a bit stuck here. I mentioned three or four days ago that I had discovered the coolant level in Basil’s engine was a bit low. I topped it up, but I also noticed that the cap from the coolant expansion tank was missing. I spoke to a garage in Oban and they have ordered a new one, but it will not arrive until Friday. But the mechanic told me that because Basil has a pressurised coolant system which should not drive too far until a new cap has been fitted. So Basil is basically rooted to this very beautiful spot for a few days. There are much worse places to get stuck.
An evening view over Loch Linnhe before the rain started.
About four months ago I joined a group hosted by the social media disgrace Facebook, called the Hymer Owners Group, self evidently a group for owners of Hymer motorhomes! It is a very friendly group and very helpful with any question regarding Hymers and motorhomes more generally. Yesterday I saw a post from a member who was heading to the Bunree campsite and so we met up for a chat when they arrived. It turned out Shona and her husband are proper integrated members of the HOG group and have even been to a recent HOG rally. Maybe that’s something we might consider in future.
Sarah managed to do a nice walk with the dogs early yesterday morning, before the rain started and yesterday evening we got lovely sunshine for two or three hours so we took the opportunity to walk into the local village for a meal, and one or two drinks, at the pub. It was so pleasant we sat outside in the sun warming our faces.
This new birding hobby of mine has lead me to have many more conversations than usual on this site, where there seem to be a few others with a similar interest. The conversation usually starts with “have you seen anything interesting” and then when bird talk dries up, continues with all manner of topics. Sarah thinks I’m developing into a right old gossip! As a result of all this friendliness, when we went to the pub I seemed to know more people than I would at my own local! Obviously there’s a connection between ornithology and beer!
As the rain has hammered down we have spent much time reading, listening to the radio and going for short walks to test out the waterproofing on our coats.
I may not write another post for two or three days, or until the rain stops enough for us to go for a decent walk and for me to have something to write about.
At least with all this time on our hands we have decided our next move and that is north towards the Kyle of Lochalsh and then onto the Isle of Skye to catch a ferry over to the Outer Hebrides. Research has shown that the ferry from Skye is less than half the price of the one from Oban and now I’ve found LIDL I’m always looking for a bargain! I’ve had mixed views expressed about the Outer Hebrides from people on the site, varying from boring to fantastic, so only time will tell whether the excursion is worth it.