Inverness at last!
We had an early start again, leaving at 7am (despite the alarm not going off and Josh waking up with a cry of "Oh sh*t it's 7 o'clock") to the usual grey overcast morning. We arrived in Inverness on time at 2.30pm to see a waving and smiling Mick and Linda on the quayside, which was lovely. It had been an uneventful trip apart from quite a few whale sightings. They are not as you might imagine, they are usually a fair way off and look like large black dolphins and all you see is the fin coming up as they gracefully arch their sleek bodies up and down again. Nevertheless it was exciting and we had about five sightings, one in particular looked like quite a big whale, not sure what type of whales they are? There were the usual inquisitive seals on the way who remind me of my doggie Bliss left at home.
The coast near Inverness is stunning, and it was so nice to see coast on either side of us as we went up the Moray Firth.
We sailed under the Kessock Bridge, with the Black Isle to port and Inverness Marina to starboard, with the Lunar Sea flags up as is tradition whenever we sail under a bridge.
The marina is quite new so the facilities were good. We went supermarket shopping in a car, the first time in six weeks we have been able to buy more than we could carry!
After a pleasant evening on board with our friends who are doing the Caly Canal (as the locals call the Caledonian Canal) with us we all slept well and woke up to grey skies and rain again. Pauline was also joining us and was due to arrive at 8.30 on the overnight train from London but she was delayed and finally arrived at 10.00. Our party complete we decided to do a walk around Inverness in the afternoon, as we were expecting a visit form another friend, Mark, who lives just outside Inverness.
To a torrential downpour Mark arrived at 1.30 and talk revolved around model railways and banjos, a very entertaining tea party. The showers abated and Mark had a bus to catch, so the four of us (minus Josh) donned wet weather gear and did the charming 5 mile walk around Inverness. We had only seen the busy side when we had gone to the supermarket in the car the previous day, so it was delightful to find a charming city grouped around the banks of the River Ness, with Ness Island connected by small pedestrian bridges to the town. The island is a haven of trees and rushing water; with the rhododendrons still out in full bloom here in June.
I got lucky.... a full strike from a seagull right on the chest and arm! First time ever, so I went and bought a couple of lottery tickets straight away.
We also commented on the large number of churches, there seemed to be one on every corner and in one case next to each other. We stopped in a local pub for refreshments and then finished our walk without once having got wet!
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| Has Bliss swum out to see me? |
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| CND emblem on the hillside. |
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| Lighthouse as we approach Inverness, people whale/dolphin watching on the shore to the right. |
We sailed under the Kessock Bridge, with the Black Isle to port and Inverness Marina to starboard, with the Lunar Sea flags up as is tradition whenever we sail under a bridge.
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| Kessock Bridge and the Black Isle from the marina. |
The marina is quite new so the facilities were good. We went supermarket shopping in a car, the first time in six weeks we have been able to buy more than we could carry!
After a pleasant evening on board with our friends who are doing the Caly Canal (as the locals call the Caledonian Canal) with us we all slept well and woke up to grey skies and rain again. Pauline was also joining us and was due to arrive at 8.30 on the overnight train from London but she was delayed and finally arrived at 10.00. Our party complete we decided to do a walk around Inverness in the afternoon, as we were expecting a visit form another friend, Mark, who lives just outside Inverness.
To a torrential downpour Mark arrived at 1.30 and talk revolved around model railways and banjos, a very entertaining tea party. The showers abated and Mark had a bus to catch, so the four of us (minus Josh) donned wet weather gear and did the charming 5 mile walk around Inverness. We had only seen the busy side when we had gone to the supermarket in the car the previous day, so it was delightful to find a charming city grouped around the banks of the River Ness, with Ness Island connected by small pedestrian bridges to the town. The island is a haven of trees and rushing water; with the rhododendrons still out in full bloom here in June.
I got lucky.... a full strike from a seagull right on the chest and arm! First time ever, so I went and bought a couple of lottery tickets straight away.
We also commented on the large number of churches, there seemed to be one on every corner and in one case next to each other. We stopped in a local pub for refreshments and then finished our walk without once having got wet!
So glad you made it without any further heavy seas. The next few weeks should be fairly calm sailing for you! ! Hope the weather fairs up a bit too. Xxx
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