Friday 28/01/05

Strange weather today. Read the paper at midday, and it was sunny. Looked up half an hour later – and fog is shrouding the hills. That drizzle and rain looks pretty heavy actually, driven along on the northerly wind. Winter has come to much of southern and eastern Europe. The motor of it all, a high pressure system, is sitting to the west of here. It’s not very cold out here, still about 8C. That was a weird type of shower, sunny over the hills behind Laxay… Looks to me as if the shower clouds actually reach down to groundlevel, once it’s here. For the third day in a row, there is a rainbow in the sky; second shower on its way at 12.50. A steady procession keeps coming through. Poor visibility makes it hazardous to venture out on the moors. Nonetheless, I set forth at 2.10 pm for Loch Ealaidh along the road. The water treatment unit by the Ealaidh River has been blown out to sea in the hurricane. The moors are wetter than ever. Manage to reach the southern end of the loch in good time, and cross the river to return north along the east bank. All the stones were washed off the weir, so I chuck a few more back on. Turned east a little way north of the loch and began a novel traverse of the moor. Found myself a little way south of loch Airigh Fhearchair and was confronted by the sad spectacle of a sheep’s carcass. Only its submerged hindlegs and head were intact. It was lying on its back, which is usually fatal in a sheep. Had a spot of bother with fences and duly found myself by the moorgate south of Kershader. Decided to head on a little way to the second gate. This used to be a problem, but no longer. Until recently, one had to squeeze between gate and post. However, the gate has been flattened in the hurricane. The track back to the main road is waterlogged, worse than ever, and at one point I go down over the rim of my boots. Squelching my way past the decomposing sheep (yes, I know…) I return to the road at 4.30 – just before sunset – and to the hostel at 4.40. The weather was acceptable if a bit nippy. No showers though. Heard earlier this week that on the 11th, drivers were stopped by police at Laxay because it was too dangerous to proceed in the hurricane.