Weather today dawns wet, but otherwise not too bad. Jump on the Harris bus, with a grumpy driver at the wheel. It takes me a quarter of a mile before he understands that I want off at Aline. The rain comes down steadily as I go up the track to Langabhat. As I gain altitude, snow becomes more and more prominent. The adjacent hill to the south (492 m) has a scattered covering. Eventually, towards the summit of the track, large drifts cover it in places. Some drifts are 20 cm deep. I gain the loch shore at 11.55, 70 minutes after setting off from Aline. When I sit down by the water’s edge, I am greeted by countless winged fiends.
MIDGES
Already. I don’t believe it. Eat my rolls, slap the midges, but they disappear by about 12.30. Reason? The wind has picked up, to force 6 from the east. Temperature has risen from +8 to +11, the rain has intensified as has the rate of snowmelt. Streams are going into spate. Absolutely no weather to be off the beaten track. I battle uphill against wind and rain, through the deeper drifts of snow, which are melting rapidly. I return to the main road just before 2 pm. I’m deeply disappointed in my boots, which leave me sopping. The bus comes at 2.10, at long last, and delivers me back in town at 3pm. Have a haircut and a stint at the library computer. Then return to Mrs. B.
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