10-08-2023, 10:39 AM
Day 8
Achmelvich has an almost Shangri-La status, it’s golden beaches and turquoise waters more akin to some far-off paradise, than North West Scotland.
The storm raged all night, we’d reversed the tent into the wind however and the conical shape allowed it to brush around the structure, rather than billow and fold as it does with the more common dome tents.
Shangri-La was not as we had remembered it…
Eventually the storm passed and every so often the tent would fill with warmth as rays of sunlight hit the nylon skin, I looked across at my bleary-eyed family sprawled across the floor of fleece and down. Would we see the outside of the tent today, I hoped against hope that we would.
As we rose and washed, one by one, the rain held off, small glimpse of blue sky could be seen with increasing regularity. After breakfast we walked to the beach and we were reminded that all our efforts had been very worthwhile, it was spectacular. The girls paddled, (with 5 layers of clothing!), whilst Tanya and I sat atop the rocks and surveyed the blue, the gold, and the mountains beyond. We revisited Lochinver, the pottery, the shell shop and the grocery store. The sun smiled at us and we chatted to locals, who’d not seen a summer like it. Rain, but no midges, a first for some who aged with us!
Back at the campsite we visited the Hermit’s Castle and walked along the sand as the waves lapped beside us – was this really the same place we had arrived, just the night before?
We enjoyed the light upon our faces and eating outside of the tent, such things were now a treasured nirvana-like state!
Achmelvich has an almost Shangri-La status, it’s golden beaches and turquoise waters more akin to some far-off paradise, than North West Scotland.
The storm raged all night, we’d reversed the tent into the wind however and the conical shape allowed it to brush around the structure, rather than billow and fold as it does with the more common dome tents.
Shangri-La was not as we had remembered it…
Eventually the storm passed and every so often the tent would fill with warmth as rays of sunlight hit the nylon skin, I looked across at my bleary-eyed family sprawled across the floor of fleece and down. Would we see the outside of the tent today, I hoped against hope that we would.
As we rose and washed, one by one, the rain held off, small glimpse of blue sky could be seen with increasing regularity. After breakfast we walked to the beach and we were reminded that all our efforts had been very worthwhile, it was spectacular. The girls paddled, (with 5 layers of clothing!), whilst Tanya and I sat atop the rocks and surveyed the blue, the gold, and the mountains beyond. We revisited Lochinver, the pottery, the shell shop and the grocery store. The sun smiled at us and we chatted to locals, who’d not seen a summer like it. Rain, but no midges, a first for some who aged with us!
Back at the campsite we visited the Hermit’s Castle and walked along the sand as the waves lapped beside us – was this really the same place we had arrived, just the night before?
We enjoyed the light upon our faces and eating outside of the tent, such things were now a treasured nirvana-like state!