A mountain year

We are celebrating our first year in the far North. A year of the same views every day, of everchanging beauty and breathtaking scenes on our doorstep.

Highland Games

The kilt wearing Pipe band members wait their turn on a death defying ride.


















We loved the cheeky dragon rollercoaster at Halkirk games.
















The flags at Helmsdale Games.

















Indy's house of fun was fun for the kids, and a little bit nerve wracking for the grown ups.




















Thrilling.











A large man throws a large object at Halkirk games.
















The kids spent all our money on this ride.




















Fantastic painting.










It has been a while since we posted because we had such a busy summer with lots of work and play. We have enjoyed visiting various Highland games across the far north and here are a selection of images. We really enjoyed the fairgrounds as they reminded us of the fairs of our childhood, and the kids loved them too. As well as the fairground rides the Highland Games are full of things to see and do, lots of great local produce for sale, lots of dancing and music, and the games of course.

Dunrobin Castle

Dunrobin castle has stood here in various forms since the 13th century.
It has been built on over the years but the original form still remains.
We visited recently and saw a great falconry display, with one very impressive Eagle Owl. One of the falcons decided to attack a nest of jackdaws instead of doing his routine display, which added some drama to the occasion.

Sea, sky and some stone

the silver sea as seen from our back door.














The stones at Achavanich.














The Sky on fire, looking North West from the front door.













A spectre hangs from the clouds at sunset.














Several forms of cloud at once painted across the frame.

Loch More

The bridge over the River Thurso.













The Salmon leap at the weir on Loch More.














A natural salmon leap from the shallows to the deeper pool on the approach to Loch More.














Looking south across the Loch to the sentinels of Caithness, Morven, Maiden's pap and Scaraben.














The flow down the salmon leap.













The water flows powerfully over the edge of the weir.














The fisherman's cottage at Loch More.













Loch More is in the middle of nowhere, in the heart of the flow country, surrounded by a vast blanket of peat bog. There are no dwellings, factories, fast food restaurants, no farms or fences, just fecund soil and water, with occasional mountains rising in counterpoint to the dark lochans that speckle the landscape. Loch More is teeming with the salmon that swim up the river Thurso and leap the shallows and the slopes to their breeding grounds in the Loch.

Dunnet Head

The view south west towards Scaraben and Morven.














Loooking North to the island of Hoy and Scapa Flow.














Loooking South East towards Duncansby head and John o Groats.















The most northerly plein air bathtubs on the British mainland.














Across the Atlantic to the Orkney islands














Looking west to the cliffs of Dunnet head and the county of Sutherland in the distance.














Thumbs and fingers up!













Dunnet head is the most northerly point of mainland Britain, it is spectacular!

more skies

Caithness has the biggest skies we have seen, comparable to the deserts of the USA, but different because of the angle of the sunlight.