Waterproofs on!

Day 47: the team today was Brian, Cathy, Neville, Paul and Richard, plus Sandra for the first 8 miles. The weather forecast was unsuitable for the mountains, so we followed the coastal path from Brodick to Lochranza, full of variety and interest. The forecast proved accurate: the rain and wind which began in earnest mid-afternoon, and absolutely threw it at us for the last mile or two. There were many interesting rock formations along the way, but we were underwhelmed by the celebrated Hutton’s Unconformity (of historical importance as a clue to the age of the Earth). Although having now read the noticeboard (which was half a mile after the feature itself) we might understand it better now if we went back, which unaccountably I couldn’t persuade anyone to do.   

Wildlife in the morning included a mouse and (finally, after weeks of trying) a red squirrel! Afternoon wildlife, if it had any sense, was tucked up in its burrow and did not appear, until just before reaching Lochranza we found a large frog swimming in an enormous puddle on the road.

Meanwhile the rest of the team (Anne, Clive, Sandra and Sarah) had been paying a visit to Brodick Castle, which sounds absolutely bonkers, from the 80 stag heads on the main staircase to the otter-shaped wine decanters. The Dukes of Hamilton who owned it seem to have got more and more eccentric until the 12^th one who gambled the family fortune away on the horses. Our Track of the Day celebrates, if that’s the word, the belief of gamblers that next time they will win big: “I got the horse right here” from Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser.

Tomorrow we cross back to the mainland and on to Islay, weather permitting (which it might not). Further updates to follow but they may be erratic due to signal issues. However, donations have had a great day – only £98 short of the target now.