The north west coast of Scotland is far, isn’t it?! So far. With the twiddly wee roads and passing places, it takes ages getting there. This is where my most recent adventure took place, the Lochinver/Assynt region in particular. What I loved about this trip was that I not only got coast and cliffs in abundance, but I got mountains. Huge hunks of rock that made their presence known the entire time, they peeped up from the horizon whenever you turned a corner. They framed the sandy dunes and enveloped coves.
Clachtoll- Split Rock
The weather was unpredictable. You would think that June was a safe bet in Scotland. Day 2 saw the demise of the tent. With gusts of 40mph, it became a wind sock, serving as a lesson for all those who throw caution to the wind by not checking the forecast (get it, caution….wind?). Thankfully the kindness of strangers prevailed and a new pop up number was supplied that saw me through the remaining days. This wind can make things interesting. Many of the beach studies I worked on were done through squinted eyes as the sand blasting prevailed. Theres nothing like discomfort to really make you hurry up and decide what you must include in a painting and what is just faff.
The old salmon bothy at Clachtoll.
I’ve managed to limit my painting kit to one heavy rucksack of gear. There are inks and paints and all sorts of nifty bits and bobs. However, when it is blowing a hoolie and your collie dog is woofing at you to go play in the sea, you have to respond quickly! And so I revert to my trusty watercolours and some pastels and pencils.
Stoer Lighthouse
It’s no secret that I am a huge lighthouse fan. The romance, the mystery, the history, the impressive engineering and character, I can’t get enough of them. Stoer lighthouse is one of the loveliest I have seen. It is a short fellow (size is not everything) with symmetry and presence. I grabbed a wee bit of time to sketch it on the way back from seeing the Old Man of Stoer, the sea stack known to 90’s kids for being in an advert with a car on top of it.
Culkein bay
I discovered a couple of other little bays that were deserving of digging the sketchbook out. It can be easy to make a hit list of all the various places you want to cram into a short trip and then spend all your time driving around them. However, Culkein was a place that called for a pause. Not a soul around. I loved the peacefulness of this place and was glad to stop here and absorb it. I was also glad to discover The Jammery!! I can now report that the strawberry, plum and apple jam I bought from here is the best jam I have ever had! Any excuse for another scone……