Happy Birthday, Joe: One Today!

Our little grandson is one year old today.  Happy Birthday, JoBo!

Scotland 2019 14: St Andrews

We spent the morning in St Andrews, which is very attractive indeed.  Unlike other locations we'd visited on this trip, the town was absolutely heaving with both students and tourists.  Like Cambridge it was almost impossible to find somewhere to park too, so we didn't stay very long in the centre.  This meant skipping the Cathedral Priory, which was a shame, but the sheer number of coaches meant that we wouldn't have visited the British Golf Museum even if we'd been remotely interested in the game.

Yes indeed, yet another Turkish Barber.

In order to avoid the crowds we headed for the West Sands Beach, which is where the famous race sequence in Chariots of Fire was filmed.  Astonishingly it was almost empty; and, even more astonishingly, the car parking - courtesy of the golf links - was completely free.

Despite the approaching rain clouds and harsh mid-day light, St Andrews was still really beautiful.  What an fantastic place to study at University.

Scotland 2019 13: Pittenweem

While spending a couple of hours looking around the Scottish Fisheries Museum (highly recommended), the weather took a distinct turn for the worse.  No idyllic sunset sitting by the harbour eating world-beating fish and chips on this evening, unfortunately.  Instead we went along the coast to Pittenweem - of witch fame - to check out The Dory, a restaurant which had been recommended to us.  Just as well we reserved a table, since the place was deservedly packed in the evening.

It was a real pity about the weather, as Pittenweem is another of the small, attractive fishing communities along the south coast of Fife's East Neuk.  Definitely a place worth revisiting.

Scotland 2019 12: Isle of May Butterflies

There might not have been many birds on the Isle of May in August, but the resident butterfly collection more than made up for this.  I don't think I have ever seen quite so many butterflies in such a small area: mainly Red Admiral, but also Painted Lady and the occasional Peacock.

The next three pictures will, hopefully, give some idea of the sheer number of butterflies on the island.  Most were on the (prolific) Ragwort; but, even on the bare ground, there were dozens of Painted Ladies.  

The shots in this set were taken with a mixture of two lenses: the Fuji 80mm f/2.8 macro, for the butterflies which were close to the path; and the Fuji 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 for those which were more distant.  I was captivated, and could have spent hours photographing these beautiful insects.

Both Harriet and I really loved the Isle of May, and definitely want to go back there.  Next time it will be earlier in the season when, hopefully, there will be lots of birds - especially puffins - in addition to the butterflies.  We might even try to stay at the Bird Observatory for a few nights, if this were possible.  Whatever else, we'll definitely be returning to Anstruther for the amazing fish & chips!

Scotland 2019 11: Isle of May

Harriet and I were both very keen to visit the Isle of May, even though - being the end of August - it was well outside the "puffin" season.  Access to the island is provided either by ferry, the May Princess, or a small inflatable boat, the Osprey.  We chose the latter as it gave us longer on the island, as well as being capable of getting closer to the shoreline in order to observe the birds and seals.  The sailing times are dictated by the tides, and this particular trip lasted from 9am to 2pm.

The crossing can be rough (see later), so everyone is provided with a full set of waterproofs.

The waterproofs weren't really needed on the outward journey, as the sea was almost completely calm.  The next three pictures show Anstruther, the ferry boat and a view across the Firth of Forth with Bass Rock in the distance.

There was a distinct sense of anticipation as we approach the Isle of May.

Osprey is capable of getting very close to the cliffs when the conditions are right, which they were on the day we visited.  Sadly, being so late in the season, the number of nesting birds was actually very small.

The Isle of May itself is a working Nature Reserve, with a small population of scientists living in the old lighthouse.

The central part of the island had a couple of small freshwater lakes and lots of wild flowers, some of which were still flowering.

The island is also home to lots of rabbits, and we saw a couple along with their burrows.

The majority of the burrows belonged to the (now departed) puffins, and the next couple of pictures give some idea of how many there are and their proximity to the path.  It must be absolutely astonishing to walk through the burrow area when they are occupied by breeding birds.  We definitely need to re-visit at a better time of year.

By 1pm it was time to catch the tide and leave the island.

Although the sea looks calm and benevolent in the picture above, we were warned that it might be "a bit choppy" on the way back to Anstruther.  The Scottish art of under-statement.  Osprey bounced along the waves, showering us with copious quantities of sea-water; and, as a result, it seemed a good idea to keep my camera within a sealed (but not very waterproof) bag.  No pictures of the return journey, in other words, but suffice it to say that both of us were soaked and frozen by the time we got back to Anstruther.  A good excuse to visit the café in the Scottish Fisheries Museum for a rather belated (and very welcome) lunch.