Diabaig

Ah. Farewell Skye... It's never nice leaving, and we're already talking about next year's visit (as well as, in our usual way, talking about ways in which we could start a new life up there).

Anyway, wallet rescued after last night's trauma, we made for Aviemore, where we were staying for a couple of nights before finally heading home to Edinburgh (staying in the Rowan Tree Hotel just outside Aviemore, somewhere we've stayed a couple of times before).

Of course we couldn't be expected to take a straight route, so instead headed up into Torridon (stopping en route for a wonderful seafood lunch at the Kishorn Fish bar), and then down a dead-end road to Diabaig, a 9 mile route that would fit perfectly into the Alps, and is now my favourite driving route so far. Down by the shore was this wrecked and rotting boat.

We then made for the Black Isle, to Fortrose, and Chanonry Point, where we've once before seen the dolphins leaping and playing. As ever there was a crowd of people, but these aren't animals here to perform for us, so like this chap, we looked out to sea for a while, but went on unfulfilled.

nice to see though that the Rowan Tree is as good as it was two years ago - and the restaurant is simply superb (even if the presentation takes a little from the 80s, and the portion are bigger than needs be, the quality of the food is excellent).