Cliff beach, Isle of Lewis

Mr hazelh and I have enjoyed another splendid day in Uig on the Isle of Lewis.

Immediately after breakfast we walked up to the shop to buy some supplies. We spent the rest of the morning in the house, then packed our rucksack for an expedition over the hills to Cliff Beach (blipped).

It’s a long time since we completed this walk - we think about 17 years - and we don’t recall from then the kind of bogginess that we experienced underfoot today. In some places this outing was more a paddle than a walk. I had to wring out my socks to avoid blistering my feet on the return trip (by single track road).

I read my book on the beach. Meanwhile Mr hazelh stripped off and stood at the water’s edge for quite a long time, considering a swim. There were others body-boarding and surfing in the water. Mr hazelh would have liked to have joined them, but eventually concluded it was just a bit too cold to brave the sea without a wetsuit.

As well as the beautiful views, we saw deer, snipe, and a pair of eagles on our walk.

It’s chef’s night off at Baile-na-Cille this evening so we stopped at the community café on the way back from our walk for a late lunch of leek and potato soup, smoked salmon salad for Mr hazelh and a cheese toastie for me, and chocolate cake. We were the only customers in the café for most of the time that we were there so were well looked after by the staff. It was lovely to listen to their chat in Gaelic in the kitchen, even though we didn’t understand a single word of their conversation.

This evening we picnicked indoors on a supper of cheese and tomato sandwiches (made from the supplies from the shop this morning), with bananas for pudding.

My extras are from the early part of our boggy hill walk, and of the mountains across the bay from just below the house this evening.

Exercise today: walking (24,608 steps)