Sunny day so a good day for wearing a kilt

Anne was working this morning so Mike took me to the Puffin Pool. It was great to be in the water and do some exercises.

We drove along the top road to Strathpeffer admiring the fantastic views across to the 'cats back' and down to the spa town of Strathpeffer.

We were abit early for breakie as the café at the old station does nt open until
10 o' clock so we thought we would walk along the old railway track. Unfortunately it was over grown with nettles so we did nt get very far. So we sat on a bench until 10 watching and listening to the birds.

After a very tasty egg, bacon and the works we headed for Loch Kinellan and went for a walk all the way round. These two young guys were on their way to Strathpeffer and it was nice to see them wearing kilts ;) It was really hot and sunny with just a few whispy clouds. We saw plenty of small common blue damsel flies that followed us along the track. Butterflies including speckled wood, small white and small tortoise shell fluttered by. Plenty of birds were on the loch including slavonian grebes, tufted ducks , mallards and swans with three cygnets. A reed warbler sang a warning from the bull rushes.

A Crannog, an artificial island, provides a safe breeding area for all the birds. Crannogs were often built in the Iron age and evidence shows that this one was used up until the 17th century being a hunting seat of Earls of Ross. It is possible that Robert the Bruce visited and it was from here that Kenneth Mackenzie set off and defeated the Macdonalds between 1485 and 1488.

Later it was used as a kitchen garden and fruit trees can still be seen today.