Arriving on Islay
We arrived in the dark. On a boat. It missed the pier and had to spin round and go back out to sea before trying again. It was all very exciting.
Port Askaig
So, the five of us – four humans, 1 canine – went to bed in a lovely old house and awoke to sunshine and a eucalyptus tree.
We ate breakfast. We unpacked. Then we ran about on Islay’s golden beaches…
And had our cares blasted away by the wind on rocky shores.
There was much fireside sitting and eating and laughing and talk.
Kildalton
History was explored. The Kildalton High Cross and church:
Finlaggan
The Seat of the Lordship of the Isles at Finlaggan in the soft island rain:
Leaving Islay
Then, refreshed and de-stressed, it was back on the ferry to the mainland, though the view there is of Jura:
We passed Kilchurn Castle on Loch Awe:
And walked between weather-battered oak trees on our way home.
There’s more (oh, so many more!) photos on Twitter and Instagram.
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Set in 1st century Scotland, my latest novel, SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, includes the battle of Mons Graupius between the Romans and the Caledonian tribes. The book features a neurodiverse main character and some rather complicated romance!
See the press release here
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Taking place mainly in a fictional castle, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR blends an often overlooked period of history, the Scottish witchcraft accusations, in particular the 1597 Aberdeen witchcraft panic, with a love story.
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From the Press and Journal: New book by Fraserburgh author highlights horrific extent of witch trials in Scotland
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE was inspired by the kidnapped children and young people of Aberdeen. The story follows the adventures of Elizabeth Manteith from the castle and her determined efforts to get back home. There’s love. There’s derring-dos on the high seas… And there’s chocolate!
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wished I had been there sounds divine!
Just so achingly breath-taking! Some day I’ll go there…. 🙂
It was a wonderful break and a beautiful place 🙂
God, I adore your blog posts!
Thank you so much Terry 😀
Looks gorgeous. How on earth does the eucalyptus grow there?! #sundayblogshare
The West coast is surprisingly mild, there’s palm trees around too!
Thanks for sharing on SundayBlogShare! Still new to Scotland, so I’m thrilled to be able to add this to my must-see list.
Breathtaking – A beautiful addition to my Sunday….glad I dropped by 🙂
Lovely post. Puts mine to shame.
It looks stunning, what a wonderful place to visit!!
Such beautiful photos!
Thank you 🙂
Absolutely adored Islay and Jura. I’d love to revisit again soon but I book so many trips it’s hard to find the time.