We have a wonderful breakfast at our B&B to hold us until a late lunch.
Our first stop is the Italian chapel by the Churchill barriers. Churchill wanted barriers built between the Islands so that German U-boats couldn't sneak through to attack. A group of Italian prisoners of war were held in the area and forced to help build the barriers. They also turned one of the Quonset huts into a chapel.
We headed a little further to Mull Head Nature Reserve where there is is a gloup, a place where the ocean waves have hollowed out a cave and then the roof of the cave collapses to expose the waves below. We chose a meeting back time and place. Melodie and I take off for a nice walk along the edge of the cliffs. Connie and Marilyn head to the visitor's center and plan a much shorter walk. At the gloup, there is a man with powerful binoculars who is able to tell us about the birds that we're seeing. Most of them are black galinoul. They are black with white wings and very red legs. Some swallows are diving and swooping along the cliffs. We stop frequently to take pictures. At one point, I feel that we're looking into the Grand Canyon. We also really enjoyed all the little wild flowers. Walking along the rim, we see birds nesting nearby. We walk to the point where there are often seals. Not today. The walk has been just what I've been yearning for and I feel very satisfied.
As we leave from our hike, we spot some "Airy Coos" close to the road. No traffic coming! We can jump out and take some more pictures.
It's now time for a late lunch. The host at our B&B recommended his brother's restaurant that features locally grown food and a twist on traditional food. Sounds perfect! Oh, and it's on the water.. Even better. The table is split. Two have lamb burgers with hummus and tzatziki sauce. Two of us have crab rarebit. I try the Dark Island beer that is locally brewed and is FANTASTIC! The daily special dessert is donut holes with rhubarb compote. Gotta save room for that!
After lunch we have a date for a tour of the Highland Park distillery and a tasting. I'm not a very experienced whisky drinker but I am develping a taste for it and developing a more refined palate. Our guide is a delightful older gentleman with quite twinkle in his eye. They do all of the drying of the barley on site. It is quite quiet around the distillery. At first we think it is just because we're the last tour of the day. As it turns out, 2 weeks ago there was an accident with a big truck outside the distillery and some of the pipes were jarred. They have closed production until all can be inspected. It could be another 6 months before they're back up and running. They are paying all of their workers while the workers are doing what is usually volunteer work at local charities. Back to the tour and tasting..... We really liked the 18 year old legend. A drop of water really does make a difference in how smooth the whisky is. Some kind of a chemical reaction takes place. I asked if in the future there will be a supply shortage because of the shutdown. The answer was "Quite likely" so my advise is to stock up now!
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It stays light so late that we have time to visit more standing stones and it isn't even the stone with the sunset. The Stennes Stones are near to the Ring of Brodgar and may have been related to them. A few years ago the farmer on this land started knocking down the stones because he was tired of mowing around them. The locals all got really upset and stopped him.
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Back to our B&B to report back about how wonderful his brother's restaurant is.
the cliffs was exactly what I wanted to do today and thoroughly enjoyed having a nature walk.
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