The missing line

More adventures by boat today. After our hirer kitted us up; we boarded but couldn't get the engine going; which was most mysterious as it was the same boat that our hirer arrived on. Not a good omen. After captain Biggles had pulled the start cord a few times and me ducking to avoid his elbows; we headed off into the water. Moments later; coxswain Maz reported that our landing rope had disappeared off the side. We circled the loch to try and spot it; but to no avail. The only thing that we could do was to return to harbour and ask for another line. Our hirer was just seating a very patient couple into their boat as we returned and docked; then when we told him what the problem was he just simply reached into the water and pulled out a length of rope hanging from the side! Maz was so embarrassed. 

A fishy landing...

Our final island assault of the day was to be on Kilburk Castle; which was not necessarily on an island but a causeway nevertheless. However; when we arrived the jetty had a fishing rod hanging off it; and as we approached the end of the jetty seemed to be fenced off from the castle. As there were five of us in the boat; our coxswain struggled to see in front of us or hear the shouts of the fishermen; and we soon found ourselves tangled in rod line. After a lovely exchange of banter; we decided to do a fly-by before heading back; however our good Scottish friends seemed to change their mind and let us land. At first we thought it might be a trap in order to confront us; but after we landed they apologised for their behaviour and were actually quite friendly. We had a very nice walk exploring the castle; and kept an eye out on the boat but they were good to their word. I even got the chance to steer the boat on our way back; which was something I'd never done before. 

Doctor Who Chess

We’ve invented Doctor Who Chess! It's the same as normal chess, and you can even use normal chess pieces. The major difference is that at the beginning of your turn you roll a pair of dice, and if you roll a double then something crazy happens. This could be anything from a rampaging dinosaur stomping the board, and you would then have to roll for direction and how many spaces; to the doctor himself materialising on the board from out of the TARDIS; and you would also have to roll for which version of the doctor to see how he behaves and what he gets up to. There are also plans for Daleks and Cybermen; each with their own set of behaviours; and of course it is entirely possible for them to fight each other as well as the chessmen! The board can therefore become very clogged up with salt and pepper pots and sugar cubes (adipose) hanging around; but it certainly makes for a very interesting game. 

Highland Islands

Our adventures continued as we hired an outboard motor boat for the afternoon. We had prepared a picnic and our plan was to visit some large islands in the middle of the Loch. After donning our life jackets we set course for our first island; and slowly drifted into shore. Unfortunately we had to jump out; which meant my already wet clothing took a severe soaking as I landed on the beach. A short walk led us to an old chapel deep in the heart of the island with tombstones of various ages. We soon boarded and rowed back out; then let the motor kick in to explore a ruined castle on a second island. This beach was much smaller; and we had to row our boat in gently to reach the beach; but it was an excellent picnic spot. The castle’s ruins were overgrown with ripe wild strawberries which made an excellent snack. 

At the top of the country...

Today I have conquered the Scottish hill. After a very early start; we arrived at the Glen Nevis visitor centre ready to conquer its brother Ben. We made average progress as we climbed the mountain; around a thousand feet per hour. Hardly anyone was ascending; mainly due to the cloudy weather conditions. There was a bit of confusion on which way to turn as we reached the Glen; but fortunately I had my compass and a photograph of a map: and we soon found ourselves being blown to bits by rain trying very hard to be hail. As we neared the top; we had to traverse a ten feet section of snow before reaching the summit; and the very edge of the north face was covered in snow. We crawled past the old observatory with wet boots from the waterfall; gave the Victorian marker a good pat; then climbed the last few feet to the top of the ordnance survey beacon and kissed it like the Blarney Stone. 

Sherduck

Sherduck circled the site. Buttons had closed the footpath already but Sherduck always liked to survey a murder scene from the air as it was much easier to spot things that may have been left behind like the glimmer of a knife blade or the sun reflecting off a spent cartridge. However; this time he was sure that there were no such clues to be spotted and landed on top of a gravestone.

  ‘Good morning Sir’ said Buttons as Sherduck brought out a magnifying glass from underneath his wing. ‘I couldn't see any footprints in the grass as I approached; and I stuck to the grass as I asked. However, it’s been a nice day today and the informant that discovered the body was a coach party of tourists. Very difficult to isolate the area.’

‘Thank you Constable Buttons’ said Sherduck. ‘Have we managed to identify the victim?’

Buttons took a deep breath as he gazed at the body on the stone tablet. 

Too late for cake

A late start meant a nice lie-in from yesterday's travelling. However, as I wasn't driving; I was one of the first to arise; and after breakfast had been established we decided to go for a stroll down the lake. At the jetty was a hive of activity; where a Life Improvement Association were preparing their annual fete. It turns out that this wasn't a self-help group or even a cult; but to raise funds for the local environment preservation society. People were setting up displays and gazebos; and we were promised venison burgers straight from the BBQ; a display of birds of prey and old ladies selling their bake-off wares. We headed back up the hill and discovered s wonderful old bridge next to the road; and behind this was a waterfall powering a hydro-electric station. But after climbing a hill for views of the loch; by the time we had returned to rally the others the lemon drizzle cake had disappeared right under my nose; and all trace of the barbecue (apart from the smell) had vanished.