Sunday 27/02/05

 I set off at 2.30, nice and late, for a jaunt around town. As I pass the busstation, two loud bangs make me jump. Turns out to be emergency flares, let off by a yacht in distress off Goat Island; it has run aground. The tide is very low. As I pass the Lifeboat Station on Cromwell Street, the strip says “ALB launched at 14.33”; the time now is 14.45. I go up through the Castle grounds, past Lews Castle College and the Sawmill Centre to Marybank. There, I turn right along the A859, and a little way down it’s left. This is actually the A858, but the signage only points to the refuse tip at Beinn na Drobh (Market Hill). A little further down a side road is signposted as leading to Carlabhagh and Breascleit along the Pentland Road. I go straight on and presently find myself walking along Loch Airigh na Lic. A gate to the right is the entrance to the radio transmitters on the top of the hill – anyone who wants to open the gate will need to open 10 padlocks! Proceed past the quarry and up to the masts. Gate to the site is wide open, but I go up past and onto the moor. Not much further on, I catch sight of livestock pens and some sheep by a road. This goes back into Newvalley and, after a slent right, into Laxdale. This place has a bunkhouse and a campsite, obviously not used at the moment due to the cold winter weather. I return to Newton at 5pm.