This Familiar Spot of Ground

Lovely walk from Loch Druidibeag to Loch Skipport Pier and back today. Loch Skipport was a cool place to stop and sit for 20 minutes; once a bustling 19th century port and one of the main ways onto #SouthUist, but only some old upright timbers remain. We even spotted a far away eagle.

After getting absolutely battered by Storm Floris for most of the day (never experienced anything like it), it was amazing to get out of the house in mere gale force winds and have a bit of an explore of the local area. Beautiful. And saw my first ever sanderlings and a ringed plover.

Spent some time on Eriskay today. What a beautiful place. Our first full day today and here for a week, but already starting to feel sad that it’s not enough time.

En route to the Western Isles and we broke up the long journey with visits to some football grounds;

📍Shielfield Park (Berwick)
📍Foresters Park (Tranent Juniors)
📍Falkirk Stadium (Falkirk)
📍Ochilview Park (Stenhousemuir)
📍Forthbank Stadium (Stirling)
📍Claggan Park (Fort William)

What a magnificent collection of stamps. I felt like a 19th century gentleman when I received this.

This is absolutely nuts. Easy to say now, but I always thought something was a bit off about the whole story.

What a mess.

Check out this Land for sale on Rightmove Land for sale in Scar House Force, Muker Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL11 for £150,000. Marketed by Savills Rural Sales, York

Be still my beating heart

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/1...

Had had a lovely walk today around the old racecourse at Richmond (the Yorkshire one where Rishi Sunak lives).

It’s still a really evocative place and the grandstand there is the oldest surviving of its type in the world. Great place. Saw a curlew and then went for Sunday lunch and an ice cream.

Sat by an old canal, in the peace and quiet, fondly remembering a really good friend whose funeral it was on Wednesday, listening to Folded Landscapes by Erland Cooper whilst being serenaded by a Chiffchaff. 👊🏻

Ah, yes, so it is! Thank you!

Great website, and yes, looks nothing like 'York' or 'Jorvik' which I also tried!

York City have just released their new kit.

Can anyone vouch if the 'runes' on the boat do indeed spell out ‘YORK’?!

Apparently there's 'a nod to the city’s Norse past, a subtle Viking design complete with longships lies in the fabric.'

Does that class a Viking design?!

Still, I like it.

The illegal killing of Hen Harriers has hit a devastating new high. ⚠️

A new RSPB report reveals 102 incidents in just five years - with the majority on, or near, grouse moors.

A thread…

Have just finished this. Classic Alison Weir - fast paced (months pass in a paragraph) and a sympathetic take on the subject matter, but a really good read (listen!) and one where you inadvertently learn things whilst carried along in the yarn.

We’re looking after this fella this weekend. Nice to have a pal on my walks.

Good work. Burial Bleak has some stunning lyrics in it:

𝐵𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑦, 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑒𝑝
𝐴𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑
𝑇𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑎 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡
𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ

I walked from sunset to sunrise on last year's solstice. Can't do it this year, sadly.

Win a signed copy of the wonderful new book Stone Lands by Fiona Robertson

Win a signed copy of the wonderful new book Stone Lands by Fiona Robertson. To enter please repost and like this post and follow us on here if you haven’t already. More… 1/

Thanks for writing it! :-)

This is the book for anyone interested. Can't recommend enough!

And this paragraph perfectly encapsulates the sense of wonder and awe I feel when I go on any walk and think about the thousands of similar instances described so poetically here. Marvellous stuff.

Hard to convey just how much I'm enjoying the new book from @drmjwarren.bsky.social; 'The Cuckoo's Lea'.

I've bought the audiobook but I think I'm going to have to buy a physical copy, too, so I can re-read passages like this. So beautifully put and speaks directly to my soul!

Haha! Yesssssssssssss! 🍻

Ah brilliant! We love it too. Often do a walks from/around there and our go-to for a quick one is this 3 miler. Always accidently end up in the either the Ramblers Rest or the Gait Inn, too! 😅

And going to get warmer ... !

Haha great stuff! Decent weather for it anyway! :-)

Great pics. Were you actually inspecting potatoes?!

Amazing! Thanks for the reply!

Can I ask why you chose Wilberfoss and Leavenjng to base the story in?

I had no idea it was on or would have definitely come along. … I’ve already signed up the newsletter and just finished chapter 1. Enjoyable so far. 😀

I'm so sorry to have missed this! I've just seen the poster up in our village and was gutted to see the event was in the past!

Before then, I had no idea these books existed so to remedy that I have immediately bought WOTK on Kindle and shall start reading today.

Thanks!