Arran, Part two, Goat fell continued

Now then - where were we? Oh yes, heaven! We were really getting high now (in more ways than one) and the stunning views opening up with every step were just mind-blowing.

We were SO grateful for the good weather and clear views.

After a LOT of hard work, we approached the summit of Goat Fell at 874 metres (2,867ft).

Here's Sue going for it.

The smile says it all. We took lots of pictures, but never was it more so saying;

'the camera just can't capture it' than now.

These rocks on top were encased in coffins of ice - solid! Somehow though, so very beautiful.

This shot has to be my favourite. The way nature can sculpt things always leaves me speechless. This sideways wind-blown icicle left us in awe!

The Saddle ride, on Cir Mhor; on the 'list' for our next visit!

It looks a bit serious, especially that 'step' but we'll give it a go.

A last look back before we leave.

And a longing glance around. (That's Ailsa Craig in the background, where a lot of the best curling stones come from). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailsa_Craig

Not much information could be gleaned from this topo' plate today! You'd need a chisel to find out anything :-)

The mainland. How beautiful is this view?

North Goat Fell. Again, we wanted to 'do' this, but it was far too dangerous in these conditions. On 'the list' it goes!

Big sighs as we leave the top of Goat Fell and head down. The going was a LOT easier, as it was one step forward, slide down three feet.

We were back down in no time at all, and returned to the B&B to change.

We went out to our first 'non-happening' of the holiday. With this being out of season, lots of things tended to grind to a halt, and if you believe the 'what's on' in the local paper, the 'Arran Banner', you'll spend a lot on fuel going to non-happenings. "CATACOL HOTEL - FOLK NIGHT - EVERY TUESDAY" On the way to Catacol, which is as far from the B&B as you can go, we saw lots of birds and a seal. This Curlew was posing nicely for me.

One thing we didn't expect to see on a small harbour wall was what looked like sheep! Two white ones, one black one. I stopped the car.

On closer inspection, they were made of concrete. And Milton Keynes thought they had the monopoly on cement animals!

On arrival at the hotel in Catacol, we were two of only three people in the pub.

Oh well, we'd also been told the fish & chips were good, so we had some, and they were very good. The only other customer was a distillery worker, and he told us that the distillery was only open on Wednesdays and weekends in the low season. This was valuable information, as we intended to visit it, and put it on the list for tomorrow, this being Tuesday. Every cloud has a silver lining - well, they all seem to on this holiday!

On the way home, we kept seeing these eerie red eyes in the headlights. I stopped the car again, and this was the culprit. LOTS of deer appear after dark falls, and we saw many, many more during our stay on Arran.

Tomorrow we are going to buy a bottle of whisky from the newest distillery in Scotland.

Yes - the Arran distillery. Opened in 1995, it nestles in a glen with pure water flowing to it, and eagles soaring above it. PS - it tastes divine as well!

Part three to follow.....