Jura - day 6 - to Tarbert

Tarbert churchyard Standing Stone

Long road - rain shower - shelter beneath a rowan tree - Lagg pier - long funeral procession - acrobatic bat - Loch Tarbet - a beetle in full armor  

Jura - day 5 - Beinn an Oir

ridge to summit of Beinn an Oir

A bid for the summit - boggy ascent - unclear path - rain - hail - sun - loose and crumbling scree - frustration - exhilaration - stunning panorama - dampness of descending clouds - fear - adrenalin - failure - disappointment  

Jura - day 4 - Jura Gardens

Jura Gardens

Wild camper with two jam jars - red campion and buttercups in Jura Gardens - tea tent without tea - hot road through a cut forest - coffee and lemon drizzle cake - the story of a Scandinavian prince and a whirlpool 

Jura - day 3 - Craighouse

Craighouse jetty

The arched back of an otter - tales of an electrical storm from a salty sea dog - a wee dram at Jura distillery - missed bus - beach stroll - the golden colours of a barn owl patrolling a field

Jura - day 2 - Evan's walk

Beinn Shiantaidh, Jura

Evan's walk - boggy ground - cotton grass - wet feet - lure of the Paps - water racing to the sea - two adders basking in the sun - a river too deep to cross - walk abandoned - disappointment soon replaced by respect for the landscape - an owl looks for dinner  

Jura - day 1 - Knockrome

the paps of Jura

Cheese & ham toastie at the Cottage Restaurant - too much luggage - rectangular copper kettle in the snug bar - a harbour full of jellyfish - swaying boat - a kind gesture - butterwort in bloom - evening stroll to the trig - a positive feeling - light

Islay - day 9 - Ballygrant, Port Askaig, Caol Ila

Ballygrant - yellow poppies in dry-stone walls - woodland walk - successful search for a cuckoo - lilly pads bobbing up like fish - tour of Caol Illa - a double taste of fermentation in a tin beaker - coffee with a backpacker at the Bridgend Hotel - blue spray rhododendron control 

Islay - day 8 - Loch Gruinart

RSPB Loch Gruinart rookery

The Flats - ferry friends - RSPB walk - one man's love for bats, moths and lichen - a glorious tree creeper - swallows, sand martins, house martins and swifts in fast forward - lunch in a farmer's field - coffee and a bus ride home   

Islay - day 7 - Bruichladdich & Bridgend

Bridgend bluebells

Walk to Bruichladdich - sunglasses in a wash back - taste of the rocks - whisky sofa to coffee corner - windy beach to Bridgend - lunch on a bench in the wood - grey wagtail crossing the river - Islay House Square - free beer

Islay - day 6 - Bridgend & Bowmore

Bowmore Distillery water pipes

Bridgend woods - butterflies warming up in the sun - cashmere scarf at Islay Woollen Mill - birdwatchers carrying out a count - wrong turn among the trees - lift from a Romanian chef wearing shades - Bowmore distillery tour - a whisky between four - round church  

Islay - day 5 - to Portnahaven via Lossit Bay

Lossit Bay

Agitated cows - field of daisies and lambs - beach you want to run to - shoes and socks off - icy water - road to Portnahaven - Mediterranean feel - resident seals on the rocks - elderly TV critics on the bus

Islay - day 4 - to Machir Bay & back

Four layers, and two pairs of trousers - hot - circular farm dwelling - leech - Machir Bay - hot - fine mist of sea spray - shipwreck - roofless church and fertility stone - hot - buzzard on a fence post - lighthouse and Port Charlotte - hot

Islay - day 3 - on to Port Charlotte

Wowpaca

Islay - day 2 - the distilleries

whisky barrels

3 distilleries in 3 miles: Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg - two single malts before 11am - William from Montreal - a handful of peat smoked barley - our first otter sighting after 7 weeks - clootie dumpling and cream - Slumdog Millionaire inside a lorry

Islay - day 1 - the Oa peninsular

Kilnaughton Bay

Porridge - a dog called Islay - a stream darkened with peat - gannets plunging into the sea - boggy heath and scratchy heather - frustrated wanderings without a track - a near miss fording a stream - marsh marigolds in a protective wire nest - the scent of garlic and coconut - burgers in the rain  

Colonsay - day 7 - ferry to Islay

Colonsay Estate Garden Cafe

Rain, rain, rain. Wait, wait, wait - lemon drizzle cake and coffee - stories exchanged - radio silence - rough sea - straight road

Colonsay - day 6 - Pigs Paradise

Pig's Paradise, Colonsay

Ferns and bluebells jigging in the rain - Dutch family on bikes - flock of birds pouring off the headland - too wet to care - hot bath    

Colonsay - day 5 - Scalasaig

Loch Fada, Colonsay

Wild goats - empty shop - fish and chips - woodland shortcut

Colonsay - day 4 - to Ardskenish

Dry-stone walls and ditches of spring blooms - birdsong replaces the hum of traffic at home - bookshop with a view - baby lapwing - rain stops play - homemade wild garlic broth - comfort of an open fire

Colonsay - day 3 - Kiloran Bay

Kiloran Bay, Colonsay

Perfect beach - whale made of stones - a robin joins our picnic - cypresses turn a ghostly white at night  

Colonsay - day 2 - Oronsay

crossing The Strand to Oronsay

Rugged, unforgiving hills and undulating road - water gushing off fields and into ditches - sound of a corncrake - ice cold water crossing The Strand - Oronsay - 14th century tomb stones