Rosie and I set off from Portree in the rain. The morning was grey and dull but we were optimistic about the sun appearing at the right time. We stopped at the Co-Op in Broadford and I was telling Rosie about my new hobby, mushroom picking. I was asking for information on where to find chanterelles but Rosie gave nothing away. A man approached me on the forecourt having overheard our conversation in the queue and handed me a small bunch of perfect yellow chanterelles. I asked him where he found them but was met with the same enigmatic response.
We met a good amount of people at the gate and made our introductions. I recognised John from the University of the 3rd Age and was pleased to see some others who had found the details online and decided to join the walk. The sky cleared and the sun came out just as we set off.
As with the previous walk to Greshornish, I was unfamiliar with the route having never walked there before.
We walked past some old farm machinery and down a steep hill towards a bridge where the route turned uphill through some hazel trees. The morning’s rain had swollen the river and it was a rushing contradiction to the still and bright day.
Camas Daraich beach looked Tropical in the sunshine, white sand and blue sea. I wasn’t brave enough to swim but a couple of women did. We ate lunch there and talked about meditation walks in Raasay that one of the walkers, Jenny, runs. We spoke about the High Pasture caves and the Mesolithic finds. We investigated rock pools and found some interesting rock patterns and fat, red anemones. There are small circles cut out of the rock by geologists that added to the varied textures.
After lunch we carried on up the hill…
… looking back on to the beach was incredible.
The lighthouse was visible…
It was still a long way and a steep climb down.
…after realising that we were running out of time we turned back to the beach to deposit my sculptures.
I had brought a box of black slugs made from gelatine and had been looking for the right spot to place them. The rock pools seemed the best spot and I arranged them in a formation around the circular holes.
They were hidden from the beach and I wondered if anyone would discover them before the tide came in.
We talked about temporary artwork in the environment as opposed to the faux tradition that there seems to be for leaving rock structures at beautiful sites. Skye has certainly got a number of sites jam-packed with these memorials (Fairy Glen and Neist Point in particular). Personally, I don’t want to leave anything that lasts behind me. The nature of walking, talking and looking is my souvenir to take away. The slugs remind me to look at everything around me, not only the impressive panoramas…
…but the miniature worlds hidden under foliage.
Tha Seo Math Dhuibh – Good for you
A partnership project with Aros Centre, Portree