Lighthouse Beach and Trail

Photos: August 10, 2016

We visited the lighthouse at Point Amour, the second highest in Canada and built in the 1850s.



A climb of about 130 steps brought us to the top.



The view is quite something looking over Forteau Bay and out towards Newfoundland. The coast of Labrador has been the site of many shipwrecks.



Although the system for lighting the beam has changed (it now is electric light), the original Fresnel lens is still in use.



These formations were once alive - they are, according to a nearby sign, "the calcite skeletons of an extinct group of sponge-like animals called archaeocyathids. The Port Armour reefs, which were formed about 530 million years ago, provide evidence that this region was once a warm shallow sea near the equator." Continental drift plays a big role in Newfoundland's geography.



The beaches in Labrador are beautiful, though I wouldn't want to test the water. A picnic nearby and a walk on the sand was the perfect way to enjoy this beach for me.



L'Anse Amour has a population of only 8.



We continued on with a hike near L'Anse au Loup. While all the villages have French names, the population is not English-speaking. The pronunciation of the names is nothing like what I would have expected.



While we didn't spot any whales, we did see these sandpipers.



The chief industries in the area still revolve around the sea. The Labrador Fisherman's Union Shrimp Company has a plant in L'Anse au Loup.  According to their web site they harvest and process cod, scallops, snow crab, capelin and shrimp from the North Atlantic.



Just some of the boats that operate out of this bay.



We always bring instruments with us when we travel. Playing music together - a great way to end the afternoon.

Puffins Rocks and More

Photos: August 2, 2014

My original notion was not more than five photos from each day. But each day brought such beauty, such surprises, that I have not been able to stick to that. We spent part of the morning at Dyrhóleay where it is easy to watch the puffins. They nest on the cliffs, including on the sea stacks.



They are constantly taking off to find food and landing with their bright orange feet reaching out as if putting on the brakes.

The sand in the area is black. Water has carved out caves in the basalt. You can walk along the beach, in and out of caves.



A little farther along we stopped at Reynisfjara where the basalt columns look like a giant pipe organ. The textures in the nearby rock are fascinating.



And farther up the cliffs - more puffins.



Reynesdrangar - a sea stack out in the water. Incredible beauty everywhere we looked.

More photos can be found at: Iceland Album on flickr

Sunset at Dunnet Beach

Sunset at Dunnet Beach, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Photos: August 5, 2011
We reached the north of mainland Scotland. Our B&B was a restored manse house in the middle of an agricultural area in Brabsterdorran (a collection of just a few homes). We could hear the sheep in the field behind our room.

The house has quite a history. J.M. Barrie visited frequently and his sister was engaged to marry the minister. Unfortunately he had an accident; he was thrown off a horse and landed in a stream and died. Barrie came up for the funeral. We went to a nearby town for dinner and enjoyed a walk on the beach afterwards.



With the tide out there was a huge expanse of sand. The setting sun painted the sand dunes gold.

For more photos, click here

Edderton

Edderton, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Photos: August 5, 2011
It is wonderful to wake up to sunshine, even if it doesn't last the whole day. It was a beautiful morning for a walk in this rural area. Sheep and cows were plentiful.



The countryside soundscape is full of baas and moos. From a distance we could see some highland cattle - but we hoped to see some close up.

Back in the car to head closer to Thurso where we would get the ferry for the Orkneys. We stopped in Golspie to admire the beach and wander through the town.

The beauty of the countryside is only exceded by the beauty of the people - friendly, helpful and welcoming. As we were driving northward I spotted a herd of Highland Cattle and luck was with us - there was a parking area near enough for us to stop and gawk.



I'm not sure how they see; their hair droops over their faces. After admiring them for a while we continued our drive, taking a small road to see some standing stones.



These stones at Achavanich have been standing here for about 4000 years. They are unusual in that unlike most stone circles, the sides of the stones, rather than the flat surfaces,  face the centre of the circle. These stones were in a remote field, reached by a one track road. Fortunately with the treeless landscape it was easy to see if someone was coming and you could pull into one of the passing places.

For more photos, click here