Tough going on Muckle Roe

Friday 7th July

Rain delay this morning. Fronts tend to come through very quickly up here. I heard the first drops on the roof about 5 am, and by 10 it was fizzling out. I had a second coffee and read more than usual, and just after 11 considered footwear.

As I made a decision on boots, and went to the garage to collect them, the farmer pulled over in his white pick-up. My first question to him was that he needed some access that I was blocking, but he said he was just keen for a chat. For a half hour or so we spoke. It turned out he had had family in Shap, all dead now, but a few years ago he used to visit annually. He told me how Muckle Roe had only been populated as late at the 1600s, and that the demise of crofters in recent years was due to all the peat having been taken. The house below for example, lies empty, and has the most magnificent setting and view, just awaiting a renovation. The view is over Vementry island, and empty island as the guy called it. He said how hard going it was to get around the island on quad bike, as it is so up and down. The hike I had planned, of just over 5 miles, had a suggested completion time of 4 hours, indicating that that was the case on foot as well.

As we spoke the weather was clearing to drizzle. It would be the evening until the cloud cleared, but the rain had gone, with as almost-ever, a refreshing south westerly wind.

As opposed to the other islands I have been on, the Burras, St Ninian’s and Papa Stour, this is much wilder and hilly. I can imagine that for many months a year it would be very boggy as well, though not today. There is a four wheel drive track that bisects the island from where I was parked, and I took that for a couple of miles, then heading off-piste, circumnavigating a number of lochans, and even a couple of lochs, to Roja’s great delight. The bearing I had taken took us to the coast just by the lighthouse, which the farmer this morning had a referred to as ‘our excuse for a lighthouse’.

We were then on the coast path which gained and lost height steeply, but quite spectacularly, until almost the beach where we were last evening, and two fence crossings, that Roja couldn’t get under, and I struggled to get over. Ten minutes at least for each.

Back at the van for late lunch and Test Match Special, then a 30 minute drive around the coast to Esha Ness, and a brief wander on a splendidly cloudless evening, before settling into Lancashire in the T20 quarter – to be well beaten by Surrey, on the night, a better side.

There were a couple of other campervans at the carpark by the lighthouse, and by an unfortunately overflowing bin, but I was a few hundred metres away, and perfectly situated for the sun slowly disappearing over the horizon at 10:26. A few cars came, which is quite understandable at such a place, especially considering that most nights in this extremely exposed situation, will be too windy out the vehicle.