Winter closing in: leaving Torridon for Strathcarron Sea ice loses its grip; we say farewell for now - Daniel and Clare's photos (13th December 2012)

It seemed that as we left, the surroundings gradually disappeared under a murk of mist and snow.

Overnight, it had been clear that things were changing. The wind got up, but its wailing was dwarfed by what sounded like midnight at the turn of the Millenium in a big city - a massive fireworks display: Tuesday's quirky and diverse ice-music had changed into a wild cacophony of crashes and bangs, as the waves broke up the sea-ice, dumping and smashing it unceremoniously on the shore.

When we got up, the sky was, again, completely clear. But in the pre-dawn half-light, the ice was hard to spot - waves chivvied the surface of the loch and it just didn't have the look or feel of a fine day ahead. We left the cottage mid-morning: it was already overcast. As we headed towards Fasag, we looked back to see snow showers approaching.

We started the holiday as we ended it, at Jo's place, where we were introduced quite by chance to Dorothy, the music lady of Torridon, and her friend whose mother-in-law used to live at Lochside - she was housekeeper to Lady Lovelace. Thnwe met up with Murdoch and Mairi MacDonald, and their son John. We chatted for an hour over tea and cakes, before finally saying our goodbyes. It was a fabulous way to end a uniquely beautiful holiday.

The snow had arrived, and it was time for us to head for the bus-stop, back to Strathcarron and the train to Inverness. The following morning we headed home. Snow turned to rain somewhere around the Border, but we didn't care. Sometimes you take something with you which truly transcends.

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Getting ready to go:
13th December: our final morning at Lochside: dawn approaches with a clear starry sky, but where is all the ice?	Cloud soon arrived: mainly light but on the right you can see the leading edge of something rather stronger	Walking along the shore road to Fasag: this is where the ice ended up...	...great piles of it - plates several feet across and an inch or two thick
Nearer the head of the loch, it was still frozen over	Looking back: a sharp angle in the precipitation behind us - a sign of snow on its way...?		...and arriving
Leaving Fasag::
On our way to the junction: snow settling on the fields and the wide expanse of beach and saltmarsh at the head of the loch	At the bus stop now. It's nearly two years since the fire here and the trees still carry the scars of comprehensive burning, but amazingly there seems to be some recovery in their tops.		The bus shelter hasn't recovered yet... It did its job admirably, though
Views from the bus-stop: Beinn na h'Eaglaise, slowly fading...	...and Maol Chean-dearg, also disappearing	...looking back towards Fasag - National Trust for Scotland countryside centre on the left
Back on the minibus::
Some bus views - wouldn't have been much clearer without the glass and the movement: Glasnock and Loch na Lòin	Woodland near Tornapress - snow starting to accumulate	Approaching the head of Loch Kishorn	Cumhang a' Ghlinne
Strathcarron station::
The iron road to Skye	Strathcarron Hotel - happy springboard for this holiday		Deer south of the station
Inverness in winter garb::
Perhaps Inverness's most familiar sight, the 19th-century castle	Streets up the hill just south of the centre	Inverness Cathedral

(Text and photos by Daniel and Clare Gordon. March 2013).

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