Seals and sea slugs on the sea shore

Achmelvich beach wading, swimming, rock pooling, ball and batting, watching hand gliders (fail), and so many weird and fantastical sea beasts. A baby seal swam right past Dave and Tess, while Sam was shrieking at the crystal clear rockpool finds of minature puffer fish type beasties, crabs, starfish, sea slugs that looked like dragons and endless fishies galore of the weird and wonderful kind.

Quick pitstop at Clachtoll stores (just a wee tin roof sheddie) for an open air toastie and then hot footed it over to Lochinver for a trip out to sea down the coast, with Inver Cruises n their wee boat. They'd only just started their business on Friday but have it well in hand.

Headed down to near Coigach past all the mind blowing coastline to an island where deer swim across to to spend all of Summer, we saw the stags on the hill line and the biggest seals ever, checking us out. Sea birds out in force, diving gannets and Swooping Great Skuas.

The mountains and Lochinver look very different from the sea, you might forget how big Suilven and its sisters are, but seeing them with fresh eyes from the sea, you get the message again. No wonder the Vikings used them as landmarks. Will definately have another trip with them again next time, up the coast to see Achmelvich, split Rock and the Stoer headland from the sea, hopefully a few fins passing by us too.

Quick cake at the Mission Bunkhouse - well, it had been over 24 hours since our last cake - then back to Clachtoll, and a late night trip for Sam, Dave and I to Stoer to catch a glimpse of a fin, or the cheeky wee stoat up the hill. They've eluded us this year so far. Dave was so luck seeing the Orcas a couple of years back.

I'd live in Clachtoll, that's no secret, and I'd beach it every day with a crowd of dogs on Clachtoll and Stoerr beaches, but even though they are beautiful, Achmelvich has always just pipped it beach wise, so I'd be a regular there too. And we haven't even visited Culkein Stoer beach this year....yet.