Muness Castle

Hooray, the gales and rain battering the windows until the small hours settled into a gentler dawn, with blue sky and cloud.
Staying more local, we visited a glass-making studio before heading on to Muness Castle. This was built in 1598 by Laurence Bruce, described as 'a petty tyrant with exquisite taste'. One can imagine the quality of the fixtures and fittings and wonder if his labourers and tenants were as content with their lot. Incidentally, if you would like to own this castle you can bid in tomorrow's auction, but be sure you understand that, for your £175,000 or so, you also have crofting regulations to consider.

Continuing East we walked over to the bay at Sand Wick to see the remains of a Viking longhouse but mainly to watch the huge waves and potter on the beach, where ringed plovers and sanderlings dibbled for food on the receding tide.

On our way past Easter Loch we checked out the Whooper Swans, the five in the morning joined by others, maybe four or five (impossible to distinguish from the Mutes as all were head down much of the time).

At the Uyeasound harbour we were introduced to Andy, an authority on local birds, who immediately identified yesterday's mystery birds as Golden Plover: we're so pleased to have seen a flock as large as 80 to 100 in one sighting.

Now back at base and mentally preparing to leave tomorrow, hoping for a calm overnight crossing.