What we did on Bute

A regular feature of visits to Port Bannatyne is a game of petanque. There is a proper petanque piste, a club league and a committee to oversee them.

The park overlooks the new marina, which is beginning to take shape - the posts for the moorings are in now and I think they're aiming to open for the Easter holidays.

The village seems to be picking up a bit. Several of the tenement blocks are being refurbished, and a new 'multi-user' path is being made on the old tramway to Ettrick Bay. It might attract some of the tourists out of their coaches between there and Rothesay.

Saturday run

For once, I went on the Cosmic Saturday Run (Given the soreness of my left ankle and shin that may have been an error.). We went to Clachnaben for the race preview. I've never done the full route, and still haven't. It is quite a long way and the heather is quite tall. However, some men were seen burning patches around the grouse butts on Mount shade, so it might be better for the race itself.

I wasn't keeping up with the others so missed the traverse on the first hill and ended up wading through thigh deep heather to get back to the ridge. I returned through the lost valley between Mount Shade and Clachnaben, along the main path to the Glen Dye quarry car park and back to Greendams along the road. That was further than I thought...


A unusual view of Clachnaben, from the lost valley at the bottom of Mount Shade.

Glamaig

Me, some Cosmics and the bloke off the telly...

Ferry, Cross the...

Kyles of Bute, actually. Away to the In Laws for the weekend, involves a ride on the wee ferry at Colintraive.

Clever Bluetits

Our peanut feeder is a sort of rectangular one (short sides and top in wood and long sides and bottom in mesh) with a flap over a hole at one end to put the peanuts in through.

The Blue tits have worked out how to open this flap (it swing on a single nail) and lean in to get the nuts.

I like xkcd