2nd October 2025

Hi

This is just a quick blog to accompany the photos of my trip north from Tuesday 29th July to Monday August 4th. This was my second trip to visit the Schouten family in Rogart, having been up to stay in 2023. I received the customary warm welcome and fabulous hospitality which will come as no surprise to those who have visited.

I did some visiting in Tain and the Shore Villages but don't seem to have taken any photos of these. Quite unlike me!…..Apart from spending quality social time on the croft three trips were made further afield.

Cromarty

On my previous trip I had made it as far as the ferry at Nigg but didn't have time to get over to Cromarty so was keen to make up for that. The ferry boat is the Renfrew Rose, which I had used in 1985 to cross the Clyde for work and it is still plying its trade between Nigg and Cromarty. I was able to update the crew on a bit of its history.

Cromarty is a lovely village and you could easily spend a whole day there. Apart from being picturesque in itself with links, a harbour and neat fisherman's cottages, it has a fair number of arts and craft shops for browsing. Of more interest to me was the historical stuff, including the home of Hugh Miller, geologist, writer and churchman. A fascinating museum and well worth a visit. The East Kirk dates to medieval times and is free to visit. I didn't have time to visit the Courthouse but it looks impressive and if I hadn't spent so long in the Miller Cottage I would probably have gone in. A return trip to this village would be ideal on a day with a blue sky as opposed to the grey one I had.

Day trip to Foindle

I headed to the far north-west to take up an invitation from John Ross to visit him at home in Foindle. John has a mussel farm on Loch Laxford and I was privileged to take a trip out with him on the loch. It was a fascinating experience to see how one of my favourite sea foods is grown for harvest. Thanks are due to John for this memorable outing. We caught up with John's brother Alec before returning to Rogart.

Boat trip to the Summer Isles

The whole Schouten family made the trip over to Achiltibuie on the Saturday for this outing. My grandfather's house in Altandhu looks onto the Summer Isles but I had never been out on a boat to see them. We booked with Summer Isles Sea Tours. Our pilot and host Ian MacLeod was very knowledgeable and as it was choppy the fees for the children were waived. As well as showing us around the coast of a few of the islands Ian kept up a hunt for dolphins and we were rewarded when towards the end of the sail we came across a decent sized pod, who were happy to perform for us. Very exciting for kids and adults alike! It was a visual feast of dolphins and of course jellyfish! Photos of moving dolphins are difficult but I hope to get a few videos up onto the site as well. On the way home I was able to see my grandfather's home in the distance from the boat. It is named Seaview. Funny that!

I forgot to mention the landscapes on both days travelling to the west coast. There is a rare and raw beauty in these wilderness-like areas which surpass many landscapes in the thirty odd countries I have visited. Didn't get many blue skies this time but the views are still great.

In conclusion it was great to reconnect with the Schouten family and enjoy quality time at the croft. Thanks especially to Hugo, Elspeth and Lillian for their warm welcome. To Norman and Nem: if you get the croft onto Trip advisor, I'll give you an excellent review! Thanks again.

I hope you enjoy the photos. I'm not very good at mountain names, but if you spot any you know, give me a shout and I'll annotate.

All the best

Murdo