Isle of Harris, Day 1. Travelling and Birding

Finally, having taken 9 hours for a 7 hour journey, we arrived at our excellent B&B in Luss on the shores of Loch Lomond with clear skies and the temperature up to 24 degrees. It felt tropical when we got out of the car having left home at 9.00 am in cloud and 9C. Our getaway had gone well having packed the day before. The drive up the A1 went well with the roadside awash with oxeye daisies and excellent views of red kite and buzzard. Things fell apart when we reached the A66 and the traffic ground to an halt at Greta Bridge. Mr Google informed us that there had been a serious accident involving a lorry and a car several miles up the road which was closed for at least 2 hours. We couldn't understand, then, why the traffic kept creeping forward especially in the outside Lane. After 45 mins stuck in the queue we reached the turn off to Barnard Castle and took it. Our diversion was considerably slower but took us through beautiful Teesdale scenery, through Middleton and past High Force. We stopped for a brew high above Alston, having had our sandwiches in the traffic jam. Sitting out on the moors we heard curlew, watched lapwing displaying and a wheatear perched on a fence post. The verges were frothing with white cow parsley and patches of red campion. Continuing through Alston we finally reached the M6 at Carlisle. The rest of the journey was straightforward apart from more hold ups on the M74 in Glasgow. Our B&B is excellent, comfortable and self contained with our own small breakast room and everything for teas and a continental breakfast in the fridge. Our evening meal was just around the corner in the family run Village Rest bistro followed by a walk down to the Loch for some photographs of Ben Lomond. We were amazed at the large numbers of young people who seemed to have come out from Glasgow and were swimming from the pier.