Another trip to the Isle of May

I'm a bit late in doing this post, but on the 7th July we took another trip over to the Isle of May, and what a trip it was!!  The weather couldn't have been better with blue skies, brilliant sunshine and a calm sea.  We travelled down to North Berwick and had breakfast at the Seabird Centre before setting off on the RIB with our guide Maggie.

The RIB

The puffin from the Seabird Centre waved us off on our journey!!

And this is the new boat that also does cruises from the Seabird Centre - the Seafari Explorer

Seafari Explorer

We passed close by the Bass Rock on our way there - it was just teeming with gannets!!

Once onto the Isle of May, we had to be careful while disembarking as we had to pass through where the terns were nesting and where lots of little tern chicks were running about!  The terns don't like this very much and they do swoop down to attack as you walk past!!

The last time I visited the Isle of May to see puffins, I was astounded as to how many were on the island, but it had been a little later in the season compared to this visit, and I was even more astounded as to the huge numbers of puffins I could see!!  Also, on the last visit, I hadn't seen any of the puffins with a catch of sand eels in their beaks,  but this visit was very different, and almost everywhere I turned there was a puffin with a beak full of sand eels!!

But it's not all about the birds - here are some views of the island itself

Palpitation Brae

Pilgrims Rock

 

Steps

All in all, we had a great day, including having our picnic lunch over on the island.  Not be be content with this trip, we have another one booked for September to have a tour round the three lighthouses on the island, so fingers crossed that the weather remains calm and dry for that one too!! 

Garden Insects up close and personal!!

I just love my Raynox DCR250 macro add-on lens and have been trying recently to have a bit of practice with it.  These photos are all hand-held, even though I know it would be better to use a tripod - but by the time I set that up, the moment would be gone!!  As it stands I have deleted more photos than I have kept, but that's one big advantage of digital images!!  Here are a few recent photos.

Fly

Hoverfly

Hoverfly

The beautiful wings of a bee

Hoverfly

Hoverfly

Daddy longlegs/Jenny longlegs/Crane fly

Hoverfly

Visit to and Review of Hailes Castle, East Lothian

As with Dirleton Castle, Hailes Castle is only a few miles from where I stay but I have never visited before! It’s just one of those things – you never seem to visit the interesting places that are on your own doorstep!

So, on a lovely sunny day recently, my husband and I took ourselves off to visit Dirleton Castle then Hailes Castle. It’s not too difficult to find, but it is quite hidden in a dip and surrounded by trees. The road to get to it is a single track and there are not too many passing places! When you get to the castle, which is a ruin and unmanned, you can park outside the entrance, but there’s only space for around three vehicles. As it was a sunny day when we were there, it was actually quite busy and we found it difficult to get our car parked off the road, but we eventually found a spot a short distance away.

Although unmanned with free entry, the grounds are well kept and the gardeners were doing some grass cutting at the time we were visiting.

I was surprised to find that the castle stands on the banks of the River Tyne, but you can’t really see that until you walk into the grounds of the castle. It was so tranquil and families were enjoying picnics on the banks of the river and within the castle grounds. There were also lots of swallows flying around and I could see many swallow chicks in their nests actually inside the castle building.

This castle really is a hidden gem and is well worth a visit, especially on a gloriously sunny day when you could take a picnic with you (be aware though that there are no toilet facilities).

Here are some photos - it's well worth a visit, especially on a lovely summer's day.

Baby swallows in their nest

River Tyne

River Tyne

Castle

Arched doorway

Gateway

Gateway into courtyard

View of castle from the road

 

Visit to and Review of Dirleton Castle, East Lothian

Dirleton Castle is only a few miles from where I stay but I have only ever visited once before many years ago. In fact it was so long ago, I really don’t have much recollection about it!!

So, on a lovely sunny day recently, and before these heavy rains stopped out heatwave in its tracks, my husband and I took ourselves off to the castle for a visit and what a pleasant surprise it was! After paying our entrance fees (I bought my very first concessionary ticket!!) we walked through the beautiful informal garden to the castle. It has a commanding view of the surrounding East Lothian countryside and has loads of nooks and crannies to explore. It looks quite small from the outside, but it really is bigger than you think and is well worth a visit. You can follow the history of the different families that were in residence right from the 13th century through to the 16th century. It’s an absolutely fascinating place to visit, just steeped in history.

As well as exploring the castle, you can then also have a look at the informal garden and the woodland area, which is all very nice and superbly tended by the gardeners.

There is not a car park at the castle, but there is off-street parking in the village itself, which is only a short walk to the castle entrance. There’s a little gift shop too and you can buy a very reasonably priced souvenir guide to the castle and gardens.

Here are a few photos to whet your appetite - you won't be disappointed if you decide to visit.

Entrance to castle

Entrance to castle

Entrance to castle

Chambers inside castle

Stairway inside castle

Chambers and doorways inside castle

Chambers inside castle

The 'murder hole' where hot oil etc. would be poured through to repel attackers

Spiral staircase inside castle

A portcullis gate

Doorways inside castle

 

Spot the courting couple!!

I took this sunset photo a few nights ago down at the beach.  They're a bit difficult to see but can you spot the courting couple??

PS - there are NO prizes for spotting them!!

Woody Woodpecker came back - with another baby!!

I am so pleased to be able to report that daddy Woody came back to the garden, and after a few days he brought his new baby with him!!  Now it's baby who comes mainly on his own, but on occasions both are here at the same time.

Baby Woody

Daddy Woody

Baby Woody showing an interest in the cherry tree!

I don't know how long they will stick around this time, but I'm just so very pleased to see them back again. They rule the roost when they're in the garden and chase the starlings away from the food while they're eating, so they must be quite high up in the pecking order!!

Big Birthday in London

I've not updated this blog for a wee while and have absolutely loads to put on!!  To start with though, this is just a wee post to put on a link to my birthday blog in London

Big Birthday in London

It's just a short one as we were only there for two full days, but we did have a great time and the weather was fairly kind to us!!!