The season is over. I can’t believe it has gone so fast, but it was only six months. We closed on Monday and have been closing the site down since then. Luckily the weather has been good to us while doing this.

So our last days off we went to Pitlochry, a small tourist town with shops full of tempting Scottish tourist items. We were not tempted. But we were tempted into a cafe for lunch. Always a gamble when you’re somewhere new unless you have been recommended somewhere. Our choice was a good one and a nice lunch was had.

In the carpark where we parked was a train carriage, not parked but a permanent feature. Turned into a Thai restaurant which looked very nice and I think next year we will check it out for food.

Pitlochry also has a dam with a fish ladder so we had to go and have a look at that. The fish that day were obviously afraid of heights because I didn’t see any on the ladder. I found out later they normally climb the ladder in the morning or evening. The river Tummel runs from the dam and there is a walk you can do that crosses the dam and then crosses another bridge further down the river.

Two weeks ago the campsite which is a mile down the road from us on the riverbank had to be evacuated due to the river level raising to a point it was getting dangerous. I did say we have had a lot of rain this season. Scotland does get its fair share of rain but this year has been exceptional on the rain score. Even the locals are saying it’s the worst summer they can remember.

The falls of Dochart at the end of the village which normally this time of year would be like a small river with people climbing all over the rocks to get photos were like a scene from the winter. I went down there in the morning early to get some photos and the sound was fantastic and the falls themselves were right across the rocks and raging. You would never normally see it like that only in the wintertime.

Around the site was also exciting as I found a couple of frogs who were very happy with all the rain. I also found some orange coloured mushrooms which got me doing some research to see if they were edible. It turned out that they were Chanterelle mushrooms which are a real good find for foragers and very expensive if you had to buy them. A couple of days later we had a couple staying on site who were foragers and had a good chat with them about the Chanterelle mushrooms and they confirmed I could eat them.

So Nikki fried them up in butter and I had them for lunch on toast. Nikki did not like them so only tasted one so I had a feast and am still here to tell you about them.

The frogs were not for lunch just the mushrooms. This site has had so many different types of mushrooms and fungi along with all the different plants and flowers which is great for all the bugs and wildlife. The latest plant to appear is a small ball of purple flower which I think is called Devils bit. I managed to get a great photo of a bug on one which looked like the flower was floating in space.

I had one last bike ride before leaving here. Heading out to the mountains and down the Glen. I had looked on google earth and had a route I wanted to do if the legs held out. Luckily they did as it was stunning.

Following a river and then climbing up the mountain track, again legs burning and then I just had to stop. Not because my legs were burning but because just perched on a small price of grass over looking the Glen was a Shepard’s hut.

With a stash of wood under it ready for the wood burner. What a great place to chill I thought. On one side it had a big window facing down the Glen and overlooking the mountains on the other side of the river. Luckily it was locked up otherwise I think I would have claimed squatters rights and moved in. If my lotto numbers came up I would have it.

Stopping there really made my day. It’s about five miles from the nearest tarmac road. A cool box full of beer and some food and phone switched off for a great weekend.

Yesterday early evening I spotted a Buzzard fly up into a tree not far away. It’s amazing how they know the site’s empty now so claim their space back. He sat up in the tree looking around and then flew down and pounced on a vole and sat there eating it. Again a magical moment.

So tomorrow we will have a chill out day and it will be our last day here on site. We are only going a mile down the road to our friends site so we can walk into the village on Friday evening for a meal and a couple of drinks. We will leave there on Sunday and head for our first stop on our slow way south. Watch this space for more adventures from us.

The last photo is the view from our compound as the sun was going down yesterday. Yes I did say sun. That’s why I took the photo just to remind myself of the one day of summer.