John Daffurn / Welcome to Knoydart

After a stunning journey by bus to Malaig with clear blue skies allowing me to enjoy the best of Scottish scenery, I boarded a boat to complete my journey to Knoydart.  The sun was shinning as I arrived at the pier and the leaders were there to welcome me.  I had a feeling that this was going to be a good experience.  A gentle 15 minute walk, allowing a glimpse of the beauty I was hopefully going to experience, took me to the place which was going to become home for the week.  A very comfortable old byre with a lovely social area, my shared bedroom was a room for four with two bunk beds, was this going to be challenging?

Didn’t take long to settle in and start to chat to people in my new surroundings and build on the bonding that had already taken place on the journey.  A short walk to the beach and my second home for the week, the TiPi.  What a setting, looking back to where I had left, will I also have left a part of me that will not be able to be reclaimed; will I want to reclaim it anyway?

Dinner gave me my first vegetarian experience of the week and a further chat to get to know my new housemates.  I haven’t had dinner at a table with sixteen people for a long time; it was interesting how people engaged so quickly.

A look at the stars, how brightly they shine in the dark sky of the night, was just the perfect final experience of the day before heading off to bed.  What a day, I wonder what tomorrow will bring!