Misty, rainy beach walk

I had half an hour before the bus was due. Sometimes I sit on the crash barrier on the sea wall and read the paper on my phone or a book on my Kindle. When it rains though walking is more appealing. I've been meaning to get to know better the beach and coastline on the west side of Gare Loch for a while and, since today was the day I began wearing hiking boots again for my daily 'commute' (this will continue until next May now), I decided to walk along the beach as far as Dahlandhui if I could.

It's not far but it was slippery going on the rocks and seaweed. Someone in a wee rowing boat who took someone ashore near "First Wreck" called out to me as he began his row back over the loch: "Keep to the grassy bits." I had just decided that's what I should do and thanked him. I had to do a sort of stomp to test each footing. I wonder if my phone pedometer picked that up? When I walk with Toad he walks further than me according to our respective phones; either he's heavy-footed or I'm light-footed–probably a bit of both!

First Wreck

Second Wreck

Nature along the beach: sea plantain, acorns, devil's-bit scabious, bright yellow lichen

 

Historic boaty bits along the way fastened into the rocks 

(there was lots more, including old slip-ways)

 

Boats to my left in the mistiness of the day

 

I got as far as the point where the Dahlandhui Burn comes out onto the beach and decided I'd better get back up to the road if I was to catch the bus at all. Besides which, although I'd checked the tide times, there didn't seem to be much beach at Rockville Point for me to get round to "Fisher Place". Odd.

There was also no way I was going to get across the burn without getting wet feet so I found a way up to the road past an old boathouse and the gateway of Dene Hard. 

The bus passed me as I reached the road but I waved and the driver (he of the "Deer in the water!" comment during the summer) screeched to a splashy halt for me as soon as he could. Bus drivers are nice round here.

So I learnt some new local place names and that a 13:16 1.20m low tide at Garelochhead is not very low around Rockville at 11:15, especially when one forgets that tide times are given in Greenwich Mean Time. Ho hum and all that 😆.