A sunny day in Scotland? What to do but hit the beach?

But we decided to do a bit of exploring first.  So off we set, picnic in boot and Ipod complete with a whole new playlist befitting our day out. 

Our first destination was Mallaig, but we couldn't help but make a couple of stops off on the road to take in the scenery around the Road to the Isles.  We sauntered into Mallaig only to discover the Royal Scotsman train had sauntered in first.  What a beautiful train! I imagined myself, G&T in hand, standing on the viewing platform a la 'Murder on the Orient Express'.

As we took a nosey into the carriages, we spotted some seagull nests on the adjoining tracks - a perilous place to set up home! The chicks were scuffling for space, still fluffy and hungry. Amazing to see.

Mallaig was beautifully peaceful, and we explored the little shops, but we couldn't leave without tasting the famous fish and chips. Since we had the picnic we decided to share a fish supper and walk around the harbour.  Next time we'll be getting two. Being short has its disadvantages.

Next stop was Loch Morar - the deepest Loch in Scotland and apparently the home of Nessie's cousin Morag.  We passed a tiny village called Bracora and stopped at the giftshop there - fighting our way past sheep and chickens to get in the door!

And on to the famous Silver Sands of Morar.  Out came the picnic and the rug and the flask of tea.  Soon Billy was snoring as I wandered about the beach. The sand is beautiful - a pinky white and very very fine.  I can, with experience, say that the beaches of the Carribean and the Far East just do not compare.  Well, apart from the sunshine I guess. But not today as the sun shone and the view across the turqoise water took in Rum, Eigg and the peaks of Skye.

The beach at Morar has featured in many films but the most famous is Local Hero. The sands hug the coastline from Morar to Arisaig and we were keen to find the 'right bit' - Camusdarach Beach.  Which we did shortly afterwards and it was easy to see why the film makers chose it. Even on a sunny Saturday in June, the beach was pretty deserted, dotted with occasional shells and framed with colourful rock pools.  I think we found a wee bit of heaven.

We walked through the sand dunes and came upon (yes - this is true - only in the Highlands!!) the local agricultural fair.  It was fantastic. Never seen such a fine selection of sheep, home-made cakes and ducks(!).  Yes - a man was herding ducks with his sheep dog! 

It was tea time though, and with fine Highland steak in our bag from the butchers in Mallaig we headed back to Glenfinnan.  The only stop was to photograph the famous little church from Local Hero, which sits above the road overlooking Lochailort.

And speaking of Local Hero - we couldn't wait to put the DVD on in the cottage and do some scene spotting. It's now there for all to enjoy!