Imminent Utopia?

The coast between Stonehaven and Aberdeen is often blanketed in haar, which sometimes makes my commute a slightly spooky, fun trip (I have a fairly vivid imagination when I need it) especially when something interesting suddenly appears out of the mist. Last year, for example, I spotted a herd of buffalo. Seriously. And I've since seen them in full visibility, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't a hallucination.

Even stranger, last night I looked up from the book I'm reading to see a sign in the middle of a field which read "Imminent Utopia". I've no idea what that's all about but I'm hoping that maybe the village of Brigadoon is about to make an appearance.

Train in the Rain

The train journey from Fort William to Mallaig passes through some great scenery which has featured in a number of films including Highlander, Local Hero, and (most notably if you're Japanese and have a camera it would seem), Harry Potter travelled across Glenfinnan Viaduct on his very roundabout route from King's Cross Station in London to Hogwarts (aka Alnwick Castle). This is also the area where Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in Scotland and raised an army in 1745 and where he hid after the Battle of Culloden before fleeing to Skye and thence back to France.
Once we got to Mallaig, we decided to go on a wee circular walk which, according to the Guide Book, would have given us nice views of the islands of Eigg and Rhum, had the weather been a bit better. As it was, we could just about make out Skye through the rain.

Here are some pictures. Some of them have been nicked from Amy and Dave's collection so you might have already seen them: