My kit was transferred by the chef of the Poolewe Hotel to the ‘Old Smiddy’ B&B where I was staying the night in Laide. Weather was mainly dry, but had to put on my waterproofs in the early afternoon. Walked along the A832 to Aultbea. Popped in to see a chap called Andrew McLuckie who I met last night. His family run the 'Isle View Nursing Home' and so I called in and met the staff there. Then along the road to Mellon Charles. Up onto Rubha Moor and across to Achgarve. Along the way I heard the most incredible and unusual sound. Have you ever seen and heard those toys which are a narrow plastic tube with a device inside; when you invert or shake it, it makes a funny sound, similar to the noise made by a 'Punch & Judy' puppeteer? Well that was the noise. Looking high into the sky, I spotted a bird which flew high and then fell to earth shimmering its wings. That was the source of the noise. It turned out to be a 'Snipe'. Weird and wonderful. Then I took the road south to Laide. ‘The Old Smiddy’ is a lovely B&B with welcoming hosts. That night I managed to get all of my accommodation sorted out for the rest of this leg of the walk.
