Day 227 - New friends

On the day we first arrived, we went to a small cafe kiosk near the ferry terminal in Mallaig to have a late lunch. While I was waiting at the counter for our order to be ready, a gentleman approached to order tea, and we started chatting. I learned he had once lived in Canada as a teenager, going to high school in Kirkland Lake before his family returned to the UK. He asked where we were staying on Skye and we said Armadale. He called to his wife who was sitting at a nearby table with their two Italian Greyhound, and asked where their cottage. She said Sleat, not aware of our conversation. His tea arrived, and we parted with the gentleman saying, "Well, perhaps we'll meet again on Skye."

A while after settling into our cottage, we heard a light tapping. Looking out the window, we discovered that at the door was the same gentleman who I had been chatting with at the cafe. He gave a hearty laugh, and we went out to introduce ourselves. As you have probably surmised, Dave was staying in the cottage next to ours. We chatted a bit, and he invited us to have a drink later and meet his wife Claire.

We had an enjoyable drink on our patio and met their wonderfully tempered and pretty dogs Fig and Jazz. Over the course of the week that they stayed on Skye, we met almost every evening for a drink and a chat. On the Thursday, they were the lovely couple who so kindly invited us to enjoy a seafood dinner with them.

Throughout the week, Claire and Dave explored the island by car, with Claire on the search for two things that were proving to be elusive: a sandy beach and fresh seafood. When she did find fresh seafood, she kindly brought some back for us. Because of her, we enjoyed lovely lunches of fresh crab legs, smoked trout and prawns.

This morning they departed, back to their home in Carlisle. We are confident we will see them again...and if the weather during our week in Glasgow turns rainy so we can't do our canal walk, we may just take a trip to Carlisle to visit. If not, we do have the idea of walking Hadrian's Wall again, this time with Alex and Becca, so we will see them for sure then.

As the evening came, Phil and I missed our evening drinks with our new friends.

Certainly the people you meet is the best part of travelling.