The B 6278 road between Stanhope and Barnard Castle (see previous posts on those settlements) has a seriously sharp turn and then very steep climb just after Stanhope. Before long you are in middle of nowhere territory. Nothing but the road and moorland hills.

And then you come across the sheep. (Well we did.)

I eventually stopped for this photo to be taken. Earlier on there had been several sheep on the road but I managed to navigate past them going slowly before I thought there was a photo opportunity. (I noted the snow poles by the roadside while I was driving. You could almost be in Scotland):-

At least these two weren’t a hazard to drivers:-

Driving in upland Britain. Always an adventure.

Mind you I’ve come across sheep blocking the road before. Once on a trip up East Lomond (aka Falkland Hill) from Leslie to the pass at the top over to Falklkand. A whole flock was being moved from one field to another. They covered the road and there was no option but to stop. They were jumping and climbing all over each other but they must have had an excellent sense of space because they all passed the car without any of them touching it.

Once, on Wemyshall Road by Hill of Tarvit Mansion, there was a single sheep on the road which obviously thought the grass there would be sweeter than in the field.

And then there was Duirinish.

On the way back fom Skye we took a detour to go to Plockton on Loch Carron. The road took us through the village of Duirinish.

The locals think nothing of letting their livestock roam the (one, very narrow) street.

Both Highland cattle and sheep made driving through it a little precarious. In the link above is a great photograph of the village with cattle in the burn.

After Plockton and on the way back to our hotel we encountered a family of highland cattle more or less blocking the road. They seemed to be going home for the night. The woman in the other car had stopped for a photo opportunity.

I tried to nudge past them but had to stop sharpish as the female cow didn’t take too kindly to me getting near her offspring.

The joys of rural driving!

The loch leads down from its junctions with Loch Long and Loch Duich at Dornie to where it meets the sea.

From Duirinish road. Dornie is off to left, Kyle of Lochalsh to right:-

Loch Alsh from above looking southwest. Kyle of Lochalsh off to right:-

Loch Alsh from above looking southeast towards Dornie:-

About a mile or so outside Dornie on the road to Kyle of Lochalsh there is a cemetery. It had the Commonwealth War Graves sign

Assistant Cook G R Duffield, HMS Port Quebec, 16/10/1940, age 42:-

Able Seaman H J Moore, HMS Trelawney, 13/9/1941, age 22:-