A walk from Hilton to Rockfield and back (10.6 miles).
The hooligans were coming round. Their mum, Kirsty, and Anne were to get their hair cut with Jane the hairdresser coming to the house to do that. This was not a man’s place so time for a sharp exit!
The forecast was for sunny spells and heavy showers, not ideal. I paid for ignoring it! I drove out to Hilton, one the Seaboard Villages, and parked the car. Shandwick, Ballintore and Hilton all merge into one and are referred to as the Seaboard Villages. When I set off, apart from the high wind, it was like a Spring day. I started walking about 11.40.
You just follow the coast – all the way it is cliffs on one side and sea on the other.
Looking back to the Seaboard Villages.
The sea was a bit wild.
This cottage comes up at about 2 miles from Hilton. Just look at the whins starting to bloom.
A wee bit further along are these small sea stacks.
This is using GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) to extract a close up of the sea birds on the stack.
About 3.25 miles from Hilton you come on this ugly building.
There is evidence of a fishing past. The remains of some old winch. There is a poignancy seeing something like that. Who turned that handle last to pull in a boat or maybe nets?
Looking back the weather is starting to change.
And it did. I stopped just after 1.00 for lunch at the 4 mile mark. The rain came on and how!
I pulled my old orange survival blanket round me for shelter. It kept the worst off. It must be about 50 years old bought back in the 70s.
But as I finished eating the rain eased and the sun came out and gave rise to a partial rainbow. It is an amazing phenomenon of refraction and reflection. However, the rainbow is God’s covenant symbol with man that He will never destroy the earth with a flood again. It is not a logo for the LGBTQ minority to abuse who live a lifestyle in defiance of God’s commands.
(Genesis 9: 11 – 15) I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
The rainbow is also mentioned in the book of Revelations in the description of Christ’s throne in Heaven.
(Revelations 4: 2, 3) At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.
Rockfield is just starting to show in this picture.
And at last, Rockfield. It had stayed dry since lunch and I had dried out but the rain came on again.
I walked as far as the end of the pier.
The last photo I took is of this weathered sign on the gate leaving Rockfield.
I walked back to Hilton in one go. As I reached the ugly hut 3.25 miles from the car it started to hail. This changed to torrential rain driving into me. Then it changed to sleet. I got soaked through and through. It eased up about a mile from the car but by that time I was thoroughly wet. I reached the car at 3.25.
On the whole it was a lovely walk. I just wish I had kept dry. I’m not a rain lover.