Coastal Hikes in the Borders

Clouds reflecting in the sea at St Abbs head

My wife and I had a short trip back to Scotland. At the end of the stay we had a couple of days' hiking down near the Borders on the east coast. One was at St Abbs, some cliffs in Scotland near the fishing village of Eyemouth. The other was to Lindisfarne (or the Holy Isle) in England; it's an island at high tide but you can drive to it at low tide. The northern light is very different to the light in southern France and a lovely contrast.

Lindisfarne

 

Blayeul and Daffodils

Today I hiked Blayeul, a mountain near Digne, and it was a long day.The mountain is nicer to fly than it is to hike - a long, flat looking ridge actually has quite a lot of 'bumps' on it when you are hiking. The weather was poor (rain showers, turning to snow showers at the top) and it felt more like a hike in Scotland. But the recompense was seeing some daffodils growing in the wild near the summit - the first I've seen them in the south of France.

 

Wildflowers

The alpine meadows are full of wildflowers at this time of year. I can't identify very many of them, but here are a couple of pics I took today on a hike near the Col de Vachiere. This time of year is lovely for hiking - not too hot, no flies and no sheep (so no patous (guard dogs)).