A trip to the Hebrides

[Ian]

Yesterday, Tuesday April 15th saw a nice high pressure system over the North of England and Scotland, blue sky, CAVOK appearing in the METARS and the TAFs looking impossibly optimistic - all in all too good to miss.

 

So a trip to Islay seemed in order, Islay has more whisky distilleries per square mile than anywhere else I know of.

 

The route took us up over the English Lake District, the first picture is Coniston Water, where Sir Donald Campbell set his world water speed records, and eventually met his death in 1967

 

 

Coniston Water is overlooked by Coniston Old Man - which at 2,634' high is a BIG MOUNTAIN for us LOL

 

 

 

On into Scotland, then a heading change to start out westwards, coasting out just south of Ayr and Prestwick Airport

 

 

A fabulous day's flying - most of the year the Hebridean Islands are in low cloud and howling gales, so it was good to be able to seize the day!

 

The track took us over The Mull of Kintyre and we manfully resisted the temptation to sing the dreadful McCartney song.

 

 

Then out across the Atlantic Ocean (well a bit of it anyway) - Here's Islay coming up

 

 

Safely down and parked up at Islay Airport, then off into Port Ellen for lunch - fresh caught haddock & chips - delicious

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CT4ME]

Beautiful flight and pics... thanx!

[josjonkers]

Cool trip!

[paul m]

Real nice Ian.  How often do you get weather like that?

[Ian]

Real nice Ian.  How often do you get weather like that?

 

Far too infrequently - the west coast of Scotland and the islands off it are subject to Atlantic frontal systems and tend to be wet & windy most of the time.

Occasionally in the Autumn, usually mid to late September we get the "blocking Scandinavian high" a high pressure system that sits over southern Sweden area and can deliver a couple of weeks of really beatiful flying weather over the northern UK (which of course for now includes Scotland, though perhaps not for much longer!!)