Midsummer at Treshnish
Midsummer at Treshnish is definitely my favourite time of year and my favourite place to be. This year we have had the most wonderful weather, which makes it even better!
Farming
Lambing time ends with the last lambs born, which was about a month ago. We have gathered all the ewes and their lambs off the hill and into the fank. They get checked the lambs over, treated against fly and tick, and sent on their way again back to the hill. The ewes who haven’t got lambs have been shorn along with last year’s ewe lambs (hoggs). Now they are gimmers. (They go into the shed to be sheared as hoggs and come out as gimmers, don’t ask me why!) This year it was done in the heat so the gathering took place early in the morning. It is easier on man and beast not to be chasing around in the middle of the day!
Shepherd’s Hut
We have had guests in the shepherd’s hut for the last 6 weeks. It seemed to take a long time, from the rash Covid lockdown decision to buy the hut without seeing it to hosting our first guests this year! It is lovely to walk in the evening and see smoke coming from the bath chimney and know that guests are enjoying the slow method of heating a bath in the evening sun.
If you would like to sit in that bath, please have a look at the Shepherd’s Hut availability here.
Wild flowers
This midsummer at Treshnish, the dry and warm weather has brought a floral carpet to the fields. So many orchids, all appearing to flower at once!
The Fragrant orchids are my favourites and they are spreading into corners of fields where I haven’t seen them before.
Wildlife
Recently there have been several sightings of a solitary Humpback whale in the waters surrounding the Treshnish Isles, and of Orcas and Minke too. We have seen Bottlenose dolphins several times recently off the Treshnish shoreline. But yesterday, we managed to miss sighting the Orcas, John Coe and Aquarius, who literally swam past us and into Calgary Bay!! I don’t think I will ever get over the disappointment…!! I was grateful to Ewan Miles from Nature Scotland for trying to get hold of us to let us know they were about.
