A bonus blue sky moment

So Gail was doing a good job managing expectations as she drove me across to the Torridon cottage on Friday morning.

"Now Bertie, I'm afraid we might not achieve any but the shortest of walks this weekend. I checked the weather forecast and it's promising non-stop heavy rain and strong winds for the next few days."

The ground and everything else was sodden when we arrived, and Gail's attempts to keep me out of the mud were, of course, unsuccessful.

But by Saturday lunchtime the rain had subsided and I even thought I could detect 'glimpses of brightness' (a phrase much favoured by optimistic outdoor enthusiasts in Scotland) between the clouds.

I waited patiently outside the Torridon Stores while Gail enjoyed a coffee and a chinwag about former colleagues with the owner Jo.

(Gail's always telling me how a quarter of a century ago she and Jo both used to work for the same company, located on Trafalgar Square, between Northumberland Avenue and Charing Cross, but frankly I find that hard to believe.)

The weather gods smiled on my patience and, with Gail duly re-caffeinated, we enjoyed a bonus blue sky moment, all the sweeter for being unanticipated, as we traversed the gentle 1.5 mile circuit around the head of the loch.