Scourie News Edition 122 August 2016 It’s nearly Scourie Gala weekend! Have you organised your adult fancy dress football team for Friday night? What about your children’s fancy dress costumes? Who is in your tug of war team for Saturday afternoon? Have you been making your craft items for the competition? How about having some trials of your baking entries? Are the numbers for your ducks in Sunday’s race bought? Have you volunteered to help out with anything over the weekend? This year’s gala is shaping up to be even bigger and better than last year’s very succcesful event which raised over £4000 to be spent within the community, buying Christmas gifts for the children, paying for pantomime trips, helping with the hall refurbishment, purchasing more gazeebos for the community use and much more! A detailed programme of events throughout the gala weekend is available in local businesses. Be sure to pick one up! Caithness and Sutherland Countryside Rangers. All the Guided walks in walks are led by one of the Rangers. It is important though Northwest Sutherland that you think of your own safety and that of any children All walks £4.50 adults, £3.50 concessions. Families £15. for whom you are responsible. Remember too that these are country walks in the Highland weather so please dress Tues 2nd Oldshoremore dunes and beach walk; accordingly. Bring sturdy shoes, or boots, a picnic and a masses of wild flowers on the machair, beautiful views and sense of fun. The Rangers reserve the right to cancel any of beach. Meet at Oldshoremore car park 4miles north of these events. Walk Grades: A is easiest, D most Kinlochbervie at 10:30am – 1pm. Map Ref NC 203584. challenging, including very rough ground and sometimes th Thurs 11 Scourie; garnets & dikes, coastal walk steep climbs. Sorry watching wildlife is not usually around Scourie bay, wild flowers, great views, seabirds, bit compatible with taking dogs. of geology, signs of otters. Meet at the beach bird hide at 10:30am – 1pm. Map ref NC151446. Tuesday 02, 1.00pm - 2.30pm Rockpools at Fri 12th Faraid head dunes & coast by Durness; beautiful walk along Balnakeil beach returning through the Clachtoll We have some of the best rock pools in the amazing dunes; wildlife, local history and wildflowers. British Isles. Join us and meet some of the really weird Meet at Balnakeil car park at 10:30am – 1pm approx. Map wildlife living here. Rocks can be steep and slippery. Ref NC 392686. Booking essential. Meet at Clachtoll Beach car park. Grid th Wed 17 Kyle of Durness, wild flower walk; ref: NC 040273. Adults £4.50, conc. £3.50, family £15.00. leisurely 2hr walk around the coast amongst a myriad of Thursday 04, 12.00pm - 1.30pm Clachtoll Sand flowers with great scenery and wildlife. Meet at Durness golf course car park at 10:30am. Map ref NC 389687. Sculpture Contest Why not enter the contest for the Fri 19th Kylestrome by Kylesku - Rock Stop best sand sculpture? Or just come along to admire the Ramble, leisurely lochside walk down Glen Dubh looking many amazing sculptures for free! Loads of really good at the geology [the Glen Coul Thrust], plants, great views, prizes. Judging and prize giving at 1.30pm . Meet at wildlife. 3hrs approx. On behalf of UNESCO Northwest Clachtoll Beach car park. Grid ref: NC 040273. Adults £4.50, Highland Geopark. Meet at the Kylestrome estate car park conc. £3.50, family £15.00. 1km north of the bridge at 10am. Map ref NC211351. Tuesday 09, 11.00am - 3.00pm Bone Caves, Tues 23rd The Watch hill & Ben Tongue, 10.30am - Inchnadamph This is a fascinating walk back in time to 2.00pm. Rough hill walking (307m), with outstanding views across the Kyle of Tongue, moorland plants and birds. the ice-age where the bones of reindeer, polar bears and Meet at Coldbackie lay-by on the A836, 3mls east of even humans were discovered in the caves. Stout footwear Tongue. Map ref: NC 610601. is essential.Meet at Bone Caves car park, 2.5miles south of Thurs May 25th Scourie - Loch Leathad Trail, Inchnadamph. Grid ref: NC 254179. Grade B. Adults £9.00, 10.30am - 1.30pm Guided walk over moorland track conc. £5.00, family £24.00. amongst lochs and woodland. Fine views over Scourie bay. Tuesday 16, 10.00am - 5.00pm Quinag Mountain Meet at Scourie old Depot Road 300m south of village sign. Map ref: NC 157437. Explore this fantastic Assynt mountain (808m). Look for Tues.30th Castle Bharraich & beyond - by Mountain Hares and Ptarmigan. If the weather is not good we will do a shorter low level walk. This is a joint walk with Tongue. Hill walk to this enigmatic ruin and over the hill [126m], returning by the quiet road; amazing views, the John Muir Trust. Booking essential. Meeting place given woodland, moorland, birds & wild flowers. Meet at the on booking. Grade D. Adults £15.00, conc. £7.50, village car park, map ref NC 592566, near the bank at Tuesday 23, 11.00am - 3.00pm Clachtoll Coastal 10:30am – 1pm. Walk Join us on this beautiful coastal walk through a crofting township rich in wildlife, to the iron-age broch. Hear the Highland Council Guided Walks stories of skeletons, ancient saunas and catastrophic collapse. Find extraordinary ancient life forms. Meet at in ASSYNT Clachtoll Beach car park. Grid ref: NC 040273. Grade B. Adults £9.00, conc. £5.00, family £24.00. For more information contact the Highland Council Countryside Ranger, Assynt Visitor Centre, Lochinver IV27 4LX; Telephone: 01571 844654 Email: [email protected] For up to date information on all Highland Council Countryside Ranger Events and the Long Distance Trails in Highland go to www.outdoorhighlands.co.uk or find us on Facebook July Weather Donations required! Scourie Primary School are running a bottle stall tombola at the gala in aid of school funds. Any donations would be gratefully received! Please pass them on to July will be remembered for rain. It was the second Aileen MacDonald as soon as wettest July since 1993 when 193 mm fell. It was only possible. 10 mm less than the three preceding months this year, April, May and June, added together. Consequently, temperatures and sunshine have also been lower. We have had 168 mm (105) of rain this month, with The gala committee will be selling teas from the pavilion 21mm falling on 18th and 20th. There were only 5 days kitchen during the gala. Any donations of home baking where no rain was recorded. Note that 1 mm of rain is would be very welcome & help to equivalent to 1 litre of water per square metre, so that raise funds for the gala. Please take was 168 litres, or 37 gallons per sq. metre over the month. The average maximum temperature was the any baking you can provide to the same as last year with 15.4 deg C (15.4), the warmest pavilion kitchen on Friday evening or day of 20 deg C on 20th. The average minimum was Saturday morning. 10.9 deg C (10.1) with the lowest temp of 8 deg C on Volunteers are also required to help the 7th and 9th. The solar panels have produced 362 in the kitchen. Please sign up on the sheet in the shop or kW, an average of 11.7 kW (13.2). The solar panels on the changing rooms have produced nearly £250 worth contact a committee member as soon as possible. of electric for the quarter April-June, these payments from these panels are more than the electric bills for the changing rooms. Let’s hope August is better! Pete Tuck SCOURIE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND Family Ceildh Everyone is invited to attend the August 5th CHRISTIANITY EXPLORED course which is to be held in the village hall. Ceilidh Trail performers (as well as Scourie pupils) This course has helped a great many to 7pm in the understand what Christianity is really about. At village hall, each of the 7 meetings we will watch a different £5 adults, DVD presentation of some major aspect of the Christian faith. People can then ask as many children free with a paying adult. questions as they like or just listen to the questions of others, as we discuss the subject in order to get a better understanding. The course is to be held in the village hall on the following Friday evenings at 7.30pm:- 26th August 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th September 7th October Please feel free to attend on any individual evening, if you cannot attend the whole course. Scourie News Edition 122 August 2016 Connect Assynt Ltd FOR BOOKINGS Tel: 01571 844590 Or email: [email protected] August 2016 - Assynt Community Bus – Scourie to Lochinver Tues 2nd, 16th and 30th August- £1-£5 Connect Assynt is here to help any resident with return transport issues whether permanent or Lochinver Harbour 8.45am temporary. We give priority to the following Scourie Shop 9.45am arrive groups whether they have their own transport or Scourie Shop 10.00am depart not, but we will transport you if space permits: Lochinver Harbour 11.00am arrive Over 60s and wheelchair users Lochinver Harbour 1.00pm depart Those with a disability (attendant travels Scourie Shop 2.00pm arrive free of charge) Scourie Shop 2.10pm depart Residents with no personal transport Lochinver Harbour 3.10pm All times are approximate. We will pick up/drop Residents with other entitlement card off along route as long as safe to do so.