Visit to Essex

 I have now resolved my scanner problems so I am posting  again !

We had a trip south to see relatives last month. Above is a watercolour sketch of the mudflats of the Blackwater from the historic Hythe in Maldon.
Maldon was once an important port and even in the early part of the 20th centuy was a centre for the sailing  barge trade taking  hay, straw and grain from Essex farms to London to feed the horses and  returning with loads of horse manure to fertilize the fields.

 We did the normal  things of going to cafes and pubs for coffee and snacks- always a good opportunity to sketch.

Cafe in Maldon

On the way home , a cafe in Glasgow,.

 To get back to Scotland  I tried the sleeper bus. It was very cheap and  did exactly what it said on the tin.I got on the bus in London at 11pm slotted myself in to the narrow bed and fell asleep. I woke up at 6.30 am as the bus was pulling  in to the bus station in Glasgow, It was great !

Trees in Glen Nevis

Since I have been back we have some dry weather and we have had some  really good runs on the West Highland Way. Yesterday we took the train to Bridge of Orchy and  then ran back to Fort William. The weather was a mixture  of all four seasons  in one day. There were some  snow showers but also some sunny and warm periods and some dull cold windy spells.Unusually though we didn't get any rain.

As always we had a wonderful time on one of our favourite routes.

Quick sketch of the Commando memorial above Spean Bridge