mrsmarinastarke....likes clean sheets: And risked going back....

Last winter we made repeated trips up and down the M6 and a journey that had been an exciting one, often ending with a family celebration changed forever. Often we needed to break the journey and once we found reliable places to stay tended to go back, we needed that sort of comfort. But when happy times are remembered returning can be a risk; that lovely hotel or charming restaurant may have changed hands, or perhaps it was just the moment and not the place. ( "....And sometimes retraces her steps" July 2013)

This year, for happier reasons we've been travelling to the west of Scotland and on our last trip returned to two spots we'd enjoyed before.

Now if you're not familiar with this part of the world there are a couple of facts you should know. It is very, very beautiful and it rains. A lot. But afterwards it's even more beautiful.

(Oh yes and there is the wee issue of the midgie, but another time....)

So after visiting a couple of prospective new homes, one only slightly less damp inside and neither with any heating we needed cheering up. I'd read all the community notices outside the shop waiting with Dogstarke while Mr S. bought the newspaper. One had announced that The Barn at Millcroft was open again for the season, dated just two days earlier. We'd had tea there back in the summer, the same day I'd swum in the loch. It had been lovely. This time we had to persuade Dogstarke that she needed to stay and guard the car, (no dogs inside; imagine her sad face) while we sploshed in, hoping we didn't just have sun tinted memories.

Lunch was lovely and we had it scoffed too quickly to take a picture.

Next day there was no rain and all the views were like this

Dogstarke got to play on the beach

And the house we viewed had rooms and a roof. Better still we took a drive into Knapdale and saw the "Open" sign outside the Kilberry Inn. We stayed there a few years ago for my birthday and had good memories.