Thurso and Wakefield, Quebec

Mont-Tremblant sans low cloud.

Of course the sun came out as we were preparing to leave Mont-Tremblant. This is the view from our accommodation.

We drove down from the mountains to the Ottowa River east of Ottowa to Thurso, Quebec. Why? About ten years ago we visited Thurso in the far north of Scotland because some of Phil's ancestors lived there and one migrated to Australia in the 1850s. So when we saw the name on the map in Canada we decided to visit. Both towns have been cold when we visited.

Ottowa River, Thurso.
There was a bird-watching hide nearby.

Farm at Thurso

Ferry across the Ottowa River at Thurso.
How many ferries are there in Canada?

We then skirted around Ottowa and went to Wakefield. Where we saw a young black bear crossing the road in front of us. We were near houses so it was unexpected but a local told us that this year, following a very hot summer, food is scarce and the bears are coming down to check out bird feeders and rubbish bins. They haven't been aggressive at all but I wasn't taking chances with this one, and stayed close to the car and checked to make sure its mum wasn't behind me!

Young Black Bear, Wakefield.

Private jetties, Gatineau River at Wakefield, Quebec

Covered bridge over the Gatineau River at Wakefield.

Gatineau River

Covered bridge at Wakefield.
It was rebuilt in 1997 after the original bridge was destroyed by fire.

A wedding (and tourists) inside the covered bridge at Wakefield. 

A wedding inside the covered bridge, Wakefield.

North to Thurso

We’ve been to the most northerly point of mainland Britain, and no, it’s not John o' Groats, it’s Dunnet Head.

The Leed family, Phil’s ancestors, lived in the nearby town of Thurso in the early 1800s. The church that was in business then is still there but closed to the public – Phil took this photo over a high wall and we were surprised to see on the computer that the churchyard is full of gravestones. Thurso has a strong affinity with the sea of course, and the Norse influence is evident everywhere. Maybe Phil has Nordic genes!

At some stage the Leeds moved to Glasgow and in 1853 Robert was working at the Kinneil Ironworks when he decided to migrate to Australia. This week we have been to the excellent Museum of Transport in Glasgow and it highlighted the lives of ordinary people and the industries they worked in, especially the shipyards, and how they used public transport to get to work.

Thurso is also famous for another reason. The surf there, and in several other places along the north coast of Scotland, is a huge attraction to surfers and there is a big competition here each year. I saw one company advertising industrial-strength wetsuits to combat the chill! We went to the surf beach because son-in-law Adam is a surfer, but the tide was out so no waves. (We had to ask for directions because access is between farmyard buildings.) At another beach we saw surf skiers though.

The A9, Dornoch to Thurso

Dornoch

Peat, stacked

Dunbeath

John of Groats

Thurso