Blowin' a Gale

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It was incredibly windy Sunday. Winds were blowing at 30-40 mph with gusts hitting over 50. We took a drive north to John O'Groats, and were plagued by the crazy wind all day. We were detoured over twenty miles coming home because the bridge over the Dornoch Firth was closed. Walking proved difficult in some places because the wind just pushed against you. It was really something.

This shot was taken early on in our trip. I think this is the Dornoch Firth. You can see how choppy the water is.

This is much further north. That's the North Sea (!). It's got white caps as far as the eye can see. I wouldn't want to be on one of the many ferries that travel back and forth carrying holiday makers. I suspect there were a lot of seasick passengers.

A zoom-in of the waves. My iPhone takes good photos, but the zoom is not the greatest. You can see how the tops of the trees on the left are being pushed down by the wind.

Coming up on a coastal village. Look at that water!

More of the wind blown North Sea.

And a little further along the same stretch of road. What was interesting was by the time we got to John O'Groats, the wind changed direction. Here, it was an onshore wind. But later, it became an offshore one. 

Of course, static images don't really give you a real taste of the wind. So here's a short video I compiled of clips that Steve and I took on our way back south. At this point, we are well inland and in a valley. And the body of water you see is an inland loch. Bear that in mind as you watch.

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