Isle of Skye

The Road to the Cuillins

I recently returned from a two week break on Skye with the family and have been asked on more than one occasion: “two weeks on Skye? What did you find to do in all that time?”.

It was this implied preconception and misconception that a small Island of the North West coast of Scotland couldn’t provide enough to occupy a family of five for two weeks that prompted me to write this Blog post.

The first thing to say is really stating the obvious I suppose. If you enjoy wide open soft sandy beaches, siting by a pool, consistent 12 hours of sunshine etc then this is not the place for you and I suspect Skye would not even appear on your radar as a potential destination.

If, like me, you enjoy stunning scenery, lochs, mountains, climbing, walking, wildlife, sea life, great food and drink, rock pools, relaxing by a log fire, weather that can have you in a t-shirt in the morning and wrapped up in a rain coat and woolly hat by lunchtime and to top it all wonderfully warm and welcoming people then Skye is certainly for you.

The Cottage at Dunpark

This year was our second visit. We fell in love with the cottage we stayed in last Easter – Dunpark –  and were lucky enough to be able to book it again for this year. The cottage is comfortable with all the amenities you could want apart from a dishwasher  – we brought one with us in the shape of our 13 year old daughter.

One of the main appeals of the cottage is it’s location. It is situated on the Sleat peninsula around a 10 minute drive from Armadale ferry port and overlooks the Sound with the mountains of mainland Scotland (including Knoydart) across the water providing a constant picturesque backdrop. There is a great garden for the children to play in and access to the rocky coastline that borders the land.

Sunrise at Dunpark

Ishbel and Angus MacDonald own and manage the cottage and a friendly and helpful. All in all you have a great almost get a way from it all holiday home at an extremely reasonable price. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

From the cottage exploring the stunning Sleat peninsular is straightforward with a main road that runs the length of the peninsular. There is everything here from great restaurants, wildlife in the shape of otters and seals to spot, deer are quite common and there are great beaches where rockpools abound.

You could probably spend a week or so discovering all the nooks and crannies of Sleat but there are other amazing things to do and see within an hour or so in the car.

On top of the incredible scenery to discover there is also the art trails to explore. Skye is home to some supremely talented artists and photographers. We have visited many of them and they have all been very welcoming and open about their work and influences.

Be sure to visit photographers Russell Sherwood, Tim Wilcock and Alan Campbell for some inspiration. Artists such as John Bathgate and Diane Mackie have some beautiful work to see and purchase in their galleries.

Here are just a few of my other recommendations:

Ellishadder Art Cafe

We all fell in love with this little cafe in the North East of the Island. It is owned and run by the amazingly friendly and talented Stuart and Maggie Quigley. Stuart is a very talented artist and Maggie cooks delicious vegetarian food – if you are a died in the wool meat eater don’t let this put you off. One visit to the cafe almost turned me vegetarian the food is that good. Save room for some fantastic desserts too! Maggie is also a weaver and both Stuart and Maggie’s work is for sale at the cafe.

Dunvegan Bakery

The oldest bakery on the Island. It is also a cafe too serving simple but delicious meals. Their scones are to die for and the best that we have ever tasted – we always ensure that we leave with a couple of bags full. The owners are also really friendly and make you feel welcome.

The Quiraing

The Quiraing is a geological phenomenon with towering spires of rock thrusting from the earth in a myriad of different shapes and sizes. It really has to be seen to be believed. The views from all areas is sublime and worth the effort to get here.

Dunvegan Castle

Set in beautiful gardens this is similar to Eilean Donan Castle (see below) and again well kept with excellent facilities. The history of the castle is fascinating and there is plenty to keep the children occupied.

Faerie Glen

Close to Uig this is not the most straightforward place to find. Ask a local and they will give you directions. It is all worth the effort though when you get there. The landscape is otherworldly and you have the feeling that you have stepped onto another planet. Unusual rock formations abound with plenty to explore. It is easy to imagine a settlement of fairies living there.

Eilean Donan Castle

Okay, this is not on the Island but a short 20 minute drive from the Kyle of Lochalsh. Of all the castles we have visited this one is easily the best. Why? For a start it has been beautifully restored with an eye for detail unusual, in my experience. The guides are extremely knowledgable and helpful and went out of their way to ensure our visit was interesting and interactive. The views from the castle are also spectacular. It is no wonder that the location has been used in so many blockbusters – Highlander being the obvious one.

Neist Point Lighthouse

Not for the faint hearted or the unfit. The steps down to the lighthouse seem easy but coming back is a real challenge. It is more than worth it though with some stunning views of the coastline and of course the lighthouse itself. A short walk from the small carpark affords a magnificent view of Neist Point too.

There are many, many other places I can recommend  including the MacDonald visitor centre near Armadale, Kilt Rock, Coral Beach near Dunvegan and Elgol to name but a few but visiting but one of the pleasures of Skye is getting out and exploring the many nooks and crannies of an Island steeped in history.

Whenever we have been to Skye we never want to go home and try and think of ways of us setting up home there at some point. It is the kind of place that captures your heart and inspires yours soul. We could not imagine not making an annual pilgrimage to Skye to visit old favourites and discover new.

Links

http://www.skye.co.uk

http://www.dunpark-skye.co.uk

http://www.ellishadderartcafe.co.uk

http://www.eileandonancastle.com

http://www.dunveganbakery.com

http://www.glendaleskye.com/neistpoint.php

http://skyescapegallery.zenfolio.com

http://www.timwilcock.com

http://www.art-skye.co.uk

Harbeth P3ESR Review

Harbeth P3ESR on Stands

I can honestly say that I have lost count of the number of speakers that I have owned over the last 20 years. Of all the elements of my hifi system they seem to be the part that has changed the most.

What I do know is that I have owned, including the P3ESR’s, four different pairs of Harbeth Speakers: P3ES, Compact 7ES and Super HL5. I loved the each of them but, for various reasons which have nothing to do with sound quality I had to move them on.

In the meantime I have owned several mini-monitor speakers from Proac, Totem, Sonus Faber, Gamut and Reference 3A to name but a few. A few months ago an opportunity to acquire a pair of the P3ESR’s came up and despite me loving the musical capabilities of the Reference 3A Dulcet I just knew that I had to get my hands on the Harbeths and so the Dulcets were quickly moved on.

The change in speakers also coincided with a system overhaul. I decided that it was time to downgrade my system to something much more simple and affordable and out went the Consonance CD Player and Amplifier for a Rega CD and Ampliffier pairing of the Apollo R and Brio R.

Rega Brio R and Apollo R

Both are unassuming half width components and despite their budget price tag of £500 per unit they certainly punch above their weight and would offer an excellent foundation for the Harbeth’s to show what they could do. Their build quality is excellent and have operated flawlessly since the day I bought them.

So, how do the Harbeth’s sound?

Well putting to one side the limitations of their size and the fact that they are never going to defy the laws of physics and produce lower registers they are captivating, drawing you into the music like few other speakers I have heard. They are warm but with enough bite to strings for example to retain a realism that makes you want to keep listening long into the night. They can project large scale music better than they have a right to but really score well on smaller scale acoustic music where they just carry you away communicating the emotion of the music.

Listening becomes a more interactive experience with little subtleties and details drawing you further into the music.From classical to rock and folk to blues they seem to be equally at home in any genre.

Alan Shaw will not thank me for saying this but I always felt with the bigger speakers – and this was very subtle and possibly a psychological effect of the size of these speakers – that there was a slight hollow sound to the reproduction. It was if you could “sense” those large, thin walled boxes adding something to the sound.

The Beautiful Grain of the Eucalyptus Veneer

Maybe it was also the fact that the other larger Harbeth speakers are ported unlike the P3ESR’s. I don’t know. Magical as the C7’s and Super HL5’s sounded their smaller cousin just has the edge for me. And that is, I guess all that matters.

The bottom line with the P3ESR’s is that they seem to take the best bits of all of my favourite small speakers – the Reference 3A Dulcets and Totem Model One – and roll them into a perfectly sized box that would fit into any environment bar an aircraft hanger sized lounge. Much as I loved the bigger Harbeth speakers I feel that the P3ESR’s are perfectly balanced soundwise.

I don’t know enough about the company to really comment but from reading posts written on the Harbeth website Alan Shaw is clearly a dedicated and passionate designer of loudspeakers. He should be congratulated on designing a mini masterpiece. A number of people have suggested that the P3ESR’s will be their last speaker upgrade – I can honestly say that they will be for me.

Specifications:

Transducer system	2-way: Harbeth 110mm RADIAL2� mid/bass; 19mm Ferro-cooled tweeter with HexGrille.
Freq. response	75Hz – 20kHz +/-3dB free space, 1m with grille on with smooth off-axis response.
Impedance	6 ohms – easy to drive.
Sensitivity	83.5dB/1W/1m
Amp. suggestion	Works with a wide range of amplifiers, ideally from 15W/channel.
Power handling	50W programme
Connector	Two 4mm gold-plated binding posts for wires or plugs
Dimensions (hxwxd)	306 x 189 x 202 mm (inl. grille and terminals)
Finish	Cherry, black ash, maple, rosewood, eucalyptus, gun grey, arctic white, jet black.
Space needs	Ideally > 0.30m from rear wall
Stands	Typically 24+ inches
Weight	6.3kg each (without packing)
Packing	One matched pair per protective carton

Jungfraujoch, A Journey to the Top of the World

Train on the way back from the “Top of the World”

Other then cuckoo clocks, Toblerone and world class efficiency I had no solid preconceptions about what to expect of Switzerland. Looking for somewhere to go for a short break in October last year I researched the area on the internet, however, nothing could have prepared me for the breathtaking beauty of the Jungfrau region and the sights and experiences it has to offer.

We arrived in Geneva via a short Easyjet flight from Liverpool. Once we had picked up our bags from the carousel we made our way to the train station and purchased our rail tickets to Interlaken. Children under 6 travel free on the Swiss Rail network although this doesn’t make the £100 one way adult fare any more palatable.

After the two hour journey to Bern we changed trains for the 45 minute hop to Interlaken we found ourselves standing at Interlaken West rail station bags in hand and ready for the hotel and food.

As an aside whilst the train tickets may have been expensive they arrived and left each station on time and were very clean.

The train station in Interlaken

Surprisingly, it was warmer in Interlaken than it was back home and we suddenly wondered whether the winter coats we came armed with would get much use. After a 5 minute walk down the main street we found ourselves at our chosen hotel and before long checked in and tucking into a family sized lasagne and salad at the hotel’s restaurant.

After a short stroll to walk some of the food off we were back to our simple and clean room at the hotel to get some rest in preparation for our early start the next morning to go and venture to the “Top of the Europe”: Jungfraujoch.

We awoke the next morning to ominous low cloud on the surrounding mountains – at least we assumed there was a mountain range behind the clouds as we had seen nothing having a arrived in the dark the previous night. Mountain weather is infamously changeable over a short period and we set hoping that the cloud would lift and we would be presented with a spectacular vista.

The hotel and restaurant in Interlaken

Having bought our tickets we tentatively boarded the first train that would take us to Grindelwald where we would have to change for the next leg of the three part journey to the “Top of Europe”. Still the clouds clung to the surrounding mountains frustratingly obscuring our view.

Before long we were on the next part of our journey and slowly but surely chinks of blue were staring to appear above us . As we climbed it became brighter and brighter until eventually we arrived at Kleine Scheidigge station through the cloud and looking up at the Eiger in all it’s breathtaking glory. By this time you could see back down the mountain and into the valley with a huge layer of cloud sitting above Interlaken.

Above us towered the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. The story goes that the Monk (Monch) is protecting the Young Girl (Jungfrau) from the Ogre (Eiger)

Breathtaking view from Kleine Scheidegg

So, it was back on the train. After a couple of stops along the track to take in the glacial vistas in all their glory we found ourselves at the top of the Jungfrau.

What struck me first was what I huge complex of buildings we were in. There is an ice palace carved into the glacier, a number of restaurants, several viewing platforms, etc.

It was hard at times to get a proper perspective on how high we were. When looking back down the mountain all you could see were, well, mountains as far as the eye could see. Then you made out a tiny reflective speck in the distance and realised that it was a town or village you were looking at which brought some perspective to the lofty perch you were standing on.

I can only liken it to the Grand Canyon where what surrounds you is such an immense scale that you struggle to take it all in.

We spent the next couple of days almost permanently on the trains and cable cars that criss cross the area assuming that the views couldn’t get any better. They invariably did.

The downsides? Just the one: price. It is, like the rest of Switzerland, extremely expensive but, as a once (or maybe twice) in a lifetime destination it is a bargain.

The Quiraing, Isle of Skye B&W

The Quiraing, Isle of Skye B&W.

Ticino Pilot Watch – High Specification Watch for a Bargain Price

Ticino 44mm Pilot Watch

I did a lot of research before I purchased the Ticino Pilots’s watch and had a fairly strict set of criteria of what I wanted from my new watch:

• German WWII Aviator Styling
• Sub 44mm case size
• Automatic or hand wind movement
• Stainless steel case
• Sapphire glass
• Anti-reflective coating
• See through back
• Leather Strap
• Must be sub £150.

This was quite a tall order I felt and was surprised, after some digging around forum sites, that I came across the Ticino on eBay. From a specification standpoint it ticked all the boxes. The movement is a Seagull TY3600-2B hand wind movement.

I could only find one or two decent reviews of the branch which suggested that it was a good not necessarily great timepiece. In view of the fantastic price I decided to pull the trigger on eBay and after around 4 days for the watch to arrive in the UK from the US and a few days in customs I eventually collected the package from the post office around 2 months ago and have been wearing it daily since.

I have to say that my expectations were fairly low when I got the watch and I have to say that I have been more that pleasantly surprised.

Overall the watch seems really well put together with a nice heft to the casework, fantastic sapphire glass, a nice relatively uncluttered face and a nice view of the movement on the back. The strap, despite other comments is pretty decent too. It is stiff when first worn but it is better and more pliable a couple of months down the line.

It also keeps time as well if not better than any of the other mechanical watches I have owned from Seiko to Omega to Rolex. I have not done any specific tests to be able to provide a +/- figure (I haven’t the time or the inclination to do this) but when checking the time against my phone it always seems spot on.

Downsides? Well only one. The lume. Despite what the spec suggests (C1 Superluminova) this is not the best and very quickly loses it’s charge over half an hour or so. You also have to hold it under a bright light to give it a good charge. This is far from a deal breaker but if this is important to you worth bearing in mind.

All in all I am very, very happy with this watch. It looks and feels the part and for the money it is a stone cold bargain. I have shown it to a few friend and family and asked them to guess the price. Each one said they thought I had paid around £500+ for the watch. When I told them the actual price they were stunned.

I would love to try the Chronograph now. That looks like another great timepiece.

If you are in the market for a highly specified, superbly built watch you would have to spend a great deal more, I feel, to better this.

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 19,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 4 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

Superspikes by Soundcare – Bargain Isolation

The Soundcare Superspikes 

I was having a clear out last weekend sorting through a box of old cables, cones and audiophile accessories when I came across two sets of these.

I had completely forgotten that I had them. The last time I recall using them was under a pair of Living Voice OBX’s and I have owned a several pairs of speakers since these went to their new owner.

The spikes are manufactured by Soundcare a company based in Norway. The packaging boldly suggests that they provide the some of the best isolation that money can buy. Quite a claim if a little pointless in light of the subjective nature of audiophile opinion.

In any case I was curious to hear what they could bring to my system. What I can say is that before I inserted these into the base plates of the Custom Design Reference stands I was more than happy with the systems balance and sound quality. I hadn’t, since installing the system in the lounge, thought about adding anything to try and improve what I had. The musical balance was just right to my ears and needed no tweaking.

So, spikes installed, I put one of my favourite CD’s in the Mini-Droplet: The Dougie Maclean Collection on the Putamayo label. As you might have guessed from the title this is a  compilation of some of Dougie’s best work from his first 5 or 6 solo albums.

One of the tracks I usually use for evaluating anything new in my system is called Broken Wings – a very simple track but easy for a system to get wrong. The song starts with an acoustic guitar and bodhran. So many systems gloss over the importance of the bodhran’s impact in moving the song forward.

Before I installed the spikes the deep thud of this musical instrument was clear and precise. What the spikes did was take things to a new level. The bass became even deeper and slightly more thunderous and insistent. Each bang upon the skin of the instrument was more defined and apparent. Very, very impressive.

The improvements continued with the greater vocal separation and projection and the timbre and tone of the acoustic guitar was more realistic.

I have alluded to the fact before that this not a system that is easy to sit and dissect. It sounds so right as to make specific, audiophile evaluation difficult as you are drawn into the music.

It says something then that the improvements wrought by the spikes were so apparent and positive that I could appreciate immediately the benefits of having them in under the Dulcets.

I have had them under the speaker stands for a few weeks now and feel that they are an essential and integral part of the system and highly recommended.

They can be bought here if anyone wants a set: http://www.bkelec.com/HiFi/Sub_Woofers/Accessories.htm

I am tempted to try some of their other products out. They all seem to be reasonably priced and worth a shot.

Life After Linn

Consonance Mini Droplet CDP3.1

A few months ago I started with an itch that I knew I would just have to eventually scratch. Excellent though the Linn system was I missed the presentation that previous valve based systems had given me.

Also, whilst the Linn DS was a fantastic source, when I compared it to a “valved” Lector CD player that I had, I felt that on a good percentage of CD’s the music was put over in a slightly more organic way. One other aspect that pushed me over the edge were the once or twice a week system crashes that occurred which would only be resolved by a reset of the system – ostensibly switching off and then back on again!

The bottom line was I realised that a valve based system would be the one to satisfy my musical and hifi requirements.

So how would I facilitate this sea-change? I had backed myself into an audiophile corner in a way and felt that an all or nothing approach would be required as a mix and match system with some of the Linn components wouldn’t be all that practical. Certainly a valve CD player with Linn solid state amps didn’t seem right and I doubted it would provide the answers I was looking for.

After 20 years of buying hi-fi I have to confess to a certain amount of cynicism when it comes to dealers. There are very few hi-fi dealers in my opinion that actually talk any sense or understand the equipment they sell or the needs of the customer. This is a sad fact of faceless high street chains.

There are probably 3 or 4 dealers that I have come across that I would trust and respect. On of them is Jim Burke of audiolincs.com in Grantham.

The Consonance Cyber 10 Integrated Signature

In all of my dealings with Jim he has been nothing but a gentlemen – open and honest. His knowledge of the equipment he sells is exemplary. Co-incidentally we have very similar tastes in music and so when I have described the presentation that I was hoping to achieve he was able to very quickly recommend three components that would give me what I was looking for – or should that be hearing for?

So a few conversations later, Jim and I had pieced together a system of and Opera Consonance Droplet 3.1 CD Player, a Cyber 10 Integrated Amplifier and Reference 3A Dulcet speakers. Luckily I still had in the garage a pair of Custom Design Reference 300 stands on which to put the speakers on. Coincidentally they were also the stands that Jim recommends to get the best out of the Dulcet’s.

Over the next few weeks the Linn gear disappeared to new owners and the huge heavy boxes began appearing at my front door. Not something that SWMBO relishes.

Finally, I had unboxed everything and had it in situ and ready to go. In Jim’s opinion the CD Player, amplifier and speakers would be able to compete with equipment several times their price and he was confident that, wonderful as the Linn system was, the new trio would be able to exceed the performance of the Linn gear.

Whilst I have not had an opportunity to test each piece in a different scenarios what I can say is that as a system the three components gel perfectly producing easily some of the best music I have had at home.

The Consonance Cyber 10 Integrated Signature

To cut a long story short the new system simply sounds right. The Dulcet’s don’t go as low or loud as the Linn 140’s, they don’t produce the same cavernous soundstage as the Totem Model One’s but what they do which is to stop me continually evaluating what I am listening to. For example with the Model One’s the soundstage was so eerily huge I ended up listening and thinking wow I can hear the acoustic guitar solo on the opposite side of the room well outside the cabinet boundaries. Isn’t that amazing. And then forgetting about the song as a whole and the message and emotion conveyed.

I found myself just listening to music. It is just there filling the room. Natural, flowing, unforced. If I was to ask myself after listening to a song how wide the soundstage was or deep the bass was I couldn’t tell you. All I could say would be that I was totally captivated by the performance.

When listening back and being much more analytical you realise that all the audiophile building blocks are there. Wide soundstage, realistic timbre, great rhythm etc. It is just that no one area sticks out as being more impressive than another.

All the elements come together to create an emotionally captivating performance.

The amplifier belies it’s 11 WPC power output by sounding like a much bigger beast but still with the delicacy that valves are renowned for and the Droplet 3.1 simply looks stunning. Better in the flesh and than in the photographs. I suspect the rock solid build quality and filterless dac all play their part.

So all in all this is one hell of a system. The incredible thing is that all this can be had for less than half the price of the Linn system. Now I am not going to start knocking that system. It too, is superb. But for my ears the valves edge it. And by some margin.

Before you upgrade or if you are starting afresh with a reasonable budget give Jim a call and get a demonstration. I am sure you will be astounded at what this little set up can do.

Reference 3A Dulcet

Worldscape Photography

I thought it was worth pointing you in the direction of a sister blog to this one: worldscapephotography.wordpress.com

The site features a number of photographs taken on my travels over the years from Scotland to France to North America.

A number of the images featured on the Blog were taken with the cameras I have reviewed here.

It would be great if you could take a trip there and let me know what you think.

Thanks!!

Julie Fowlis – Live at Perthshire Amber

Julie Fowlis – Live at Perthshire Amber

If you are looking for an exceptional live album in terms of musical content and sound quality then this is certainly the album for you – depending naturally on the genre being to your taste!

I have always believed that as far as your hi-fi will allow a live album should give you a feeling of being there, transported to the venue. So many albums are badly mixed with an inordinate amount of overdubbing and manipulation.

Perthshire Amber is a festival that has been running for a few years now and is organised by the legendary Scottish singer/songwriter Dougie Maclean.

As the title would suggest Live at Perthshire Amber was recorded at the festival and is truly an exception to the usual live albums churned by the major labels. It has a supremely natural acoustic placing Julie centre stage with her vocals clear and full of emotion. Her band of top quality Scottish musicians offer a perfect, atmospheric backdrop.

The last track is a superb rendition of Pabay Mor with Dougie Maclean joining Julie on vocals and guitar. It is the perfect finale to a marvellous album. It would be fantastic if Dougie could produce a live album of his own offering similar production values.

For now though I am happy to sit back and imagine that I was lucky enough to attend this concert in the comfort of my living room.