‘It's so magical; it's truly Middle Earth come to life!’
The Ardnamurchan Peninsula is the most westerly point of mainland Britain and my husband’s family have a holiday home there, on the banks of a sea loch overlooking the Isle of Mull. It's so magical. I love the isolation and the fact that it’s so remote, unspoilt and undisturbed.
I first went there 25 years ago, and what struck me most was the space. The beaches are so tranquil, and you can walk along them for miles. The sand is powdery white and the sea is the brightest, clearest blue; it makes you think of the Bahamas and Barbados but, were you to paddle in it, it’s so cold that you’d be able to saw your foot off without noticing!
It’s a magically moist climate and every branch, nook and cranny is hung with mosses and lichens. It truly is Middle Earth come to life. Each bough looks like it’s wearing a feather boa; the denseness, variety and abundance is just astonishing. I find it inspiring; and it goes to show that nothing that I ever create is as over the top as what Dame Nature gets up to on her own.
It’s so dramatic. I love to immerse myself in the oak woods and rejoice in the dark rocks that are decorated with a splurge of bright yellow lichen. Even the stone walls are covered with a green, mossy duvet. Discovering local plants, such as sea holly and sea kale; walking among the pillows of pink thrift and gathering burnished orange crocosmia from the garden is a real joy.
It’s a place that gives me the most wonderful head-space. There’s no mobile phone or internet and every day the jewellery comes off and I get to put on scruffy clothes. And it doesn’t matter what the weather is, as it will change in an hour or so anyway!
When I return to London in September, the season has tipped; autumn hangs in the air, just a tiny bit. Every morning I think about this special part of Scotland. Ardnamurchan Lighthouse features within the shipping forecast which heralds the start of my day!