Having flown to Aberdeen courtesy of EasyJet from Gatwick and hired a car, we journeyed north for an hour and reached the charming small picturesque village of Pennan.

Nestled below the cliffs and sited around a beautiful bay, Pennan boasts a single BnB and around twenty small cottages, most of which are holiday lets.

The village of Pennan was the setting for the fictional village of Furness portrayed in the 1983 film Local Hero. It features the iconic red telephone box used to phone Burt Lancaster.

During our three night stay in the Pennan Inn expertly and lovingly run by Monica and Roland Focht we hoped to have seen the famous Northern Lughts. Alas, we didn't see the vibrant dancing spectacle so often associated with a sighting but did capture a glimpse of a green hue as you can perhaps pick out in the feature photo above.

We had the good fortune to meet up with a lovely couple Laird and Moira who were taking a week out of their busy working lives to explore a myriad of castles and churches. Two evenings spent exchanging life stories - how quickly you can bond with interesting people. It was clear I had met my match in Moira when it comes to researching the local area and things to do and see.

Having said goodbye to Laurd and Moira at Duff House (which I have to say was quite an experience, the house I mean, not the goodbye!) - we were the only visitors that afternoon and were treated to several impromptu guided tour moments - none of which were planned!

That night, back at the BnB, we were wondering what the evening had in store - we were not disappointed - no Northern Lights but we did meet a most interesting regular visitor to Pennan. We met Ian, who was staying for the umpteenth time since 1985, had previously been in the RAF, a policeman  serving in the part of Kent where I was born and latterly an undertaker - what a character!

I think Pennan must have something in the water that attracts such interesting people!

The local coastline offers a delightful choice of sights to visit from stunning scenery to lazy seals. A beautiful part of Scotland and one to which we very much hope to return.