A glorious sunny day by the beach was the flavour of the day for the annual Road to the Isles Show, just outside Arisaig, on Saturday.
Held in one of the most scenic showgrounds in the country, at Camusdarach, with views over to Skye, Rum and Eigg, the show enjoyed one of its best attendances yet and, with livestock exhibits also up on the year, the organisers were delighted with this year’s show.
Top of the pops in the livestock section was the overall sheep champion, shown by Audrey MacDonald, Portnadoran, Arisaig.
This was a home-bred Suffolk gimmer, by Ashton Sweetie Pie, which was champion last year at the Black Isle and reserve at the Road to the Isles. She was ahead of the overall cattle champion, the Highland cattle winner shown by Ian McKay for Syndey and Maureen O’Hara, Cnoc Lodge, Appin.
Their Bridean 4 of Kynedor is a three-year-old heifer bred by Charlie Bruce at Bogside, Turriff, and sired by Eoin Mhor of Beinn Latha-Ur. She was champion of champions at Arisaig last year.
She was ahead of the commercial champion, a Limousin cross cow from David Wright jun, Clovullin, Ardgour.
Named Miss Menage, she was shown with her first calf at foot, a heifer by the Limousin sire Allanfauld Umpire. She was also section champion last year.
Commercial reserve was a 2-year-old Aberdeen-Angus heifer shown by Donald Campbell, from Fort William.
This heifer, called Grace, is by Gordonhall Gladiator and was bred by Brian Walker, Carloonan, on the Argyll Estate. She is in calf to a Wagyu sire.
The reserve Highland champion was a two-year-old heifer, Morbhaire Garry Pinewood, from the Forestry Commission’s farm at Invergarry.
Winner of the big Blackface section, where the stock were measurably better than last year after a much-improved spring, was a suckled gimmer from Norman MacPhail, Woodside Croft, Mull. Bought for £500 from Midlock at the in-lamb Blackface sale at Lanark earlier this year, she is by a £5,000 Blackhouse and out of a dam by Big Al.
That was in front of a tup lamb shown by young Kris MacKenzie (6), Acharacle. This one is by a £700 Elmscleugh sire bought last year at Dalmally and out of a dam by an Arnicle tup.
The same spot from the any-other-breed section was taken by a Texel shearling ram from Fiona Boa, from Mull, which she had bought as a lamb last year in Stirling.