WE all seek a special place. We all seek peace. We all seek beauty. To that extent, Muriel Philip is no different to the rest of us. But she is special in that, having found a place of peace and beauty, she has stuck by it for 50 years. The 91-year-old from Edinburgh returns each summer to the same caravan pitch at Achmelvich Bay, in Sutherland, because she loves it, as did her late husband, George, who died four years ago.
The couple enjoyed staycations long before the word was invented. Theirs was a feeling of joy and relief as they opened the caravan door once again for a few weeks far from the city and close to waves breaking on a stunning white beach. To Mrs Philip, the 240-mile drive still leads only to her own Shangri-La, which she has proudly shared with her daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
There is something heartening in such enduring appreciation. The place seems to inspire such loyalty. The poet Norman MacCaig was another lover of Achmelvich, where the water by the bridge was so bright that “no moon need sidle into the sky”. At Hillhead Self-Catering Caravans, other guests have clocked up decades of visits, and indeed the owners themselves, Durrant and Maysie Macleod, have run the site for 53 seasons.
Mr Macleod said of Muriel: “She is some lady.” She is indeed. And she knows a special place.
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