Week 43 - 4th to 10th Aug

Monday 4th - day 282

Another slow start, due to bad weather, well that is our excuse and we are sticking to it! As has been typical all this week, by lunch time the clouds were lifting. We had said that if the clouds were high enough we would try the Kishorn Pass again, but the distance was too far, and the clouds still too low to risk it, so we headed back towards Skye to visit Dunvegan and the west side of the island.
We were hungry by the time we arrived, and having packed only a cold supper went in search of food. We saw a sign saying “Oldest Bakery in Skye” and assuming that it held all the charms of its pronouncement we entered. It didn’t take long to register the plastic table cloths and heavy odours, but it took a little while to really register the level of filth, the kitchen was dark brown, floor to ceiling!! The cutlery was fairly dodgy, and Chris’s cup went back, but fortunately the food looked presentable and my jacket potato tasted quite reasonable, though Chris’s steakwich looked a little suspect it has to be said. We tried not to think about our surroundings, ate as quickly as we could and left, hoping that we would not soon feel ill! But surprisingly (and happily) there were no ill effects!
We were of course too late to look round the castle, but the grounds were open til 8pm, so we enjoyed a leisurely walk round some lovely gardens, and strolled by another lovely loch side, until it was time to move on round the island in search of our next meal stop!
We stopped at a view point overlooking the wide panorama of the coastline across to the Cuillins, which were now uncapped, and there in all their glory. We enjoyed a slightly warmer and midge free al fresco supper, and felt satiated in every way as we returned to the car for our last lingering looks across glorious Skye, before making the journey back home.

Tuesday 5th - day 283

After a week of miserable mornings we have woken to glorious sunshine, but we are leaving Sheil Bridge today for Ullapool, still it is a good day for travelling! And as we left we were able to see the peaks of the five sisters that had been missing all week!
After an easy 2 1/2 hour drive across country we arrived in Ardmair Point. The site overlooks the sea, and faces the sun, and looks absolutely splendid in the glorious afternoon light.Once we had settled in we took a bottle of Pesada Del Rey, a bottle of olives, two chairs and a fork, and went and settled ourselves on the beach, bliss. We only left it to return for a plate of roast lamb!

Wednesday 6th - day 284

Unfortunately we have to spend the day organising details like removal quotes and inventories for our new tenants, boring but necessary. It also has to said that it is quite nice to have a day at base in the midst of all these miles of Scottish touring! We did though need some supplies so popped into Ullapool before the shops closed. I had a very distant memory of Ullapool being dingy, cold and wet, but not so, it was thriving. There was an abundance of serious craft shops, smart cafes and an eclectic pub/gallery/bookshop/hotel, outside of which was a sign saying “Excellent Trad music” here tonight. Well that was a sign not to be ignored so at 8.30pm we returned to the Ceilidh Place to hear Bruce Macgregor and Mark Clements of the Blazing Fiddles (plus guest from Co Clare, who played a blazing squeeze box!) absolutely rock the rafters. They were fabulous, so good they got a standing ovation, led unknowingly by my husband who stood to take their photo!!
He had a good night, as on his way to get our intermission drinks from the bar he snuck out to get a shot of the sky at dusk as well - glorious!

Thursday 7th - day 285

Well, the “red sky at night” theory proved right today, we have had lovely weather for our trip to the road to the Summer Isles and a walk round Achnahaird Point.
We drove the long cul-de-sac, past Loch Lurgainn, and Stac Pollaidh. I had few memories of this little mountain, but whatever I thought I had remembered, I was wrong!! It is an “island” mountain, as it stands alone, but I thought it had a flat top, but in fact it was as craggy as the Cuillins, just not so majestic!
We drove on to the long beach at Achnahaird, past a camp site that had twin axle touring caravans in situ – and we are concerned about driving up to Durness on the coastal road, which looks twice as wide on the map!
We parked up by the beach, and took the path up to the headland. It was very reminiscent of the Cornish coastal route, except that off the path the ground was very boggy. We searched in vain for a glimpse of a Sea Eagle, but only saw Seagulls!
Back at the car park we carried on down the path to the beach. There was a strongish wind, which made it a bit cool, but it was fabulous, with wide golden sands and sparkly blue sea, and one family were enjoying it all to themselves (except when we turned up!)
Our next stop was to take the road to Achiltibuie, which offers the best views of the summer Isles, but before we got there, we came over a summit on the road and saw this!
The picnic box was full of goodies ready to go on the barbeque, we just needed somewhere lovely to set up, so off we went in search of a sunny spot, which was out of the wind!
We found the perfect spot back at Loch Lurgainn, and sat in splendid isolation, until 3 cyclists came to the next bay along, and set up their tents, before going for their evening wash in the loch, but we were far enough apart to keep their modesty in tact – just!
We were on the case as well, determined to stay warm and midge free, I lit my first camp fire, using the local dead wood and a match - and guess what, it burst into life, and stayed warm until we left. The chef set up the barbeque next to the fire and we were able to use both to keep the food warm – which made one of us particularly happy! We feasted on the food and the view, until the fire was too cool to dissuade the midges. Finally, smelling strongly of burned fire wood we drove home in the most golden light which ended in a glorious sunset.

Friday 8th - day 286

We went south of Ullapool today, after popping into Boots for more Midge bite soother cream! Chris had also heard that North face will be replacing his worn out walking boots, which was good news, so we went to have a coffee in the “Frigate Coffee House” overlooking the harbour, very nice too!
We planned to drive over to Gairloch, some 57 miles away. The bad news was that we would spend much of the lovely day in the car, but the good news was that we were again in for a treat with the views along the way.
Our first stop was however a little disappointing. Years ago I had visited Corrieshalloch Gorge, and had a memory of a wild, ferocious, deep and beautiful waterfall, but the lack of recent rain, and the presence of 3 coach loads of Spanish tourists, all queuing to pass along the suspension bridge, 6 persons at a time, made the whole expedition a long and disappointing affair!
Our next stop was Gruinard Bay, where we decided to stay and enjoy the wide golden beach, so with picnic box and blanket in hand we found a quiet spot to sit and enjoy the view. After a lovely lunch and a little recovery period(!) we decided to take a little exercise, as you can see Chris took to it like a duck to water!
Finally we decided to move on to check out Gairloch, we passed through yet more spectacular scenery, too big to really be able to capture its majestic splendour on film, to arrive at our destination by early evening. Gairloch was a lovely little whitewashed town overlooking the sea, but we didn’t stop as we wanted to get to the end of the peninsular. We never made it to the end though as we passed an interesting camp site, where the tents were all set up amongst the sand dunes, beyond which was one of the longest and most inviting sandy beaches we’ve seen – called, interestingly – Big Sands! We drove down to park the car amidst the dunes overlooking the beach, with thoughts of strolling down the sands after our pot of tea. However as we sat there in the car, we watched people midge swatting as if it were an Olympic sport, and some were using specialist equipment – a green netting over their heads, so I chickened out of the stroll, I have been bitten enough already! Finally we made our way back home, past countless motorhomes and several tents who were enjoying the joys of camping wild in Scotland- and it is making me think……

Saturday 9th - day 287

The whole of the UK is under a heavy rain cloud today, which gave us a good excuse to stay in, just what we needed I think! We did not quite do nothing though, I had bought a highlighting kit rather than pay for the services of a hairdresser, and lovely Vidal Minton spent two hours pulling my hair through a bonnet. I had encouraged him – many times- to grab clumps, not wisps, and when I washed off the dye, the effect was blond …….. all over!!

Good job it is not red like the last time, but it can hardly be described as highlights now! Oh dear! We decided to eat at the Seafood Bar in Ullapool – a combination of saving petrol and hairdressing money had made us feel affluent – and headed off to town to show off my bright barnet!!!
The restaurant was full with a one hour waiting list, so we went upstairs to their Tapas Bar, and enjoyed a selection of small fishy dishes and Haggis, lovely.
To help dinner settle, we took a stroll round the harbour and beyond as the sky was now clear and the evening fresh and dry.

Sunday 10th - day 288

Hallelujah, the lovely weather is back with us, which is just as well as we touring again today, down to Torridon (some 160 miles round trip!). But it was so worth it. Unfortunately there are no short cuts down these long valleys, and scenic routes and we had to make the return trip past Gruinard and Gairloch, so just as well they were so worth seeing again!
We drove past Loch Maree and down Torridon Glen on the look out for Deer or Eagles, and we saw neither (actually we did see several deer - one of which crossed the road in front of us, but on the way home) but at one of the many stops to look at the view, we saw two birds of prey land by the river quite close to us, and fortunately they stayed long enough for us to identify them as a pair of Goshawks, which are apparently quite rare.
The landscape was stunning and very atmospheric as dark clouds scurried across the craggy mountain tops. There had been rain in the Glen, but it was over as we drove through, and by the time we had wound our way up and over the last spectacular hill pass to reach Diabaig our final destination, the sun was shining, making the sea very sparkly. We sat overlooking the beautiful little harbour round which a cluster of pretty whitewashed houses were settled, to drink our tea. Having sat for too long we took a stroll along the front, and although we were truly miles from anywhere, in a little hamlet that will be quickly cut off in the snow, there was a lot of activity on the water, as a couple of boats came in while we were there, and several young people, in wet suits, were having fun diving off the harbour wall. It all felt a bit bizarre really, and I could not quite get to grips with how people would manage to earn a living or even live their lives so far from anything. Still they were living in a truly beautiful spot, whatever the challenges.
We had as usual packed the picnic box, and on making our return to the car decided to look out for the next perfect stop. If only we had known how quickly we found it we wouldn’t have stopped for tea!
We had to zigzag back out of the village up the steep sided hill, which had provided the beautiful views on our arrival, but we were unprepared for the panorama facing the opposite direction as we reached the top, and someone had kindly put a picnic table out for us, so we just had to make use of it!
The evening light glowed across the loch and over the mountains, and we sat, in splendid isolation, and enjoyed this magnificence all to ourselves.
There was just enough wind to prevent the midges from bothering us, which was a bonus, and we sat until ready to make the two and a half hour journey back.

Week 42 - 28th July to 3rd Aug

Monday 28th - day 275

This is our last day in beautiful Argyll, before we head further north to Sheil Bridge, near the Kyle of Lochalsh, and we are off to Fort William to check it out, (although we have not heard too much good about it), and after half an hour we knew why, before going on to explore Glen Nevis.
I had been there before when the kids were little, and remembered it as a really beautiful glen, and as we drove down, I was gratified to know that my memory was correct - on this occasion.

Unfortunately there were a lot of other people who had had the same idea as us, of finding a shady spot, but eventually we came to a quiet glade beyond a water fall, so we parked up, and went in search of our bit of shade by the river, and there we stayed until the we were no longer in it- the shade I mean!!! It was too hot to walk far, but we donned our boots and went to check out what all the noise was at the waterfall.
When we got there we found crowds (well almost) of bathers, all stripped off to their shoes and shorts and playing in the river, three macho men were jumping off the bridge into the deep basin at the foot of the water fall, then swimming down the deep narrow ravine to do it all over again. We watched them for a good while as they tried to cajole two young lads but jump with them, but they had not succeeded by the time we moved on, to walk the path up towards the head of the glen. We soon lost the crowds and it was lovely to walk along side this pacy, tumbling river with its low level gorges, falls and remarkable natural stone carvings from the force of the water. By the time we reached the bridge to take us back down the road to the car, we were in need of some rehydration, and went to investigate the possibility of refilling our water bottle at the falls. Like a couple of Indiana Jones we scampered across the boulders in search of the reachable flow, and eventually we were rewarded, and several minutes later we were two and a half bottles of river Nevis heavier! – and surprisingly we didn’t need a loo stop on the way home!

Tuesday 29th - day 276

We are travelling today, and it is a good day for it, as the sun has gone in and clouds are down, so we don’t feel like we are missing anything!
We had an easy journey through some magnificent scenery looking a bit moody with the clouds drifting round the tops.
The journey was longer than expected, I am so glad that we decided to break our journey to Ullapool here, as it would not have been viable to drive back to visit.
We reached Morvich by 4pm, and did the usual cleaning, clearing and admin until we had had enough!
Rainy.
Lovely spot.

Wednesday 30th - day 277

We are visiting Plockton today, it should be a trip down memory lane as I have visited before, but I cannot bring it to mind. Our first stop of the day was to Eilean Donan castle, which sits at the mouth of the Loch Alsh by the road to the Isles. It is one of the most famous tourist spots and subsequently costs to view, so we just looked from the outside before we moved on. Our next stop was Kyle to stock up at the local Co-op, but there was little else there to tempt us so we drove on toward Plockton. On the way we drove through lovely little Duirinish, a dreamy little crofters village by a burn, where there the cows, roam free, and are just as likely to be on the road as the cars! Although Plockton was the highlight of our day’s tour this came a very close second!
We arrived at our destination just as the tummy was beginning to grumble, so we parked up and looked for a picnic spot with a view, and there were plenty to choose from, but eventually we found a little peninsular overlooking the bay, so that we could watch the tide come in and the kids mess about on their boats! We had pssitioned ourselves deliberately away from the madding crowd, but for most of our lunch we were joined by some very persistent company, in the shape of two courting seagulls, I say two, as here were two present, but it did not take too long to work out that only one was interested, but all his pleas for attention were regularly snubbed by his disdainful companion – seems it happens for birds too then!
When we couldn’t stand his moaning any longer, we packed up the blanket and headed for the harbour road. It was very pretty, with palm trees and colourful frontages, and we stopped in a craft shop, and I almost bought a set of three flying puffins which looked fab, but he who holds the purse could not see their charms so we left!
We wandered back to the car the long way round, before heading back for dinner.

Thursday 31st- day 278

It is definitely not good weather today, which is a pity because we are touring round Skye, and though the brooding clouds add atmosphere, the hidden tops and poor light quality make capturing the memories a bit trickier!
We stopped first at Portree, and spent much longer there than anticipated, largely because we found a little craft shop that sold ceramic tiles with glazed scenes, evocative of the area, so we purchased – good job we didn’t go for the puffins!
There was also a book fair, selling nearly cheap second hand books, so stocks were replenished. A little sustenance was need before we headed off for the circular trip to Staffin, so we fed at a little café, which shall remain nameless except to say that we shall never be dining there again – not Scottish cuisine at its best!!
We spent the next 4 hours driving through the wild beauty of north east Skye, with very few others for company. It was more populated than I imagined but sprawled enough that it felt wild and remote. And though we were aiming for an early return to do some research into removal companies for Sept 5th, we did not get back in time to do anything useful!

Friday 1st - day 279

We are revisiting Skye today, but rain nearly stopped play! It poured in the morning, and the cloud was so low there was no possibility of sight seeing. However, by lunch time the clouds were lifting so we set off for the Talisker distillery, much to Chris’s excitement!
We saw none of the high peaks visible yesterday, but lots of atmospheric clouds swirling about. We arrived at the distillery just in time for tea, but would you believe it, there wasn’t one, we were given a complimentary Talisker, but no tea….. only one of us was miffed!
It was an interesting tour round a little distillery that seems to churn out thousands of litres of fine whisky each week that is then distributed across Scotland to be casked and stored for up to 30 years. Some of the employees will have retired before their days work is enjoyed! Our guide was keen to tell us that their 18 year old whisky had won the international gold medal for 2008, and was a snip at £46.99, better value than their 30 year old whisky that was selling for £190, although it wasn’t selling, it was sold out!!!
We were going to go up to Dunvegan, but the time was pressing and the views were few, so after tea we retraced our steps back to Talisker Bay, and enjoyed a peaceful and watery walk down the mile long path to the black stony bay to try and identify the rock that had given the bay, and then the whisky their names.
It was lovely to walk out after what feels like weeks of sitting in the car, driving great distances, in this amphitheatre of a high sided valley, with its torrential waterfalls, heavily laden after the days rain, all dashing against their rocky outcrops. The atmosphere was magical as we walked beside a saltmarsh water meadow, where Water Pippits and Chaffinches were having a grand time fly catching and playing, and our only company (for the most part) were the sheep wandering across the bay. The air was fresh and clean, even in the rain, and if my stomach had not been grumbling so loudly we could have stayed longer, but in fact we returned to the car to make our way home for scallops – bought yesterday in Portree – yum!!

Saturday 2nd - day 280

The clouds are low again today, with precipitation definitively in sight as Chris would say, not the best day for going over the Kishorn Pass to Applecross, but alternative in Elgol for a view of the Cuillins, and we really do need higher clouds for that visit!
Again by lunch time there is a hint of things clearing so we pack up our picnic box (having had egg and bacon for brunch!!) and set off. It is a much longer drive than it looks like it should be on the map but then these distances are, it reminds my a lot of Ireland, with its long slow windy miles.
We reached the foot of Kishorn pass, and read the signs, not passable in winter, and not suitable for learner drivers, and set off. We started well, and there were some very atmospheric shots of the clouds swirling round the some of the oldest mountains in the world. They looked fabulous for a while, but then the atmospheric clouds became a thick fog at the top, hiding all views, except the few feet of open road in front of us. There were a few places where there was no barrier at the side of the road, and as the fog hid all other outline, it felt like we were crossing on a tight rope, with steep drops either side of us. (I suspect the reality was a lot less exhilarating had we been able to see our surroundings, but none the less it was exciting!)
We finally arrived at Applecross in the mizzle, but it soon stops, and our bottoms were by now so numb and so flattened we had to get out and reshape them. There was a lovely coastal road that didn’t really go any where except to a few villages, so we set off down that through Milltown to Camsteel. It is a constant source of amazement to me how folk eek out an existence in these beautiful, wild and truly remote villages. They live in natural splendour, and must love all its elements, but how they make ends meet is a mystery to me.
There is however one thing that is in complete and terrifying abundance – the midge population. I had been lulled into a false sense of security in Oban, as it had been too hot for them, but they sure do love this weather, and have ALL come out to play, and mostly on my body. I think if it wasn’t for my daily dose of Clarityn I would be in purgatory, but the antihistamine just takes the edge of all but the beasties. Oh yes, and just ask me how many times Chris has been bitten…… yep that is right – NONE! He must taste bad.
We had thought that we would have tea by the loch and then make our way back to Plockton for a folk night in the pub – but once again we never made it. We found a spot for our picnic near the water, but stayed in the car to shelter from the rain. However soon it stopped and a father and his three boys settled down near us to make a camp fire and cook their tea. It was just like a scene from Baden Powell’s “Scouting for boys”, as even the marshmallows came out to be toasted over the smoking drift wood. It kept us one of us entertained long enough, while the other one snored, but by the time we had rallied ourselves the clock was reading 9.30pm, and the sun has trying to show us it was setting!
We drove back round the coastal road, and the views over to Sheldaig and Torridon were breath taking, particularly in that Scottish evening light. On the final stretch home we passed Eilean Donan Castle, just after night had properly fallen, and found the castle lit to the world and could not resist one final photo for the day.
So, 2.30hours and 30 photos later we had returned to the caravan.

Sunday 3rd - day 281

Guess what, low cloud again, should we risk it and go to Elgol to find a view of the Cuillins, or should we hope that it will be better tomorrow. We spent the morning attending to admin, in the hope that the clouds would lift.
Again, by lunch time they lifted sufficiently to give us hope, so we packed the picnic box plus instant barbeque and set off. The sky cleared enough for the sun to struggle through at times, but as we approached Elgol- which has the reputation for offering the best views of the Cuillins - their heads were in the clouds.
There was a rocky bay and a harbour, so we had a cuppa, sat on the harbour wall, and then went for a wander across the stony beach area to an interesting outcrop of rocks and boulders, that had been washed and blasted by the elements into all sorts of fascinating shapes, and the rocky floor beneath us had the same vertical striations as we found in the Burren in Co Clare. I wish that I knew more about the geology of our country, as I am sure that we are looking at fascinating pieces of history, but it remains a mystery to us.
As we pottered around, the clouds started to shift, and we sat for an hour watching the magnificent Cuillins start to emerge in all their splendour, with over 30 snaps in the camera, Chris has his work cut out when it comes to editing!!
Reluctantly we decided to move on to begin the search for the perfect picnic spot. Not hard you may say, in this beautiful landscape, but we need all the ingredients to be present – the panoramic and magnificent view (they are to be found in abundance), a golden sun (not always so!), a waters edge, a small bay, a flat dry area to sit comfortably, and if possible no other human habitation (no point trying to hope for no midges!!)
We found most of these at Kilbride, though we were joined by a few cars and campers during our stay. It should have been perfect, as it had all the right ingredients, but it was cold this evening, and the co-op x3 for £5 instant b-b-q sets was frankly inadequate for the task. True, it warmed up the potatoes, salmon, leeks, courgettes and stuffed peppers nicely, but it did nothing to warm the chef up or dissuade the midges or thunder flies – and they came in their thousands – totally disturbing our meal, and by the end of it I had a very grumpy dining companion. Needless to say we didn’t linger quite as long as had hoped. We did though walk up the headland to check out the rest of the view, which was worth it, except that by the time I washed my face before bed time, I was able to count over twenty midge bites on my face alone, Praise the Lord for Clarityn!