Highland Adventures

Every summer I try and get to the far north west of Scotland but have always had to go on my own. I have wanted to get Sal up there for years so that we could share what I consider to be the most stunning part of the UK. This year she was finally in a position to make the trip with me. We stayed in Fort William for one night and then travelled up to Loch Maree where we stayed at the hotel of the same name which was slap bang on the shore of the Loch.

The weather was kind on the way up and we had Sal's brother James as company. All the usual tourist spots were visited; Loch Lomond, The Falls of Falloch, Rannoch Moor and Glencoe (where we mysteriously found ourselves sitting in the beer garden of The Clachaig Inn with its ridiculously stunning outlook)!  Needless to say, beer gardens played a major part in the enjoyment of our trip.

James's intention was to wild camp in Glen Nevis for the first night and then come up to Loch Maree with us and walk the full length of the Loch over a two day period. His route would take him along the far shore of the Loch which, apart from The Letterewe Estate, was uninhabited and without roads. He accomplished his mission on both accounts but had to endure and suffer the local ticks and midges which showed him no mercy whatsoever. I believe he still has the scars to prove it.

Our journey though was to be much more civilised. We stayed at a very nice B&B on the outskirts of Fort William and were treated to a splendid breakfast the next morning which consisted of croissants, brioche, fresh fruit salad and yogurt pot along with tea and coffee. I honestly have to say that it beat the old full Scottish fry-up hands down and was obviously far more healthier for us. The previous evening we popped in to Fort William for a meal and then drove to Banavie to see the locks of Neptune's Ladder on The Caledonian Canal and then on to the canal basin at Corpach before having an early night.

Day one photos are below.

Sal and James at The Falls of Falloch

The Falls of Falloch

Viewing platform at The Falls of Falloch

Black Rock Cottage

Banavie

Yours truly at The Neptune's Ladder at Banavie, taken by Sal

Ben Nevis from Banavie

The Caledonian Canal

Shipwreck, Corpach

Day two was a long drive from Fort William to Loch Maree. We set off up The Great Glen, calling in at the Commando Monument at Spean Bridge. Then it was up over the Glen Garry road and in to Kintail with its stunning mountain scenery. The obligatory visit to Eilean Donan Castle was made just for Sal's sake and we recovered from the harrowing experience with a coffee break just a little farther along the road at Dornie. A few more miles and we turned off on to The Wester Ross Coastal Route which thankfully left the crowds well behind and was a joy to drive from start to finish..

Our final destination was to be Loch Maree at the far end of Torridon and there were three possible ways to get there. Two were fairly direct and we could have arrived there in under an hour but we decided to go on the adventurous route which took in the 2000ft Bealach na Ba, followed by an exploration of The Applecross Peninsula which was close on 40 miles of single track road. Plus there was the "call" from The Applecross Inn.

No visit to Applecross would be complete without a pint in the beer garden of The Applecross Inn due to the fantastic views it has across The Inner Sound to Raasay, The Isle of Skye and The Western Isles. It was also a good opportunity for us to scoff the sarnies we had bought earlier in Fort William as we needed a bit of nourishment before tackling the coastal road around the peninsula to Sheildaig and Torridon. Its one of those roads where the destinations never seem to get any closer due to it meandering here, there and everywhere.

The "Welcome To Sheildaig" sign brought out cheers and great sighs of relief from everyone. Just to rub it in, there was a sign at the end on the Coastal Road saying that Loch Carron was only 11 miles if done directly whereas we did just short of forty!

We were all getting a bit weary so we drove the length of Torridon without any stops and arrived at Kinlochewe in no time at all. From the road end it was simply a left turn and then five miles along the shore of Loch Maree to our hotel for the next three nights. We quickly checked in and then drove James a couple of miles up the road to the start his adventure. He was immediately set upon by midges which, unfortunately, was a sign of things to come for him.

Me and Sal then headed a few more miles up the road to The Badachro Inn for a well earned pint and a chill in yet another beautifully positioned beer garden. We finally drove back to the hotel for a rather expensive nightcap and sat the hotel grounds overlooking the Loch. I think we had earned it.
Sal's love affair with the far North West Highlands had well and truly begun!

Day two's photos are below.

Spean Bridge Commando Memorial

Glen Garry viewpoint

Eilean Donan Castle

The Coire na Ba

The Beach na Ba summit

A pint in The Applecross Inn taken by Sal

Applecross Bay

A Distant Torridon

Loch Sheildaig

Shieldaig, Gairloch

Loch Maree

The Loch Maree Hotel Beer Garden taken by Sal

Late light, Loch Maree

Day three saw me and Sal heading farther north to Ullapool and beyond, our final destination being Achiltibuie on the Coigach Peninsula. This was to be the forth time I had made this trip but this one was to be the best as it was the first one I had made with Sal at my side. Being able to share your favourite places with a like minded friend just adds so much to the journey. In fact it turns the journey in to an adventure.

We started off with a coffee at the Inverewe Gardens Cafe before stopping at one of the finest beaches in these parts; Gruinard Bay. It was a warm and a clear day so Sal did what any self-respecting visitor would do, she went for a paddle in the blue waters of the bay, taking care not to disturb any Basking Sharks or Minky Whales that frequent this area (or so the sign said).

We then carried on the coastal road with its stunning views out to sea, passing such imaginatively named places as First Coast and Second Coast before heading inland again. Little Loch Broom was then followed to Dundonnell from where the mighty An Teallach, possibly Scotland's finest hill, rises. The miles quickly went by and before long we were driving along Little Loch Broom's bigger brother, Loch Broom and in to Ullapool.

Poor Sal thought that Ullapool was as far as we were going and was feeling a little jaded by then but a pint of cider in The Ceilidh Place soon put her to rights and we set off on the last leg of our trip with new vigour. We had our packed lunch surrounded by the hills of Coigach. Beinn Mor Coigach and Sgurr an Fhidhleir rose to the left, Cul Beag soared above us to the right and the unmistakable shape of Stac Polliadh was directly in front. What a setting to have lunch!

As our outward journey neared it's end, we left the hills behind us and reached the delightful coastline of the Coigach Peninsula. The photos we took of Achnahaird Bay and The Summer Isles speak for themselves. I still think that the first view you get of The Summer Isles from Altandhu is the most beautiful view I have ever seen and it never fails to take my breath away. It would have been rude to drive all that way up there and not have a drink at The Summer Isles Hotel so a quick detour was made to the village of Achiltibuie.

Looking back, the half hour we spent in The Summer Isles Beer Garden was the highlight of my trip.  I just felt so relaxed and at peace with the world and I was sharing that moment with someone who meant so much to me.

On our return journey we stopped off in Ullapool for the customary fish and chip supper which both of us were ready for. Our drive back didn't take anywhere near as long as the drive there as the roads were quiet, plus we had done all our sightseeing on the way up so the miles passed by very quickly.

We were both very tired when we got back to the hotel but we'd had such a great day with some great memories to look back on.

Day three's photos are below.

Gruinard Bay, Wester Ross

Gruinard Bay

Having a paddle, Gruinard Bay

Gruinard Bay

"Hi" from Gruinard Bay

Lunch Break in the Coigach Hills

Achnahaird Bay, Coigach

The Summer Isles from Altandhu

Cheers, The Summer Isles Hotel taken by Sal

The Summer Isles Bar taken by Sal

The Summer Isles Bar Beer Garden taken by Sal

Day four and the blue skies of the previous three days had been replaced by rain but we had known that the day before and had prepared ourselves. The day had supposed to have been a local day, visiting the many beaches in the area. As it turned out we only managed the first one at Opinon before calling it a draw. We did drive just down the road to Red Point where there was another two splendid beaches but we didn't even get out of the car.

We did go the cafe an Inverewe Garden for coffee and cake before heading back to Gairloch where we found a good butty shop. We had our lunch at a place called Melvaig, on the top of cliffs overlooking The Inner Sound with Skye and The Western Isles in the distance. It had stopped raining by then so we did get quite a good and far-reaching view but it was a tad too windy to get out of the car as we would probably have been blown over the cliff edge!

Sal had been wanting to buy some Highland Perfume from a perfumery at a place called Mellon Charles which was situated approximately three miles along a single track road slap bang in the middle of nowhere so, before we returned to Gairloch, we decided to pay them a visit. She merrily saw it signposted and told me to head off up the side road. Three miles and one wrong turn later we pulled in to the car park only to find out that it was closed on Mondays.

Laughing it off, we returned along the narrow lane back to the main road where Sal re-read the sign and casually said "oh, it says on there that its closed on Mondays...sorry!" To rub salt in to the wound, there looked to be a nice cafe there as well. The name Mellon Charles did amuse us though and this inevitably led to a ridiculous half hour of us driving along, matching people's names to fruits.

We then had an explore of Gairloch and found a very nice cafe and book/gift shop which were both very hippyish in nature. In fact we were both very taken by the place in general. We finally returned to our hotel for a chill before heading back up the road to Gairloch and The Old Inn at Charlestown for a pizza and a pint. A walk around the harbour with our cameras and a close encounter with a heron ended our day and holiday perfectly.

Day four's pictures are below.

Foxglove, Loch Maree Hotel

Old Jetty, Loch Maree

Loch Maree

Opinan Beach

Opinan Beach and Skye

Hillbillies Bookshop, Gairloch taken by Sal

Our final day was spent travelling back to Cumbria after picking James up at Kinlochewe. He kept us entertained on the way down with tales of his wild camping adventure. Suffice to say, I think he needs to prepare himself a bit better for the next one. Wild camping in shorts with no midge or tick repellent is not recommended in the North West Highlands! He also helped me a lot with the driving, taking over the wheel when I got tired which was well appreciated.

I had been a bit apprehensive in the weeks leading up to our holiday because I wasn't sure if Sal would like all the travelling, maybe not like the hotel and also maybe not take to the scenery. I needn't have worried because as it turned out she loved every minute of it and she also thought the hotel was perfect. In fact she enjoyed it so much, she started preparing for next years trip before we had even got out of Scotland!

The photos are a mixture of mine and Sal's.

My Scottish Highlands photo album on Flickr