Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: September 2021

The Two Mellons and Gairloch Museum

A day out to the finest cafe in the area and then the finest beach...what more could one ask for?

Whenever we are up this way, we always go to The Perfume Factory at Melon Charles, mainly for the coffee and cake. It is not easy to get to but is well worth the effort, being beautifully situated on the edge of Loch Ewe and also having magnificent views all round, weather permitting. I've had some drenching here in the past and came very close to one this day but, experience had given me just a good enough head start to get back to the car in time.

It was then just a short drive up the coast to Melon Udrigle which, I think, is everyone's favourite beach in this area. The views up to The Summer Isles and Coigach and across to An Teallach are simple superb, as is the beach itself and the clear blue waters.

The weather was perfect for photography as well. All around there seemed to be dark brooding squalls but miraculously, we managed to steer clear of them. On our way back to the car I could see one approaching and unfortunately, it was a race we lost but compared to some of the previous drenchings I've had in these parts, this one was relatively mild!

It had been our intention to visit Gruinard Bay as well but the rain looked to have set in for the day so, after sitting in the car for a wee while waiting for it to brighten, we decided to call it a draw and head back to Badachro. One good thing to come out of our early departure was that it gave us the chance to visit the Museum at Gairloch.

Gairloch Museum is located in a converted nuclear bunker with galleries showcasing the history, culture and natural heritage of the beautiful area of the North West Highlands. Displays include the original lens from Rubh Re lighthouse which we visited the previous year, a replica croft house showing how people used to live and an interactive gallery about the area's natural world, midges and all!

Add to that a cafe and what more could you ask for?

Melon Charles

Loch Ewe from Melon Charles

Melon Charles

Viewpoint Melon Charles

Distant hills of Coigach

Melon Udrigle

Sand dunes, Melon Udrigle

Loch Gruinard

Over The Bealach na Goaithe to Diabaig

This day turned out to be the sunniest day of the holiday so we specifically picked it for going through Torridon and over The Bealach na Goaithe to Diabaig.

Thankfully the Torridon Stores cafe was open this year, so we had a coffee each and sat on one of the benches outside which was no imposition as the view is fantastic. They also made us two excellent tuna sandwiches to take away with us.

The narrow road to Diabaig followed the right hand side of Loch Torridon before rising up in a series of zig-zags to a pass named Bealach na Gaoithe which is Gaelic for The Pass of the Wind. The views back across Upper Loch Torridon and over to Applecross were stunning and this year, with the weather being fine we got to take some fantastic photos.

The road then continued towards Loch Daibaigas Airde where we had even more superb albeit terrifying views. If you are afraid of heights then I'd recommend not to look down to the Loch as it is far, far below the road and it looks a pretty sheer drop. The rest of the journey down to Lower Diabaig though was very pleasant, apart from us picking bin emptying day for our journey. The one thing you don't want to come across on these roads is a massive refuge truck!

Lower Diabaig consisted of a lovely collection of cottages dotted on the hill-side and alongside the road which eventually led down to the pier. There was lots more evidence that, in the past, it had been quite a busy fishing village and I think a few locals still fish from there but it is mainly oyster fishing. There were old fishing huts boarded up and also one or two run down cottages that were just screaming out for a bit of restoration, it was such a shame.

There was also a shipwreck just offshore called The Dayspring which broke its moorings during a hurricane in 2005 and ended up in the bay. Each time I visit there seems to be less and less remaining which I should imagine bears testament to the weather and storms this area often gets. It still makes for a cracking photo though.

There's no way out of Lower Diabaig other than the way you come in so we retraced our footsteps all the way back to Badachro, stopping at the top ofthe Bealach to eat our sandwiches.

A path does lead from Lower Diabaig along the coast to Red Point, a distance of some 8 miles and then Red Point is only 5.5 miles from Badachro but unfortunately the road journey is some 40 miles! In good weather it is the most beautiful 40 miles

Loch Torridon

Bealach na Goaithe Road

Diabaig

Diabaig Shipwreck

Diabaig

Shipping Bell

Diabaig

Diabaig Harbour

Diabaig Shipwreck

Diabaig

Diabaig Harbour

The Bealach na Goaithe

Unknown Lochan

The Bealach na Goaithe

The Bealach na Goaithe Viewpoint

Rainbow over Loch Maree

An Evening Stroll on Opinon Beach

Another one of those evenings when common sense tells you to stay at home and get in front of the fire but sometimes, common sense is something I'm lacking in. Sal was with me this time and our intention was to go down to the beach at Red Point. We stopped off at the view point and could tell the weather was coming it from over Skye way but it was fast moving so we parked up for a short time with the hope of it passing through.

Needless to say it didn't, so we set off back towards our holiday cottage as the beach was a good 15 minutes walk from the car, and you can get very wet indeed in just that short space of time! As we neared the beach at Opinon, the skies looked a bit brighter so we bit the bullet, parked at the side of the road, put on our waterproofs and set off down through the sand dunes.

What followed was one of the nicest and most refreshing hours we spent during the entire holiday. The weather brightened and the sun came out, enabling us to have a bracing walk along the entire length of the sands. Sal went that one step further and took off her shoes and socks and walked bate-footed.

Eventually, as the sun set behind Skye and with the darkness closing in, we reluctantly headed back to the car, both feeling totally refreshed and blessed.