Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: loch loyne

Today was a recce for a trip I intended doing when me and Sal come up to the Highlands for our September holiday. We will be staying at Balmacara for a week, just a few miles from The Kyle of Localsh which is just down the road.

I intend taking her over The Bealach Ratagain and then on to Glenelg and Arisdale which overlooks Knoydart and Loch Hourn. The bit I wanted to check out was the drive over The Bealach Ratagain so this day out seemed a good excuse to do that and to visit Glen Shiel and Loch Cluanie again as I haven't been to this area for a number of years. I parked up in the viewpoint car park at the top of the bealach and sat at a picnic table to eat the lunch I'd bought in Fort William. The view was absolutely stunning looking towards The Five Sisters Of Kintail.

It was a long day, especially the drive back to Fort William. Thankfully the new cafe was open at The Cluanie Inn so I made a stop off there for a final coffee and a piece of cake. I must admit, I was on auto pilot a bit when I pulled into the carpark of the apartment I was staying in.

Loch Loyne

Loch Cluanie

Loch Duich

Bealach Ratagain

Today was the start of our journey back to Cumbria and we decided to break our journey with a night in that holiday hotspot...Fort William! We were both up early and were treated to a rather nice sunrise so before starting to pack the car I took a couple of photos of the view I had lived with for the past week. I lost count of the number of times I photographed Badachro harbour but each one meant something special to me and always will.

We made a couple of stops on the way down, one being a visit to a great little cafe at Lochcarron for some lunch. It was pretty basic and run by a couple of local women but the food was excellent and no-nonsense food, something which is getting rarer to find these days. Even though the drive was only just over a hundred miles, it seemed to take an eternity. We finally arrived at the Alexandra Hotel in Fort William late afternoon and hastily made a beeline for The Grog and Gruel and then The Nevis Inn for a couple of pints before going back to the hotel for some food and a chill. We did venture out later but just for a stroll to gett some air as the hotel was so warm.

Fort William never changes much, its not the prettiest of places and can get a bit rowdy but it is convenient as a stop-over. I did notice that there were a few more shops and eating places than the last time I visited which can only be a good thing.

Our final leg was just a straight drive back down to Cumbria. We stopped at a nice cafe called The Golden Larches at Balquhidder which we will ceratinly return to before hitting the M9/M80. I was sad to get back but happy if you know what I mean. I was certainly looking forward to a few quiet and relaxing days at the caravan.

We'd had a great week up in Wester Ross and, as we did with the Somerset holiday. We did everything we intended doing and a bit more besides. Sometimes the weather played ball, sometimes it didn't but what would you expect for October? Our holiday let was perfectly positioned right on the edge of Loch Gairloch and we had an ace pub in the village, plus daily visits from herons and the occasioanal visit from a flock of sheep. On one occasion we even had a colony of seals come to say hello!

Highlights of the holiday? Getting drenched twice at Mellon Charles whilst taking photos, sitting outside the Old Inn in October getting eaten alive by midges, sitting inside the Badachro Inn after our days out, our walk to Loch Clair in Glen Torridon, going over "The Pass of the winds" to visit Lower Diabaig, visiting the World War II Arctic Convoy site on Loch Ewe, the many sandy beaches we explored, the many rainbows we saw, the many cups of coffee and pieces of carrot cake we consumed, our daily heron visits, our encounter with the seals in Shieldaid Bay, the many laughs we had together and last but not least, Blacksmith's Cottage and the delightful village of Badachhro.