Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: lower diabaig

Showing posts with label lower diabaig. Show all posts

Transfer to Balmacara

A perfect morning for travelling to our cottage at Balmacara. The Loch was very still as I paid it a last visit and took some photos.

We then trod a well worn path down past Loch Maree and then along Glen Torridon for a coffee in the Torridon Shop Cafe, the best in Scotland bar none. We had plenty of time to spare so we carried on over The Bealach na Gaoithe (The Pass Of The Wind) and down to Lower Diabaig. We had just travelled over 40 miles by road yet we were less than ten miles from our starting point as the crow flies.

We both love this hidden gem, it used to be a thriving fishing port but now is only used for landing langoustines for the posh hotels and foreign trade. It does have an Inn/Restaurant and a scattering of houses which I should imagine are holiday lets and it is also the starting point to the coastal path to the beaches of Red Point and beyond.

We returned to Torridon and followed The Wester Ross Coastal Route to Glen Sheil,which was only a few miles from our holiday let.

Once unpacked, I took a beer outside and sat in the garden watching a marvelous sunset over Skye.

Farewell Loch Maree

Loch Maree

Torridon

Loch Torridon

Lower Diabaig

Torridon Hills

Balmacara Sunset

Skye Bridge

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

Over The Windy Pass to Lower Diabaig

Another day of mixed weather. As we left Badachro it was quite nice but it had clouded over by the time we reached Loch Maree. We had the odd shower as we drove down Torridon but nothing too drastic. Thankfully the Torridon Stores cafe was open so we had a coffee each and sat on one of the benches outside which was no imposition as the view is fantastic.

It started raining again as we set off for our final destination, Lower Diabaig. The narrow road 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 even though they were hampered a bit by the cloud and rain squalls sweeping across but on a clear day I reckon you could see for mile after mile.

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 was very pleasant as the rain had stopped and it was brightening up. Lower Diabaig consisted of a lovely collection of cottages dotted on the hill-side and alongside the road which eventually lead 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 was 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 is no way out of Lower Diabaig other than the way you come in so we retraced our footsteps all the way back to Badachro. 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 40 miles! In good weather it is a beautiful 40 miles but the rain had moved in so it was a pretty grim drive back to the cottage.