We went down to breakfast promptly at 8 am which was when they said the opened, as we had along days drive ahead, and nabbed a table by the window. I could easily get used to breakfast with a loch view my Eggs Benedict was delicious!
We were on the road by 9 am and enjoying the drive up the loch till we reached the Falls of Measach at Corrieshalloch Gorge. It was a steep walk down into the gorge but worth it to see the rocky suspension bridge ( 6 people on the bridge maximum!) over the gorge with a fine view of the waterfall. On the walk down we passed through a lush green forest with lovely ferns, toadstools and pretty local birds.
Not long after this we passe dthrough the major town of the north-west, Ullapool. It’s a port town with a regular ferry service running to the Hebrides and a pretty street of white cottages lining the harbour front.
I’ve been amazed at the variety of landscape in the far north of Scotland. Some of the glens have the same vast green glacial landscape that we found in Iceland, and then we will drive through miles of a rocky tundra-like landscape that reminds me of the high mountain “above tree-level” scenery that we see in the snowy mountains back home – however here it’s not high at all, we’re only a mile or two from the ocean. Then, we’ll suddenly find ourselves in a lush forest or driving along gorgeous golden beaches against a turquoise sea! Every mile brings a new surprise.
Our next stop along the road , in one of those high tundra like landscapes was the Knockan Crag Nature Reserve . There are wonderful views over a Loch but the main claim to fame of the area is that it preserves and are of rocky landscape with some of the oldest rocks ever discovered in Europe. It also has a handy free toilet block, which is particularly valued by the traveler!
The traffic this far north isn’t as busy as near Skye, however we did end up following a big tour bus into the carpark of our next stop, Arvreck castle, a lovely old ruin on Loch Assynt. The castle is thought to have been constructed around 1590 by the Clan MacLeod family who owned Assynt and the surrounding area from the 13th century onwards. Indeed Sutherland. It;s in such a beautiful setting now it’s one of the major attractions of the area. Another ruin, Calda House, stands nearby – this was built by the laird for his lady who didn’t like the austerity of the castle. It’s reputed to be haunted now by a number of ghosts…but they weren’t out and about today!
Off we set again , heading further norith until eventually we reached the tiny town of Durness on the far north coast and it’s prime attraction Smoo Cave, A dramatic and spectacular sea cave is set into the limestone cliffs. The cave boasts one of the largest entrances to any sea cave in Britain at 50 ft high and is floodlit inside. It was formed by a burn that runs down into the rear chamber, as well as erosion caused by the sea. We walked down the steep path to the entrance of the cave and went inside to see the waterfall. A local landowner usually runs boat tours into the cave along the river but they weren’t running today as the water levels were top high, however Neil did bring the drone out for a bit of a flight over the beach and cave entrance.
Shortly after leaving Durness we passed one of the many beautiful beaches that we saw today, this one was popular with the local sheep!
The road continued north-west for many more miles , much of it along single-track roads with passing places. Eventually, just before 4pm we were finally approaching the end of our days driving when we passed through the little sea-side town of Strathy and I spotted the Orkney Islands, low and misty on the horizon.
We arrived in Thurso and checked into our B&B , Pennyland House, with it’s great view across to the Orkenys. But we just dropped the bags in and then set off another 30 miles up the road to John O’Groats, which claims to be the furthest North-West point on mainland Britain. It’s very touristy with lots of gift shops and cafes but the main thing everyone has to di here is to have their photo taken with the signpost…so we did!
Tonight we ate dinner at The Red Pepper, in one of the local hotels. I ate the days specials, tepura battered king prawns followed by a delicious cod fillet in white wine sauce on a leek mash. The seafood was fresh caught this morning and absolutely delicious. Tomorrw we head out on the ferry to the Orkneys, another early start!