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Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Ross and Cromarty » Ullapool
September 13th 2011
Published: September 13th 2011
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We slept well in our cosy room, with no wind or rain that we were aware of, then it was up and away on the adventure of going west across the top of Scotland before turning south to Ullapool. It’s fair to say the morning was not dry or sunny but we had hopes of improvement through the day.
As we drove, the land changed from farmland to wild moor and mountain land with breathtaking landform and colours. In places the brilliant purple heather was still in full flower, while the green bracken was turning to yellow, orange and brown, making for a rich effect a little like crushed velvet spread across the land. Our cameras were in constant use and we stopped countless times in the little passing places on the narrow road in order to try again to get the perfect shot of the land, the water that was everywhere and the wet misty sky. We often saw rushing streams pouring through gaps in the rocky terrain and tumbling down and across the rocky ground. Occasional tiny villages offered opportunities for refreshment at little pubs with the friendly words “Non residents welcome” included on the signs.
The roads were unfenced in many places and we enjoyed close contact with sheep calmly going about their business on and off the narrow roads, completely trusting drivers to give them space. Tiny whitewashed houses dotted the land at times, surrounded by a few small fields cleared from the bracken covered slopes. In one lonely spot a red telephone box nestled in the bracken and heather along with a Royal Mail post box awaiting a visit from one of the little red postie vans seen in many places on our drive.
Having decided to take the coastal road wherever possible, we enjoyed the constantly changing vistas of loch, sea, cliffs and sandy beaches. Ullapool, our destination today, is a pretty town at the edge of a loch, with ferry boats departing for Stornaway on Harris and Lewis. We took our friendly host’s advice and tackled the 10 minute shortcut walk to a cafe for dinner, somehow taking that familiar “scenic route” and destroying one of our matching Polish umbrellas as we rounded a corner into the full force of a sudden squall. However, occasional breaks in the misty rain today have been very welcome and we hold on to hopes that tomorrow’s drive to the Isle of Skye will be done under sunny skies.



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