Blogs from Ullapool, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

Once more I was lucky enough to be invited up to stay at my friend Maureen’s house up in ‘Wee Bonny Scotland’ for some late summer roaming in the gloaming, or rather some more Munro Bagging after I began the challenge last year. And for those who aren’t in the know, it isn’t some kind of parcelling up of Marilyn lookilikees but rather collecting peaks in Scotland which are over 3000ft high (here’s the geek bit: A Munro is a mountain in Scotland with a height over 3,000 ft (914.4 m). Munros are named after Sir Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet (1856–1919), who produced the first list of such hills, known as Munros Tables, in 1891). There are a grand total of 282 of these Munros and so I’ve got a few to go having bagged only ... read more

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 ... read more

Geo: 57.8996, -5.1577Ullapool, ScotlandWe stopped about 11:45 to do a photo op of the old Oykel Bridge while standing on the new Oykel Bridge that goes over the Oykel River. One could not tell which bridge was the old one or new by their appearance, but it was nice to get off the bus for the lovely site. I am having a bad day dealing with the bus. I seem to notice the smells (mostly heavy doses of perfume and hand creams from the older women) and the cramp confines of the other people. We got into Ullapool about 12:45 made our lunch stop in a nice town by water. Usually on these stops I have allowed the older folks to be first to the restrooms and restaurants even though I am then rushed to eat ... read more

Wednesday 15th July The coastal and highland circuit After the big day out yesterday we thought a short drive today would be enough for us.So we opted for a circuit that took in the coast and also the inland highlands. With lesser distance to travel we didn’t need to be away so early and we could be more leisurely about breakfast and even allow ourselves to indulge in a bit of junk TV in the guise of The Jeremy Kyle Show!! So after Jeremy had sorted out two lots of couples with relationship problems we hit the road back out of town down Loch Broom.With only one road in and out of town we had to go back over the road we had travelled when we arrived.This is against our principles of not repeating roads we ... read more

Vandaag zijn we opgestaan zonder enige planning, dus ook zonder veel verwachtingen. Het idee om naar Ullapool te trekken wordt al rap afgeschoten vanwege 'te ver', 'te laat' (het is zowat 11:00 am). We trekken dan richting Shin Falls, een watervallencomplex waarvan we gehoord hebben dat je er op het juiste moment de zalm stroomopwaarts ziet springen en (niet minder belangrijk) er zou ook een mooi speelpleintje voor de kinderen zijn. Zo gezegd zo gedaan. Eens ter hoogt van de 'Bonar bridge' komen de wauw-uitlatingen weer naar boven vanwege het toenemende highland gehalte. Een klein opwarmertje zal blijken. Bij de Shin Falls aangekomen is het het speelpleintje dat in de ogen van de kinderen springt en niet de zalm in de watervallen. Het ene bord geeft aan dat dit vanaf juni tot september is, het andere ... read more