Torridon

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25 June 2017

The Inverewe Gardens created by Osgood MacKenzie and his daughter from 1862 and now managed by the National Trust for Scotland are in Poolewe and we visited them. The gardens are in a sheltered position on the banks of Loch Ewe, cover about 50 acres and contain an impressive variety of plants both large and small from many different counties. Rhododendrons predominate but unfortunately their flowers were over.

From Poolewe we drove past Gairloch, along Loch Maree and into Glen Torridon. On the north side of the glen are three spectacular 3000 ft ridged mountains Beinn Eighe, Liathach and Beinn Alligan. In 1976 we camped in Torridon and I climbed all three with Graham and Lyn Wales on three wonderful mountain days. The trip did have low points as a highland cow got into our mess tent and while devouring our food did a pat on our baby daughter Emma’s changing mat and the midges were dreadful. Today I did a far more modest low level walk into Coire Dubh Mor which divides the crags of Beinn Eighe and Liathach.

For our night stop, we parked at a superb viewpoint overlooking Upper Loch Torridon, Liathach and Beinn Alligan and there were no midges.

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