Monday 30^th June                              LAIRG  TO  DRUMBUIE

A travelling day today, which was good, as we weren’t too bothered by the inevitable rain which had been forecast.

We woke up about 7am in our cosy little cottage Jakel’s Rest. We had a fairly easy morning just having breakfast and packing our bags and belongings before we set out. The trip to Drumbuie, our next accommodation only takes about 2 and a half hours, so we decided to take it easy and see what there was along the way.

                                                               Goodbye Jakel's Rest

We started by travelling south from Lairg and down the A836, driving along the River Shin and the Kyle of Sutherland. We crossed at Bonar Bridge, then drove along the south shore of Dornoch Firth before turning onto the B9176. (A B+four digit road means it’s going to be single lane – but as usual, plenty of passing places.) We followed the Cromarty Firth for a while, going through towns like Evanton, Dingwall and Maryburgh, which looked and sounded quite English rather than Scottish. So did a lot of the surrounding countryside, tending more towards gently rolling fields than towering mountains and moors. We were driving along the A835 when we saw a sign saying ‘Victorian Spa Town’, so, quite intrigued, we went for a look.

                                                    Definitely low tide in Cromarty Firth

                                                       Pretty countryside around Dingwall

If Smoo Cave was our magical unplanned discovery of yesterday, then the little town (pop. 1500) of Strathpeffer was today’s! As the sign said, it was discovered by the Victorians for its spa waters, and became an affluent holiday getaway for the rich. It has some truly amazing architecture from the period and is so pretty! We stopped in the square, and had a walk up the hill before having a lovely morning tea in a café. Over morning tea, we did some research and discovered that there is a crannog in a nearby loch, so instantly resolved to check that out.

                                                           Strathpeffer - so pretty!

                                                   Highland Hotel at the back. 

                                           We had morning tea in Unwined - middle of photo

                                                  Lovely Victorian architecture and gardens

For the uninitiated: a crannog is a man-made island that usually served as a defensive home in a lake or loch. They are usually prehistoric, but this one turned out to be from the 1400s. It was a hunting lodge for the Earls of Ross, then in 1485 when the McKenzie clan chief had been beaten in battle, he moved there and rebuilt the crannog to repel all invaders! It’s all completely overgrown now, but was interesting to see.

                                                           Crannog in Loch Kinnellan

Before we left Strathpeffer, we also hunted down the ‘Eagle Stone’ – a pictish carved stone dating back to pre-Christian times. Legend has it that if the stone falls three times, the waters will rise so high that boats will be moored to the stone (and it’s on a hill). Apparently it has fallen twice, so it’s now securely cemented in!

                                                                      The Eagle Stone

A little way after Strathpeffer, we visited the Black Water Falls. Not as high as some of the others we’ve seen lately, but very striking with their ‘black water’ from the peat.

                                                                    Black Water Falls

From here, we backtracked a few kilometres before heading to the southwest, past more lochs, mountains and rivers. The rain had obligingly held off until now, but we were driving towards ever more threatening clouds, and down came the rain. Finally we reached Loch Carron, which is actually an inlet from the sea. We followed it along, then came down out of the mountains and towards Kyle of Lochalsh, where we were hoping to find lunch.

                                                           Loch a' Chroisg

                                                          River Bran (small and shallow!)

                                                           Tunnels for the road and railway

                                                              Coming into Kyle of Localsh

We’d settled on Hector’s Bothy, just near the harbour. Unfortunately, so had lots of others. We elected to wait for a table, but everyone seemed to be lingering (unwilling to go back out in the rain), ordering dessert etc. Finally, the waitress asked if we’d mind sharing a table? We said no, so she sat us with Owen, a regular who is quite happy to have company. He was at least 90, and was delighted to chat and tell us about the area. He’s not a long term local, having been born in India, lived for many years in Devon, Edinburgh and Dundee, but he suggested a lot of places for us to look at. Lex had the fish burger and I had cream of vegetable soup, so we were well fed. After we bade Owen a fond farewell, we found the Co-op grocery shop and stocked up for the next three nights.

It was still a bit early to book in, so we crossed over the extremely high bridge to Skye and had a quick look. It was very rainy and overcast, so not exactly the best sight-seeing weather! Finally, we headed for Drumbuie, and Ravenswood, our new home. It’s a converted loft over a garage. Our host Susan’s husband is a builder, and he has done an amazing job. Everything is to a very high standard, and they’ve thought of lots of lovely touches. Susan also had left us bread, milk, cake and eggs from her chooks! It was still raining, 12 degrees and very low cloud, so it was good to get all of our stuff in and bunker down. Drumbuie is a crofter town, which apparently means that between April and October, livestock can and do wander at will through the town. So far we’ve seen sheep and cattle strolling around.

                                                       The view from the lounge room window.                                                                                                   Loch Carron is out there but you can't see it!

Since then, we’ve had tea and I’ve done a load of washing. There is actually a drier, so I’m really hoping to catch up on laundry while we’re here. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to vastly improve (fingers crossed) so we can go out and explore the west coast!

 

Sunday 29^th June                     LAIRG – TONGUE – SMOO CAVE – SCOURIE – LAIRG

We have had a massive road trip day today! The weather was fine, the sun was shining (mostly), and of course we still had the ever-present wind howling, but that was manageable. We saw so much of the highlands and couldn’t believe the ever-changing landscapes. This is the map from Lex’s phone showing where we went and our main stops today. (There must have been about a hundred more quick stops to take photos!)

We left at 9 and headed out to Muie, six miles away to see if we could see some of the highland cows Jan, our host, had told us about. There were two there (Pet and Patty), but they were so far back in their paddock, it was hard to see them clearly. Sigh. So we headed back to Lairg, and then north on our road trip.

                                                                Pet and Patty a long way away.

We passed wind farms, burns (streams), rivers and lochs – so many lochs. Loch Loyal, especially, was long and picturesque. The mountains were similarly stunning to look at and changed every time we went around the corner.

                                 There were so many motor bike and bicycle riders out today.

                                                                Highland stream

                                                                     Loch Loyal

                                                           Tower house coming into Tongue

By half past 11, we were getting peckish, and decided that we would stop in Tongue (yes, it really is called that) for brunch. We found a lovely meal at Burrs of Tongue, and sat outside in the sunshine. Lex had a cheese scone and a raspberry tart, and I had an island cheese toastie. When I looked at the map, I was a bit mystified to see ‘Tongue Fill’ written at our stop, but then Lex pointed out that they also sold petrol….mystery solved.

                                                          Morning tea in Tongue   

                                                           Highland river

                                                           Some of the rock was really white

                                                     Rock formations on the north coast

From here, we travelled west along the Tongue Causeway which crosses the Kyle of Tongue (no, I’m not making this up!) and continued west to the next loch, Loch Eriboli. We drove down its east coast then up the west right to the top of Scotland, where we found Smoo Cave. There were so many people there, we thought we’d better see what it was like, and it was one of the highlights of the day. We walked down the steps on the cliff to the cave, which is both freshwater and seawater combined. Archaeological digs have shown that the cave has been used since Neolithic times, but the Vikings especially used it a lot. There’s a waterfall which thunders down in the cave; just lovely. When we’d had a look, I went back up the side of the cliff we’d come down, and Lex took the long, scenic route up the other side. I hadn’t realised what a major climb down it was, and just had my old slip-on shoes on, instead of changing to joggers which would have been a LOT more suitable.

                                                           Smoo Cave

From here, we headed southwest towards Scotland’s west coast. More stunning mountains, lochs, waterfalls and streams. This section also had a lot of ruins visible – evidence of the highland clearances of the 1800s, no doubt. Most of the road was single lane, which does restrict speed. At least they have provided so many passing areas that we hardly ever had to back up, which happens a lot in England and Ireland. They also provide parking areas for the most popular beauty spots, and there were certainly plenty of us taking advantage of them today. It reminded us of the Ring of Kerry in Ireland, only not as busy!

                                            Interesting striped effect from erosion, we assume

                                                  Lots of tourists photographing and hiking

We stopped at the Asda in Scourie, on the west coast, as I felt like a drink. I found a chocolate milk; Lex found a bottle of Old Pulteney Scotch (12 years old) for only 30 pounds. He just had to have it! It was brewed in Wick, which he visited two days ago. Leaving Scourie, I was thrilled to see highland cows in a field, so Lex obligingly stopped while I clicked away. Several other cars were pulling up to do the same thing.

                                                     Heelin' coos! (translated: highland cows)

We headed eastward for home, still stopping frequently to photograph amazing scenery. It began raining though, which helped dampen our enthusiasm a bit. Despite all the stops, we finally arrived home just before 5.

                                              Mountains, lochs, castles..... this is Scotland

Since then, Lex has had a nap (well deserved after all that driving), I’ve cooked tea and we’ve both sorted through and culled some of the hundreds of photos we took today! It was a long day in the car but worth it to see so much of northern Scotland. Lex calculates that in the six weeks we’ve been here, we’ve done just over three thousand miles. And many more to go….

 

Saturday 28^th June                  INVERNESS  -  LOCH NESS  -  DORNOCH  -  LAIRG

Well, another travel day, and a really good one, with no traffic hassles, and nice weather – apart from the howling gale that accompanied us everywhere, of course. But at least the sun shone a lot and there was no rain, so in Scotland that’s a win!

We woke up at about quarter past seven, so not too bad a sleep in. After breakfast, we chatted to Cait and Danny, and set about packing everything up. As we’re only in this accommodation for two nights, we’ve just got a little bag each, which makes it a lot easier. We were finally done and on the road by nine o’clock, and set off south from Inverness.

The plan was to fill in the several hours we had by exploring a bit. Last time we were here, we drove down the eastern side of Loch Ness on the wide road, the B862, which is actually quite a distance from the loch most of the way. This time, we followed the narrow, single lane road which hugs the loch pretty much right the way down. It was one of General Wade’s military roads – he was sent to Scotland after Jacobite uprisings in the early 1700s to improve the road systems, and the road still bears his name today.

It takes quite a while to drive around Loch Ness. Not only is it 36km long, but you really can’t go very fast on the winding single lane, as you never know who or what is about to hurtle around the corner. They do provide plenty of passing points, fortunately. And of course, we stopped several times to admire the view. It really is spectacular when the sun is shining, as the water is a deep blue. Once the clouds come over, it’s more of a slate grey. The hills either side are very steep and covered in forest.

                                                       Loch Ness.....

                                                         Beautiful, stunning scenery....

                                                          ....but alas, no monsters!

Our major stop along the eastern edge of the loch was Falls of Foyer. This is a waterfall that plunges 100 metres or so before flowing into the loch. The poet Robbie Burns was so impressed by it that he wrote a poem about it, describing it as a ‘horrid cauldron’. I was wondering what on earth he was on about, then I read that nowadays quite a bit of the flow is diverted for hydroelectricity, thus explaining why it’s much tamer (which seems a bit of a shame.) It was 300 metres down winding paths, which was okay, but the coming back up again took a bit longer! Anyway, we made it and rewarded ourselves with morning tea at the Waterfall Café.

                                                                 Falls of Foyer

                                                               Lots of steps!

                                                                Massive forest trees

After this we continued on our way again, diverting away from Loch Ness as we got closer to Fort Augustus (which is pretty much right at the bottom of the loch.) We passed a group of intrepid bike riders, obviously out for a Saturday morning ride. The wind was so strong, I don’t know how they managed to stay on their bikes! We then went right up high across the mountains, where there was a lookout. We struggled into our coats and out for a look. Truly spectacular scenery. Several hardy individuals were climbing to the top of a nearby hill for an even better view, but we were thoroughly chilled just being out for a few minutes. So it was back in the car, and onwards.

                                                          Intrepid cyclists defying the gale

                                                            Stunning highland scenery

We passed through Fort Augusta, which looked lovely but was absolutely teeming with tourists, and no parking in sight, so we just kept going back up the western side of the loch. This is the big tourist area, so there were coaches and cars galore, cruises, so many places to stay and opportunities to buy Nessie souvenirs. And I can sadly relate that any attempts to spot Nessie were just as successful as our dolphin spotting yesterday! I’d hoped to stop and see Urquhart Castle, but no luck at all. The medieval Urquharts cunningly put it on a point where it just can’t be seen from the road. And being the first day of the summer holidays here, the car park was full, and signs up saying ‘ticket holders only’, so that dashed that idea.

We completed our trip around the loch, and headed back through Inverness and to the north. As Lairg is really only about an hour’s drive, we decided to take the scenic route up the coast and see the scenery there.

We set Dornoch, on the shores of the Dornoch Firth, as our aim for lunch. It was a lovely drive, across the Moray and Cromarty Firths then across the Dornoch Firth, so lots of bridges. Dornoch is the most gorgeous little town – it was the first in Scotland to be made a Royal Burgh, in 1628. It also boasts the smallest cathedral in Scotland. The Bishop of the day in 1224 wanted a cathedral so much that he paid for it himself! A later Bishop built a castle nearby to live in during the 1400s, and the tower of it still stands today (it’s now the hotel.) During the early 1800s both the cathedral and castle had fallen badly into disrepair, when Lord and Lady Sutherland bankrolled extensive renovations for both. Lady Sutherland especially took on the cathedral as a project, and I must say she did a remarkable job, it’s beautiful – small but perfectly formed. Of course, she’s buried there, with the biggest burial slab I’ve ever seen. Andrew Carnegie also gave a lot of money to the town, as he bought the nearby Skibo Castle. We had a very nice lunch in the Sandstone Café - Lex had baked potato with haggis & neeps (parsnips!) Then we went for a walk around town and enjoyed looking at all the lovely stone buildings.

                                                              Haggis and neeps!

                                                   Dornoch Cathedral and 1890s fountain

                                                      Dornoch Castle

                                                  Adorable stained glass robin in the cathedral

After this, we moved on, west towards Lairg, the little town near Jakel’s Rest, our new accommodation. We drove along the northern edge of Dornoch Firth and arrived here just before 4. We checked out the kitchen (a microwave, hotplate and air fryer – perfect!) then went into Lairg to the Spar supermarket, which is quite small. Anyway, we found enough for the next two days.

After this, Lex went for a drive to explore the area a bit, and found the Falls of Shin, where the salmon were leaping! I stayed home and had a nice rest and started tea. Our little house is a converted barn in a rural area – very comfortable and warm. They’ve made really good use of skylights in the bathroom and lounge room to make them lighters. It is so nice to be back in self-catering accommodation after a week or so in hotels/ B&Bs. As I type, I’m looking out the window at three white and one black sheep. There are also several bird feeders dotted around the yard, so we’ve already met several new birds, including the song thrush which is very much at home here. The owners have thoughtfully provided a bird book for checking them out.

                                                              Our resident song thrush

                                                    Leaping salmon at the Falls of Shin

                                                                The neighbours

Tomorrow, we’re off to explore the highlands and see what we can see!