England-Scotland Day 8 (Part 1) – Morning before leaving Ullapool and visiting the Falls of Measach at the Corrieshalloch Gorge

10 April 2010

We would be leaving Ullapool today and taking the long, winding, scenic route to the Isle of Skye.  Breakfast at the Broombank B&B was once again deliciously nice. So was the hospitality. Shirley, our hostess, came to chat with us and we talked about our plan for the day.

Part of my plan was to drive up the Bealach na Bà. This is a historic pass through the mountains of the Applecross peninsula, in Wester Ross.  The Bealach na Ba, or Pass of the Cattle is a single-track mountain road going up the steep mountain with numerous hair-pin turns and steep ascent to over 2000 feet above sea level in about five miles and leads to the Applecross village.

According to my research prior to my trip, it provides some of the most challenging driving in Scotland and even has a road sign at the start of the route warning beginner drivers not to take this route. But it is the “most spectacular pass in Scotland”. So, how not to go? It would be a detour to the top of the pass and then back track down again. Just for the fun of it.

With my “one-day driving experience on the single-track roads of the Scottish Highland”, I was a little apprehensive but Shirley reassured us that it should be no problem. She told us a story of her grandfather who took an old, beat-up truck (or was it a bus?) up the pass, on unpaved road in those days, and during winter!  I will write more about our journey up and down the pass in a later post.

Well-fed and reassured, we said good bye to Shirley and her nice home in Broombank.

Packed and ready to go after a nice breakfast at Broombank B&B, Ullapool.

We stopped to take a photo with the Ullapool clock, said to be the “most photographed clock in the Highlands.

Note the weather vane at the top and lights at the side. “All-in-one” clock.

We headed to the pier to buy some takeaway food for our lunch along the way. It was an opportunity for me to take some photos of the harbour and the boats in the morning.

Ferry at Ullapool Harbour.

Leaving Ullapool, we took the A835 southwards, looking out for signs for the A832 and the Corrieshalloch Gorge and the Falls of Measach which was located near the intersections.  I somehow missed the signs which were mostly facing the other direction (for people heading towards Ullapool) and had to U-turn towards Ullapool again to find the place.

To get to the gorge, we have to take a short hike downhill through some open country.

Scenery on the trails to the Falls of Measach.

There's a suspension bridge and a viewpoint to view the falls plunging 150 feet into 200 foot deep Corrieshalloch Gorge.

First view of the suspension bridge over the gorge.

Suspension Bridge over the Corrieshalloch Gorge.

Note our shadows against the steep side of the narrow gorge!

The Falls of Measach is not that impressive, but the gorge is deep! Carved by the waters over the years.

After visiting the gorge, it was a slightly more difficult journey up the hill back to our car. We proceeded along the A832 to explore the Wester Ross peninsula.