England-Scotland Day 7 (Part 3) – exploring the Coigach and Assynt peninsula from Stoer Lighthouse to Kylesku

9 April 2010

From the Stoer lighthouse, we continued along the B869 towards Kylesku and made a stop at the village of Drumbeg for its scenic views.

The above photo shows the view at Drumbeg.

 

Here are some of the photos taken on the B869 after Drumbeg.

On the B869, single track road after Drumbeg, going towards Kylesku.

Deer seen on the B869, single track road towards Kylesku. Not sure if this is wild or belongs to a farm.

Some parts of the B869 could be steep and winding, like here.

We stopped and climb up a slope to have a view of Loch a’ Chairn Bhain.

View of Loch a’ Chairn Bhain with Kylesku bridge barely visible in the distant (above the island).

Making my way down to the car. Beautiful view of the Scottish highlands in the back.

The B869 led us to the A894. We made a left turn and headed northwards towards the Kylesku bridge.

We made a stop at a lookout point near Unapool for nice views of Loch Gleann Dubh and a lesson in geography.

Loch Gleann Dubh and interesting mountain with thrust plains in the back.

The A894 that we came from. Some big mountain in the back.

After our impromptu lesson on geography at Unapool, we continued along the A894 and crossed over the Kylesku Bridge and stopped at the car park by the bridge.

Kylesku Bridge over the narrow waterway connecting Loch a’ Chairn Bhain and Loch Gleann Dubh.

View of Loch a’ Chairn Bhain from the Kylesku Bridge. Earlier on, we were probably somewhere up in the hills in the background, looking at the same loch.

This was the furthest north that we went. The time was about 4.15 PM and it was time to head back to Ullapool as it would take about an hour of driving, plus we wanted to visit the Ardrveck Castle on the way back.

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England-Scotland Day 7 (Part 4) – From Kylesku to Ullapool, Ardvreck Castle and Calda House

9 April 2010

Leaving Kylesku, we took the A894 southwards. Compared to driving on the single track B-roads, we made good progress on the wider A-roads.

The above photo shows the A894 road that we took from Kylesku.

There were impressive views of mountains along the A894, on way to Ardvreck Castle from Kylesku.

It took just 20 minutes from the Kylesku Bridge to arrive at Ardvreck Castle.  Unlike most English or Scottish castles which are located high up on some hill or craig, the relatively small castle is located on a little peninsula and surrounded by water on 3 sides, for easy defending against the enemies.

There was a sign describing the history of the castle. It was the 15th century seat of the Macleods of Assynt. The sign said that many ghosts haunted this place. The weeping daughter of a Maccleod chief is said to be seen crying near the beach of Loch Assynt where she drowned. Also a man in grey suit can be seen in the castle at times. I was the only person in the family who read the sign and I did not tell the rest about the hauntings. Else that may be the end of our visit to the castle.

A short hike on a path through the grassy fields is required from the car park to get to the ruins of the castle. At this time of day, we were the only folks there, not counting the ghosts.

Walking to the ruins of the Ardvreck Castle with nice views of the loch and Sutherland mountains.

Skimming stones on the beach near Ardvreck Castle.

The white spot near the stone wall in the above picture was a carcass of a dead sheep.

On the way to the castle, we spotted the carcass of a sheep by the stone wall that guarded the access to the peninsula. All that was left of the sheep were some wool, skin and some bones. I took a photo of it but I  thought I better not post the disgusting picture.

Ruin of the castle. This was supposed to be a 3 storey building, plus basement.

Exploring the castle but not too close as there were risks of falling stones from the crumbling building.

Beach of Loch Assynt. Said to be haunted!

View of the grassy plains, loch and Sutherland mountains on the way back to the car. The ruin of Calda House could be seen. Calda House was built in 1726 by the Mackenzies who had seized Ardvreck from the MacLeods in 1672.

We definitely wanted to leave this place before darkness falls. Time was 5 PM when we left.

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England-Scotland Day 7 (Part 5) – An evening at Ullapool

9 April 2010

After a whole of driving on single track roads, the journey back to Ullapool from Kylesku, via the A837 and A835 was a breeze. We arrived at Ullapool at about 6 PM and went straight to the Ullapool Harbour.

Ferries to the outer Scottish islands depart from Ullapool on a regular basis.

 

Ferries to the Outer Scottish islands depart from Ullapool.

I simply love this town - the harbour, the boats, the traditional buildings, laid back atmosphere and beautiful scenery of Loch Broom. The setting sun cast a warm light on the scenery and it was nice to take a walk onto the jetty and snap away with my camera. The ladies rested on a bench while my son and I went to check out the fishing boats.

Red, Green, Blue – boats in all colours!

View of Ullapool from the jetty.

We bought some takeover fish and chips from a store and headed back to our B&B. The view of Loch Broom from outside the B&B was stunning. I set up my tripod to shoot the sunset but it was pretty cloudy.  Nevertheless, it was a nice way to end the day.

Sunset over Loch Broom, taken just outside the Broombank B&B where we stayed. The dogs were having a good time chasing after rabbits in the field below. Shirley’s (our B&B host) King Charles Spaniel was one of the dogs in the photo.

 

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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.

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England-Scotland Day 8 (Part 2) – Little Gruniard Bay, Loch Ewe and Loch Maree

10 April 2010

Continuing on the A832, we discovered the beauty of the Wester Ross Peninsula. Loch, mountains and even beaches!

The above photo shows the views along the A832 from Ullapool towards Gailoch.

We made a stop by a beach (called the Little Gruinard Beach) at the Gruniard Bay.

If this is the Little beach, where is the Big Gruinard Beach?

Steps leading to the Little Gruinard Beach.

Exploring Little Gruinard Beach, Scotland.

We had the whole beach to ourselves, except for another family, and the birds.

Little Gruinard Beach at low tide.

It was nice watching the birds take off and land on the water.

Leaving the beach, the A835 brought us uphill and offered breath-taking views of Gruinard Bay.

Views of Gruinard Bay from the A832. 2 beaches could be seen in the distance. One must be the Little Gruinard Beach.

We spotted an USO (Unidentified Swimming Object) in the bay. Probably an otter or seal.

Next up, Loch Ewe.

Loch Ewe.

Not as spectacular now, but a sign said this was a place where the Allied ships forming the Atlantic convoys were harboured during WWII.

“Imagine this loch, “black with ships” that we can walk from one end of the loch to the other end, without getting your feet wet.”

It also tells about the isolation and stress faced by the sailors in this quiet remote Loch Ewe, especially for city folks. We were amused when we read this:

“ When you are here for six months, you start talking to yourself; after twelve months you start talking to the sheep and after eighteen months, the sheep starts talking to you”.

The A832 next took us inland, heading eastwards towards Loch Maree. The road went along the southern bank of the loch with a few picnic areas inviting us to make a stop. This was a nice place to rest and relax after a long drive.

Loch Maree.

Interpretation signs were often found, explaining geography or history of the place. This made the place more interesting for visitors like us.

Sign explaining how Loch Maree got its name.

The kids standing on rocks, mimicking the gulls. Monkey see, Monkey do.

Unbeatable scenery!

We rested for about 30 minutes at Loch Maree before continuing our drive. We left the A832 to take the A896 at Kinochewe, towards Sheildaig and the Applecross Pass!

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England-Scotland Day 8 (Part 3) – Driving up the Bealach na Ba, or Pass of the Cattle at Applecross Peninsula

10 April 2010 

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.

The beginning of the pass is along the A896.

Sure enough, there was a sign warning beginner drivers not to take the pass.

Undulating single track road at the beginning part.

Here is a short video of the beginning part of our journey up the mountain.

See this video to get a feel of how it was like driving up the Bealach na Ba. At the end of the video, we encountered an oncoming car and it showed how we passed each other at one of “passing places”.

The beginning part was not so bad although there were many blind spots. Further up, the road became narrower, steeper and there were fewer passing places for longer stretch of the road. So there was a constant dread of having to face oncoming cars at a tight spot.

There was a car park at the peak.  We parked our car next to a marker, installed by the Automotive Association, stating this place is 2053 feet above sea level.

Car park at the look out point. Taking pictures of the panoramic view was the first thing on your mind once out of the car!

View of the mountains in the Isle of Skye, across the sea, from the look-out point at Applecross Pass.

Feeling on top of the world.

It was strange to find these pools of water at the such high elevations.

Stacked stones were a common sight.

The place was quite desolated. We were the only ones wandering around, experiencing the high mountain wind, sun and views.

Here is a video of our journey back down from the top.



See this video to get a feel of how it was like driving down from the top of the Bealach na Ba.

Coming down the pass, I was driving slower than on the way up. This was partially due to the fact that the road surface near the top was more slippery, with many small pebbles. Have to be careful. 

Furthermore, I had to use a lower gear. Lastly but most importantly, I wanted to enjoy the beautiful scenery! So, it was one eye on the road and the other taking in the scenery and going slow.

By the time we came down from the Applecross pass, it was about 5.15 PM. We managed to reach the Isle of Skye in good time and crossing the Skye bridge at about 6 PM. In the past, before the Skye bridge was built, cars had to be transferred across to the island by ferry. Now it was a breeze to get across to the Isle of Skye using the bridge. Toll free too.

It was an easy drive into Portree where our B&B was located.

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England-Scotland Day 11 (Part 1) – Morning at Kyleakin and stopover at Eilean Donan Castle and the Commando Monument

13 April 2010

I woke early to explore the harbour and take some photos around the White Heather Hotel in Kyleakin while the rest of the family took turns to wash up and get ready for breakfast.

Castle Moil in the morning.

Kyleakin Harbour.

White Heather Hotel is the white building at the background.

I tried to spot otters in the sea but none was seen. Only Teko the bronze otter.

Teko the otter - bronze statue at Kyleakin.

After breakfast, we said goodbye to Gillian and she invited us to write a short note in her guest book, which we did.

Our plan for Day 11 of our road trip was to make the long, long drive from Isle of Skye to Balloch, a small town near Loch Lomond. Why Balloch? Balloch is somewhat the mid-point between Skye and the Lake District in England where we would be spending 3 nights.  So, Balloch was like a lay-over place. I believed it was better to stay near Loch Lomond then to stay in Glasgow city.

Along the way to Balloch, we planned to make stops at a few prominent landmarks, namely the Eilean Donan Castle, Commando Monument, have lunch somewhere along the journey (probably near Fort Williams) and then proceed all the way to our B&B in Balloch.

Leaving Skye, we crossed over the Skye Bridge and within a few minutes, we were at the Eilean Donan castle,  Scotland’s most photographed castle.

So here are some to add the millions of beautiful photos of this castle.

Water level in the loch was low. A photo of the castle with its reflection off the water would be a nice composition.

We could have paid a fee to visit the castle but we preferred to just admire the castle from the outside.

As the journey was long and this part of the highway on the A87 was easy driving, Daniel took the wheels from Eileen Donan Castle onwards while I became the navigator. The drive along the A87, followed by the A82 was scenic.

Cool driver.

Sleeping in car and missing some of the most beautiful scenic views.

We reached the Commando Monument, located along the A87 in slightly less than an hour. The views of Ben Nevis and the range of mountains which cross the eastern sky could be seen at the Commando Memorial.

Panoramic views of Ben Nevis and the range of mountains seen from the Commando Memorial.

Beautiful and peaceful place to remember those who gave their lives.

The Commando Memorial is in honour of commandos who died in WWII. There is also a section to honour the more recent fallen heroes. Walking around the monument and also reading the touching notes left behind by family members for the fallen, I can’t help shedding a tear for these brave men gave their lives so the world can be free.

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England-Scotland Day 11 (Part 2) – Corpach and Neptune Staircase, Fort Williams, Loch Leven and Balloch

13 April 2010

From the Commando Monument, we travelled on the A82 southwards towards Fort Williams and made a small detour to Corpach where we stopped to view the Neptune Staircase.

The Neptune Staircase is a system of eight locks on the Caledonian Canal that connect Loch Lochy, Loch Ness at the north to the Loch Linnhe and the sea at the south of Scotland. It is the longest staircase lock in the United Kingdom, and lifts boats 64 feet (20 m). This place reminded me of the locks system we saw at Stratford Upon Avon.

Locks forming part of the Neptune Staircase at Corpach.

Closer look at the locks with the different water levels on opposite sides.

Nice walk by the Caledonian Canal, watching ducks take off and land in the waterway.

After viewing the locks and canals, it was time for lunch at Fort Williams. We parked our car near the town centre and walked to pedestrian-only High Street where there were many restaurants to choose from. We walked the stretch of High Street, window shopping and settled to have lunch at Grog and Gruel restaurant located near the centre of High Street. I remembered this restaurant for its tables and chairs which I found to be small in size, even for Asians.

From Fort Williams, it was supposed to non-stop driving to Balloch but we made a stop at Loch Leven.

Loch Leven – this view made us stop here.

There was a quarry near Loch Leven. The shores of the loch was covered with gray, broken granite chips. There was a footpath on the right side which invited me to explore while the rest of the gang rested by the bank.

Wondered what they were doing while I took a stroll down the path along the loch.

They were leaving the messages to their K-pop idols on the rocks.

We made another stop at a rest point near Signal Rock where we spotted a wild deer.

Mountain at Signal Rock, Glen Coe.

Wild deer spotted near Signal Rock.

After the last stop at Signal Rock, it was REALLY non-stop driving to Gowanlea Guest House in the small town of Balloch, located near Loch Lomond.

After checking in, we went The Balloch House for dinner. The off-street parking for The Balloch House was right next to a small river leading into Loch Lomond. Nice place for a short walk after dinner.

Balloch, Loch Lomond. Still enough light for a short walk after dinner.

Then it was back to the B&B  for a good night’s rest as there will be another day of long distance driving the next day.

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