Wow! Amazing drive from Inverness to Skye

What a long and stunning day we had yesterday!!!

We really bit off a bit more than  we could easily chew, leaving Inverness at about 9.45 and arriving at our home for the night in Portree on Skye at about 8.15 pm without much break in all of that time.

Speaking to others in the last few days we had picked up on some recommendations, and I already had some ideas of my own about what we might enjoy.  None of the suggestions were bad, but it did make for an incredibly long day and meant that we didn't have a chance to really enjoy having a whole place to ourselves overnight for very long before we needed to head for bed.

We started the day with another lovely cooked breakfast at the guest house.  Then off to the laundromat to reclaim a lost sock ( now back in the fold ..so to speak :)) before we headed north out of town and then turned left towards the west coast of Scotland.

As previously the city dropped away behind us, with its little boats waiting for the tide to come in again, and as we drove over the lovely high suspension bridge we headed for green paddocks with snowy white sheep( but they do have funny faces compared to our lovely merinos)  and miles of flowers across the roadsides in mostly pinks, whites and yellows.

Already we were needing to igore some suggestions, and we bypassed Cawdor castle which we had heard lots of good things about. We just simply knew that we did not have time to  do everything that we would have liked. We also chose not to detour to see Loch Ness ( I think I can hear your cries of dismay across the water, but really...is it just a bit of water with a legend?? ) We  may be wrong, cynical and heartless but we dropped it in favor of pretty old bridges and walks,and other views to die for.

First stop (1 on the map) was a lovely walk at Rogie falls where we strolled to a waterfall. Salmon come back here and run up the river and waterfall each year to return to their hatching ground and complete the salmon lifestyle circle. This crazy salmon circle blows us both away,and we would have dearly loved to have seen some doing their thing.  Others that we spoke to saw some, but we didn't. We spent quite a good time watching and waiting on the lovely suspension  bridge, and looking down at the waterfall and "fish ladder"which has been built to the side, but saw none.   We still felt the beauty of the place and were there with the salmon, willing them on to their homes over all their trials of travel, and wondering in awe at how such things can really happen. What an amazing creation this world is!!

On the walk to Rogie falls

Waterfall to the left, fish ladder to the right.

A couple of random people standing in front of the waterfall and bridge. 

Next spot was not too far from this- a pair of bridges linked by a walk. (2) These old stone bridges never cease to amaze us. And the water running beneath them is always beautiful. I think we could both happily lean over a bridge watching the water flow for hours.  Maybe in a future life we could be water watchers???

None of the photos did the place justice. An artist was just unpacking and getting ready use his easel  and the water was dark brown ( like the tannin stained water in Tassie in the south west forestry areas around Strahan)

When the water lies in pools the rocks beneath are dark, so the pools look black, unlike  in Tassie where there are so often pale pebbles at the bottom.

As we headed further west the craggy hills were becoming more craggy, and the vistas were starting to open up before us with lochs , waterfalls, and wide rocky streams  winding their way along through the jaw dropping countryside.
On again , and we stopped at an amazing gorge. I think it is called Carrieshallock. (3)  Here we bought lunch of venison burger from a roadside van, before walking down to a suspension bridge. From the bridge on one side was a drop of about 30 metres,then a waterfall dropping virtually straight down. Walk to the other side and the drop is more like 100 metres (my estimates)as the view was only of the gorge at the bottom of the waterfall. It felt so far down that it was making me a bit dizzy. Puff back out again past the little side rippling waterfalls and head on again.

More stunning scenery as we finally reach the west coast of Scotland .... oh my!!!!

It was very hard not to keep on stopping and taking photos.   Old church yards dating from the 16th century overlooked beautiful rocky seasides, white houses with grey slate roofs dotted the green countryside, and the craggy mountains drove their heads into the clouds as we wound our way along.

As we headed out towards Applecross we struck more narrow roads.  Single track width with poor visibility, long drops to the sea below, and small passing places built in where possible meant that we often stopped and waited, or others did the same for us as we met the oncoming traffic. Tiny seaside crofts or fishing villages nestled below the road , and the stunning views just continued. Every turn could have been a picture postcard, and I was on the edge of my seat as we watched ahead, tried to watch the view,tried to keep on the road as much as possible and headed further and further up into the clouds,  then down again 

and finally into the reason for this mammoth detour..the tiny town of Applecross  (4).  Trevor deserved a break after hours of amazing driving effort, and we both enjoyed the hot cup of tea and delicious fish and chips from the caravan outside the pub.  Trev also took in a home made ice cream. The guy makes them himself from scratch and I sampled a spoon of beautiful raspberry ripple which was to die for.  Must learn more about making good ice cream. 

We thought it funny that there was a weaving workshop about 10  miles out of Applecross given the fact that my Aunty Joc weaves and used to live at Applecross.  

On the winding road to Applecross

The Applecross Pub-step over the narrow roadway and you are on the rocky beach looking out over the bay. 

Best home made icecream,  piping hot haddock freshly cooked in crunchy batter, and tasty chips with homemade tartare sauce!

As you can see from the pic the weather was looking decidedly dodgy as we sat in the blustery wind and shared our fish and chips and there was still at least 2 hours of driving to go. We knew that some of the roads would be at least as challenging as on the way in, so we got back in the car.

It was as expected.  Once more we wound our way upwards and as the weather closed in, and we drove back up into the cloud cover we switched our wipers on to full speed and tried to avoid the worst of the rivulets now being created by the stone walls at the sides of the road. (Instant water courses) . Visibility was greatly reduced which may have been a good thing. At least we couldn't see how far we would fall if we went off of the road.  And this was the middle, of summer! It must be amazing and isolated out here in the winter time. 

Last tourist destination for the day was a castle.(5) Eileen Donan castle. This has been restored from its ruined state early this century and is spectacular from the outside.   It was closed by the time we made it there, but we could walk up and around and took some photos as it is so picturesque on its outcrop of spur with the Loch around it. 

The flag of Scotland-the St Andrew's cross,  flying outside of the castle.  

And so we headed back in the peppermint steed and completed the last three quarters of an hour of driving as we sped over the bridge to Skye with no requirement for a bonnie boat.

In Portree we located our airbnb for the night just as promised and settled in to document the day gone, catch up on life in other places, drink tea and eat toast with jam,and then finally dropped into bed to replenish the batteries ready for a new day ahead.

Now the seagulls are crying as they fly in the harbour outside our cosy upstairs apartment, and I know the Isle of Skye is calling us to come and explore it's wonders. So another day of the great adventure begins to unwind.....

We will see you on the other side, with more stories to tell of the amazing places that seem to await us around every bend.