After breakfast I strapped up my feet and set off from Lochinver in hazy sunshine, initially along the A837, then turned off onto the B869 which felt very much like a mountain road via Stoer and Clashnessie. Both had beautiful beaches. I received quite a few donations along the way from lovely, friendly people. The scenery, as ever, was simply gorgeous. Philippa rang to confirm that she had booked her flight to come and visit me! I spent the night in Scourie.
Surprisingly I slept fitfully in my beautiful room, as I was so over-tired and drained from yesterday’s little amble. This morning I didn’t get way until 10.30 am because I was trying to sort out whether anyone in the village could take my kit bag (to lighten my load). There wasn’t! The hotel folk were lovely and tried all the options, but to no avail. They were so generous at ‘The Summer Isles Hotel’ and as I said, they didn’t charge me a penny. I walked along minor roads through some of the most stunning scenery yet: mountains as a backdrop, lochs, sea bays and coves. My feet are a bit sore today and so I strapped them for comfort and took two pain killers this afternoon! Then with 5 miles to go to Lochinver, ‘Juan, Maria and Alba Escala’ went past me in their car, stopped, donated AND took my excess kit to my B&B! Thank goodness he did as it was a particularly long 5 miles for an out-of-condition ‘puffer’! I got to ‘Polcraig Guest House’ in Lochinver, owned by ‘Cathel Macleod’. He sorted out tomorrow’s accommodation and dropped me off at a lovely pub called ‘The Caberfeidh Pub & Restaurant’ which is located right where the River Inver flows into Loch Inver. There was a high tide and the sea trout were running and leaping (although they were on the small side!). A young lad was fly fishing off the rocks and catching half pounders with almost every cast! The midges were out in abundance so all of the pub guests were indoors enjoying lovely food and drink. I left Ullapool with a slightly lighter rucksack as some of my kit was taken by car to where I was staying that night (thank goodness). It turned out to be a pretty challenging day. I was following the coast using the old ‘Postman’s Path’ which had been used to deliver the post to Achiltibuie as long ago as 1807. I hope the recipients of the mail were grateful to the postman who delivered it in those days, as it would have been bloody hard work! The path took me along the edge of very high and steep cliffs which had slid into the sea in places. At one point the path disappeared into a gulley and I had to slide down it in sections, tearing my trousers in the process! Throughout all this the midges cheered me on! Many hours, miles and soaked feet later I staggered into the ‘Summer Isles Hotel’ and realised what heaven could be like. They looked after me and refused to charge me for my dinner, bed and breakfast. Thank you. I had to delay the return to my walking due to a death in the family. Peter Dale-Thomas was very much in my thoughts as I returned to Ullapool today. He had been suffering from Alzheimer’s with Lewys bodies (a form of Parkinson’s) for many years. I returned to the ‘Royal Hotel’ in Ullapool where I had reached in May. I went back to see Eddie and Wendy Hughes at ‘Braemore Square Country House’ B&B. As promised, Eddie very kindly lent me his rod and I spent a couple of hours fishing his beautiful stretch of the River Broom. I couldn’t believe my luck when I hooked a lovely salmon and watched her circle the pool in which she was hooked before shaking herself off the end of my line! What a pleasure and a privilege! I also had a feisty sea trout on my line and it returned to the river to grow wider, longer and wiser. Later on in the day I returned to the 'Corrieshalloch Gorge' for another dose of vertigo before heading back to the hotel for the evening. I had gone to bed at 9.30 am last night and slept well. This morning, after breakfast, I went to have a look at the River Broom which flows through the land owned by my hosts Eddie and Wendy Hughes. It looked lovely. Eddie encouraged me to borrow his fishing rod and try and catch a salmon, but I declined as I needed to walk, but assured him that I would return in a few weeks and have a try then. From there, I walked along the A835 towards Ullapool in rain and then latterly, intermittent sunshine, watching and side-stepping the oncoming traffic until I reached the ‘Royal Hotel’ in Ullapool. The end of this leg of the walk. Slept well. After breakfast, the hotel owners’ son offered to drive my kit to my digs for the night, about 17 miles away. Very, very kind! It was at least a 34 mile round trip. I had a long chat with a gamekeeper called Alistair who worked on a local estate. He told me a little about the local wildlife and said that the salmon normally start running in early June. Alistair identified the bird I had spotted making that funny noise on Rubha Moor a couple of days previously as a Snipe. I spent the rest of the day walking along the A832 up to a height of around 1,500 ft. Plenty of waves from passing cars and a couple of people stopped to make donations. ‘An Teallach’ look impressive with its dusting of snow. Along the way I saw a red squirrel, a young mountain goat and a golden eagle! Before I reached the A835 I visited the Corrieshalloch Gorge. It has a viewing bridge suspended hundreds of feet above the river gorge through which the Abhainn Droma river flows in a succession of rapids and waterfalls towards Loch Broom. Spectacular. Eventually I reached the junction with the A835 which is the main road to Ullapool, just as it started to rain. The traffic travels in pulses along here in synch with the ferries arriving and departing at Ullapool. The traffic died down after the last ferry of the day and the road was virtually deserted. After a couple of miles and with 10 miles left ‘on the clock’ to Ullapool, I arrived at the lovely ‘Braemore Square Country House’ B&B, run by Eddie and Wendy Hughes. Had a lovely breakfast and was given a donation by my hosts. The guests staying there very kindly transported my luggage to the ‘Dundonnell Hotel’ where I am staying this evening. Despite walking along the A832 all day, it passed through some wonderful scenery with “An Teallach” mountain range as a backdrop. Looking over the bridge crossing the ‘Gruinard River’ I could see a 13 lb. salmon resting in a pool before attempting the rapids upstream when more rain comes to swell the river. Today, there would be no chance of that as the sun beamed down for most of the day. Along the way a few cars honked a couple of them stopped for a chat and to make a donation. I watched a golden eagle hunting along the ridge of ‘Sail Mhor’, ‘Sail Chruaidh’ and ‘Sail Bheag’. I pulled into the ‘Dundonnell Hotel’ in the evening and enjoyed its comforts. My kit was transferred by the chef of the Poolewe Hotel to the ‘Old Smiddy’ B&B where I was staying the night in Laide. Weather was mainly dry, but had to put on my waterproofs in the early afternoon. Walked along the A832 to Aultbea. Popped in to see a chap called Andrew McLuckie who I met last night. His family run the 'Isle View Nursing Home' and so I called in and met the staff there. Then along the road to Mellon Charles. Up onto Rubha Moor and across to Achgarve. Along the way I heard the most incredible and unusual sound. Have you ever seen and heard those toys which are a narrow plastic tube with a device inside; when you invert or shake it, it makes a funny sound, similar to the noise made by a 'Punch & Judy' puppeteer? Well that was the noise. Looking high into the sky, I spotted a bird which flew high and then fell to earth shimmering its wings. That was the source of the noise. It turned out to be a 'Snipe'. Weird and wonderful. Then I took the road south to Laide. ‘The Old Smiddy’ is a lovely B&B with welcoming hosts. That night I managed to get all of my accommodation sorted out for the rest of this leg of the walk. Rest day at the 'Poolewe Hotel'! Slept well. Breakfast at 8.00 am. Then sorted out my kit. Posted my spare rucksack cover back home. Explored the village of Poolewe and visited the information centre. Lunch was soup and cake in a lovely busy café (because it was so small!). Then went up to the bird hide at the other end of the bay near Inverewe Garden. I didn’t see any eagles or otters, but on the way back I saw a Pine Marten run across the road and then make its way along the shore. I managed to get a glimpse of it on my little video camera. I also managed to sort out my accommodation for the next two nights! Awoke to glorious blue sky, but chilly. Off over the moor and its vertiginous paths above vertical drops into the sea. At the cliff-end of Cama Mor beach I took the slightly more defined path to ‘Ivor’s Bothy’ before chilling on the Shangri-La that is ‘Loch Ceann A Charnaich’. It is simply paradise. Later that day I heard a flapping noise and looked up. A white-tailed eagle (sea eagle) swooped over my head less than 10 feet above me and veered off into a wood. Wow! Over the next hour I watched this incredible bird flying to and from its nest. It was huge, powerful - amazing! What an honour, and one of the highlights of my entire walk so far. What an incredible thing to witness. Finally, I tore myself away, but plan to return with my film equipment one day if the bird is still there. I continued along the boggy, stony, sometimes hard-to-follow path south east to a farm just west of Midtown before reaching the road, and then headed south alongside Loch Ewe towards Poolewe where I was staying the night. Just south of Naast I looked up to the ridgeline to see what I initially thought was a buzzard. Then I realised the bird was much further away than I thought and had slightly forward-swept wings. Then it soared north eastwards, its wings slightly hunched and folded, and I realised it was a golden eagle. So I have been spoilt today. Tonight I stayed at the ‘Poolewe Hotel’ and so I sorted out my kit, hung out my tent and sleeping bag in my hotel room to dry and air. Then a bath, shave and dinner, followed by a dram and bed! Rest day tomorrow! |
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