Had another massive driving session today. Leaving Inverness, I drove up to Ullapool, headed east through to the Falls of Shin, then south over the Bonar Bridge (teehee) back to Inverness and finally east to Lossiemouth. Around 190 miles in total, along winding A roads and single lane tracks. Exhausted.
Ullapool is confusingly both picturesque and bleak. High up on the west coast, it glistened in the sun and soaked in the drizzle in rapid fluctuations. It contains the 2006 UK pub of the year and the UKs best takeaway as voted for by listeners of Radio 4. Seems a bit of a coincidence that, and I wondered if anyone had actually challenged either of those claims. For the price of the food in both, I certainly wasn't going to put it to the test. Not to worry, I thought, I've got a sandwich I bought yesterday in the boot of the car.
 |
| Out to sea at Ullapool |
The Falls of Shin are famous for the Atlantic salmon that leap up them on their way to their breeding grounds. It seemed both a great opportunity to see a natural event that I've not witnessed before and to get some lunch at the visitors centre. I didn't get to see any salmon in 15 minutes of staring, and the visitors centre was a ruin. Not in the sense that it had closed and fallen into disrepair, I mean it looked like a tornado or something had completely decimated it. After a quick Google search, I found out it burned to the ground three weeks ago. Not to worry, I thought, I've got a sandwich I bought yesterday in the boot of the car.
 |
| A Fall at Shin |
Most of the drive up until then had been wonderfully pleasant, with long, open stretches of road along wide valley floors that meant the cruise was easy and very quick. 2 litre engines really do have some go. The drive alongside Loch Glascarnoch was particularly nice, with the impressive sunlit mountains contrasting the harsh moor-like bleakness of the valley floor. The town at Bonar Bridge was bleak too, but for all the wrong reasons, and the cafe I almost stopped off at for some lunch looked threateningly uninviting. Not to worry, I thought, I've got a sandwich I bought yesterday in the boot of the car. I found out I'd left it on top of the ticket machine when paying for my parking yesterday.
 |
| Glascarnoch |
See I was expecting some awful pun that after Falls of Shin and Bonar Bridge you went on to Chesterfield and then Headingley.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you didn't go down that route.
Oh and get some proper food inside of you. She'll only worry.
I am so impressed you know all this stuff about the places you visit. Is it cos you is really smart and interested or cos you is so bored you are reading the guidebooks?
ReplyDeleteEat something proper!