Travelling North

The Hebridean Rendezvous has been achieved but this was never intended to be the end of my trip to Scotland. From my home to Ullapool it is 495 miles and that is a long way to drive, so while I'm up here I may as well make the most of it.

The aim is to drive vaguely northwards to get to the top of Scotland and I am looking forward to this because I will be driving part of the NC500 or, to use it's full name, the North Coast 500. This is a 516 mile route beginning and ending in Inverness and most travellers do it anti-clockwise but for the section I'm covering I'll be going in the opposite direction. The NC500 has become very popular in recent years and my concern is there will be lots of people doing it which might therefore spoil the experience. I shall soon find out.

Today, then, I begin my journey north and apart from setting Durness as my destination I have no plans, route or itinerary nor any idea where I will be stopping for my overnight stays. I will drive as the mood takes me and stop for photography if there is something to attract my attention and if nothing does then so be it, though I really don't think that is likely to happen. This section of the NC500 is supposed to be stunningly beautiful, being a land of ancient rocks and rugged coastline dotted with white sand beaches and emerald seas. It sounds lovely doesn't it so all I need now is some reasonable weather.

The photos in this footprint are mostly taken through the windows of the van as I thought you would like to see the world as I see it as I've travelled today and to reassure you, I did stop before taking them. The views are lovely aren't they but this is just a small selection to give you an idea of the kind of landscape through which I was travelling. Photo 4 shows the lazy way of doing photography - set up the camera and tripod inside the van then when you are ready, open the sliding door and click. It's a handy trick if everything lines up when you park and it is great if it is raining.

Photo 5 is where I stopped to try and get a decent photograph which included those trees in the distance, but on the left in the water you will see two small black marks and these are actually seals relaxing/sunbathing/basking/skiving or whatever. There are three - one on a rock and two which look to be floating on seaweed, but that can't be right. If you can't make them out you will simply have to trust me, sorry.

My overnight stay turned out to be in Lochinver which is only 37 miles from Ullapool and not the most attractive of places in Scotland, mainly because primarily it is an important fishing port. In 2020 it handled £1.4m worth of fish but that was when fishing vessels from countries such as Spain and France offloaded their catches here. Now the bite of Brexit has taken real hold I wonder if the port will be so busy.

I was parked for the night at the Community Leisure Centre where a few campervans are allowed to stay and use their toilets and showers if needed. The attraction for me, apart from the use of the faculties, was Peet's just around the corner. This is a restaurant where the bad news is that it was fully booked and the good news is that because there was only me, they could squeeze me in at 8.15pm, when last orders were 8.30pm.

The last photo today is of the filet salmon I chose which, like The Chip Shop scampi last night, was perhaps the best salmon I had ever tasted. It was cooked perfectly and the accompanying sauce was so nice I can't even describe it.

Today has gone just as I hoped - a drive though stunning landscapes at a random pace with time out for photography and all rewarded with a lovely meal at the end. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.Read more