TRIP 3 NORTH WEST SUTHERLAND NOVEMBER 2018

In beautiful weather for the middle of November, we set off for the far west with Pam and Hugh. The principal purpose of our visit was to check up on the bench and geocache that mark the spot where Pam and Hugh's son Craig tragically drowned over ten years ago. We have been making this pilgrimage with them for a number of years. It does not get any easier, but we have gradually been able to make it something of a break as well as a mark of respect, all without diminishing the reason for the trip in the first place.

Our first stop was The Frigate in Ullapool for a spot of light lunch. Bob had a very nice venison burger, while everyone else had something lighter, like soup and sandwiches. Of course, when you are far from home, you never know where the next meal might come from, so stocking up on the burger was a good bet.

As I said, the weather was wonderful, but it was cold. This is us heading down to the location of the bench and the geocache. It is a remarkably peaceful and poignant spot, with some really fabulous views down Loch Assynt.

The impressive ruins of Ardvreck Castle, in the distance - dating from 1590. 

Somewhat eerily, we could hear stags roaring on the other side of the loch.

 Looking down the loch over the bench and the geocache site. The geocache has attracted nearly 100 people to this quiet and reflective spot and they most likely would not know of its existence. 

Just before we left, some geese flew overhead.

A final view of Loch Assynt.

 Time was marching on and we headed up to one of our favourite places - Kyklesku Hotel. We parked overlooking the the little bay around from the hotel, where this boat was moored. Of course, this is one of the boats that regularly catches dinner for the hotel guests.

In a few minutes, we were into our rooms and this is the view from our bedroom window.

 It was still light enough for a short stretch of the legs, so Pam and Sharon waited on the deck while Hugh got his jacket to join us.

 It might still have been early, but the new moon was visible above the pyramid-like slopes of the 800 metre high Quinag. The Gaelic translation is milking pail! 

The Kylesku Bridge replaced the small ferry which crossed the narrows here until 1984. The ferry terminal is next to the hotel, which presumably was established because of the crossing point. The bridge is actually curved and quite elegant. 

 The light was beginning to fail, so it was time to get to the hotel for a nice drink by the roaring fire.

Once that had successfully been accomplished, we changed for dinner with some anticipation - and we were not disappointed. Dinner was delicious.
Bob had a really scrumptious surf and turf starter of tiny slices of fillet steak, a puckle of shoestring fries and lots of garlic spineys. Spineys are delicious squat lobsters.
This was so good that Sharon ordered one as a main course. She actually added cheddar chilli chips instead of shoestrings and they were absolutely as good as they sound.



Sharon's starter was a smoked mackerel pate with beetroot and a horseradish creme fraiche, which she declared to be the best smoked mackerel pate she had ever had.



Bob's main course was grilled haddock on a Nicoise style salad with a fresh pesto dressing. Heavens, but it was good. We all shared a lovely bottle of Sauvignon Gris and nobody had room for any of the delicious sounding puddings.



After a nightcap in front of the roaring fire and a chat with the barman, we all went to bed, happy and full.

The next morning dawned bright and with a little atmospheric mist close to the water. It was very cold as we discovered as we went for a short walk before breakfast.

We could see deer away on the skyline against the clear blue sky.

Somewhere up there is Eas a' Chual Aluinn, Britain's highest waterfall. It is three times higher than Niagara falls with a sheer drop of 658 feet. It translates from Gaelic as waterfall of the beautiful tresses. You can visit by boat from the hotel for the best views and we shall certainly do that on our next visit of the weather suits.

A seal was passing by just as we sat down for breakfast.

It probably wanted a taste of Bob's excellent scrambled eggs and hot smoked salmon.

From the car park you can see Quinag, in all its glory against the azure sky which holds some promise for a scenic drive home.

We decided that we would go back by way of Laxford Bridge and down to Lairg. This is the Bridge at Laxford. Laxford is a Viking name and refers to the salmon that must have been common here in Viking times.

No doubt, salmon teemed up this river as the \vikings were searching for something to pillage.

The first of many deer we were to see on our trip home.

This is the tiny estate hamlet of Achfary. The estate is owned by Britain's richest man, the Duke of Westminster. It is very neat and the black and white telephone box is quite famous and now hosts the local defibrillator!

The mist was swirling above the waters of Loch nan Ealachan - the loch of the swans - as we left Achfary behind.

Looking back towards Achfary and Ben Stack just pokes through the mist.

Ben Stack is famous among hillwalkers and  is reputedly easier to get to the top of than it  looks. It is only 781 meters high - 2365 feet. A somewhat macabre fact is that the former Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, died of a heart attack while coming down from the summit in 2005.

Just as we left the loch of the swans  behind, we were delighted to spot a pair of Golden Eagles circling near to the road. We sat spellbound and watched them for some time.

Shortly afterwards, a number of Red Deer stags crossed the road in front of us and then proceeded to watch us with disdain from the road side.

We weren't done with the wildlife yet, though. As we drove along the edge of a conifer plantation, we spotted this female Sparrowhawk sitting on a  fence post.

She was a bit reluctant to move, so we got some very nice photos. When she did move, she only flew down the fence line to another post and waited for us to catch up.

By the time we got to Loch Shin, the mist had rolled in again, lending a surreal feel to the shoreline. Loch Shin is 17 miles long, the longest loch in Surtherland. It is famous for salmon fishing, which you can try for with a fly from a locally hired boat.

Although we had had a full breakfast, time was getting on and a cup of tea and a cake was required. There were quite a few cars parked outside the first place we came to in Lairg - The Pier. Our instincts were correct. The place was busy with families having Sunday lunch as well as people like ourselves sampling the extensive range of quite big and tasty looking cakes. Bob had a nice slice of apple, cinnamon and cranberry cake. Perfect.

From Lairg, it is about an hours drive back to Inverness. If you were keen, it is possible to stop of at a number of distilleries before you get home. There are also plenty of other interesting and exciting places to eat, but that is all for another Highland Gourmet Trip on another day.