Welcome Refuge

Poolewe

13th - 18 Sept

opposite Poolewe camp site

 

We'd managed thus far to enjoy sufficiently good weather on travel days but our journey to Poolewe was the exception, having been driven away from Scourie by the tempestuous weather.  Total frustration on my part as all expectations of a day travelling through the most dramatic and impressive scenery so far were dashed - and the camera remained virtually untouched!  I felt rather like a kid at Christmas, anticipation and excitement at that promised, long-awaited toy only to wake up and find it I hadn't got it!  We could just about make out the grey shapes of mountain ranges stretching upward towards an even greyer sky! The road, much of it single track, wound its way up and down through the mountain ranges - the highest points were a bit daunting as the winds were gale force and gusting and we could feel Libby being pulled and swayed - not a comfortable experience with a sheer drop off the road down to the water!  

We did stop for a much needed breakfast in Ullapool - after our hasty departure from Scourie and to calm our frazzled nerves!  It's a pretty little village on a peninsula jutting into Loch Broom and we promised ourselves a return visit from Poolewe if the weather brightened up.  Inside an outdoor clothing/equipment store,  we found a tiny little cafe-come-photo gallery - not the usual place to find a cafe but what a breakfast!  We soon devoured the most delicious home-cooked full English breakfast (why is it called a full 'English'????) washed down with hot mugs of coffee.  And on the way out we bought a couple of pairs of waterproof over trousers - something we should have bought much earlier on but better late than never I guess!  Then we were back on the Wester Ross Coastal Route to Poolewe.

 

On arrival at the delightful, little site in Poolewe, at the foot of Loch Ewe, we were greeted by the most helpful warden who found us the best sheltered pitch on site when she learned of our sleep deprivation over the last 3 nights!  As we settled down I had the overwhelming sense I had returned to the bosom of civilisation along with welcome peace and quiet in contrast to the wild ferocity of the northern coast and pretty basic facilities we'd suffered!  (But don't get me wrong: I wouldn't have missed the experience the wildness of the north,  those incredible views and tempestuous weather for anything - I was simply ready to give my ears a rest and get some sleep!) At the Poolewe site, though not heated, the shower blocks had no open windows and draughty gaps and there were even vases of fresh flowers. It was an immaculately kept site with little flowers beds quite obviously tended with great care - there was an obvious pride in keeping this site so beautiful.  A real gem of a site. It rather felt like a typical Saturday morning back when with Michael wandered up to the village for the newspaper and rolls for breakfast; me working on the laptop catching up on emails; the warden was cutting the grass (very much a Saturday job at home!).  There was even a friendly little robin who'd perch on a post just outside singing his heart out.  Otters are a common sight at the edge of the Loch though we never spotted any - saw lots of herons!  It did feel good and though very tame by contrast to the previous few days,  a calm and cosy refuge that would do us well for a few days!

 

Poolewe is a picturesque place of peace and tranquility.  A small village with a river running under the little stone bridge into the Loch, a handy village stores/post office,  the most delightful tiny cafe offering everything homemade or locally produced and such a warm welcome from the couple who run it, a village hall and surprisingly a tourist info office (combined with the obligatory arts and crafts!).

Inverewe Gardens  

 

  

 

 

These lovely gardens were just 500 yards round the Loch from the campsite and well worth the visit.  A 54 acre garden created in 1862 and now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.  It was founded by Osgood Hanbury Mackenzie and on his death his daughter Mairi continued its development and eventually gave Inverewe to the NT to secure her father's legacy.  It's home to many exotic plants thanks to the warm Gulf Stream flowing along the west Scottish coastline with a number of wooded walks some leading to the loch side and pier.  

Marigolds - my mum's favourite so always evokes memories

 

 

Ullapool

Having rested up for a few days in the little oasis of Poolewe the weather brightened and we took ourselves back to Ullapool.  We had a mix of sun, cloud, rain and rainbows - all at once which added to some challenging light for photography.  Visibility was good but changeable in the blink of an eye!  The blue sky and little white fluffy cotton wool clouds would quickly become obscured by a huge low black rain cloud sliding across the sky - once its load was deposited, it would roll away revealing again blue sky and bright sunshine. The simultaneous patches of illuminating sunlight with shadows of cloud as they moved silently over the landscape created a beautiful tapestry.  The bracken is now turning a delightful burnt gold colour and more autumnal colours will soon transform the landscape.  

 

Our 2 little hitchhikers

Yes - that's snow on the mountains - there was a fall the previous night  - and we saw a snow plough in Ullapool - we might be heading back down south faster than planned me thinks!  It was 9 degrees that day with a bitter cold wind.  Actually it suddenly strikes me that we were plunged into wintry weather overnight in the furthest reaches of the north and since turning southward, we're now in the thick of autumn  - we've missed that transition into autumn, those early days of autumnal promise. 

  

any guesses? ..................................

Ullapool Harbour

On the road back to Poolewe, to my utter astonishment, and delight, we found a number of deer grazing by the road side who didn't seem to mind one bit us driving past!  They were so near I could have put my hand out the window to touch them!

We stopped at  the deep slot gorge of Corrieshalloch which we saw from the suspension bridge (built in 1874 but I reckoned if it had lasted that long it should last long enough to get me across and back - providing Michael would stop jumping up and down making it sway!).  

The drop didn't look too alarming through the camera lens but look over the rails - ooooooh, made my legs go to jelly!!    

We walked alongside the top of the gorge to the cantilevered viewing platform which is suspended out over the gorge to see the 47 metre drop of the Falls of Measach.  

 

'tumbling waters'

Snow capped mountain spotted between the trees at the Falls

Blown Southward

Scourie
12th Sep

Our last night at Durness brought us, unbelievably, even worse weather - I didn't know it could get any worse!  We certainly felt the full power of the elements!  Tempestuous gale force winds and lashing rain which sounded as if we were being constantly bombarded by thousands of pebbles! Though common sense assured me we'd remain on 4 wheels in this unrelenting wind we rocked about so much I still wondered if we might actually tip over! But we woke to find the few vehicles remaining in what has become a 'ghost' site, still upright. The waves below so dramatic under the black forbidding clouds which were giving way to silver glimpses of sunlight making the bay even more dramatic.  Believe it or not, we were sad to leave that wild windy wonderful place.  Just before we headed off our neighbour enlightened us about a lovely campsite by the water's edge in Scourie 20+ miles down the road

As we journeyed to Scourie the sky cleared and we saw some sunshine.

We found the site at Scourie, liked it and booked in for the night!  It even had it's own on-site restaurant!  So we didn't get far that day.   We pitched by the water's edge overlooking Scourie Bay - we are so totally spoilt for views!  Haven't we learnt anything yet??!  But the weather had calmed down and we'd enjoyed quite a bit of sunshine and Scourie wasn't nearly as exposed as Durness. 

Scourie Bay

one of our neighbours

You can just make out the caravans and motor homes on the edge of the Bay

We had a lovely walk around the bay, enjoyed dinner in the restaurant and headed for an early night to catch up on some sleep!

That was the plan!  We should have known better! During the night I think the tail of that hurricane caught up with us again! The relentless wind constantly rocking and rolling Libby and rattling anything that could move - and that eternal lashing rain.  This was becoming very tedious and really not funny anymore.  At least there were lulls in the gales whilst at Durness - this was continuous! A very sleepless night, cups of tea and finally an exhausted sleep.  I was abruptly woken by Michael as day broke telling me the few campers on the site were either already gone or packing up and we should go - maybe they know something we don't!  The scene outside had dramatically changed from the beauty of the bay and surrounding mountains of the evening before to one of poor visibility and torrential rain streaming down the windscreen.  I was up, threw on some clothes and we scurried off without any breakfast to continue our journey southward to Poolewe with abandoned plans to wild camp en route!