31st MAY - ULLAPOOL

Basically a rest day today and we wake up to a very rainy Sunday morning! The first proper bad weather we've had so far on our road trip. Just glad it wasn't like this yesterday at Cape Wrath!

We'd been told by quite a few of our friends that Ullapool was a beautiful place to visit but to me it looked like a small fishing port with a ferry terminal, this servicing the Western Isles. Not a lot to do in the village itself.

A dreich day in Ullapool

Out for a walk this morning and ended up in the pub for lunch! Out again this afternoon as the sun came out for a little while but again into the pub, as we thought it may start raining. (Heh heh)

And the weather did change for the better

30th MAY - KINLOCHBERVIE TO ULLAPOOL via CAPE WRATH

So after (a full Scottish) breakfast this morning, we packed the car and left to try again for the trip to Cape Wrath. Leaving at 9.15am, we travelled the 17 miles back up to the ferry port near Durness. Having missed out yesterday when we arrived at 10.30, I assumed that on arriving today at 9.45, we would be almost first in the queue. But no, there were about 10 people waiting on the jetty, and another 5 had already been taken over to the Cape in a small motorised dinghy (the main ferry was away for its' annual inspection).

However, today there were two minibuses operating, so we were in luck and after waiting 20 minutes for our turn to be taken the 8 minute boat trip over to Cape Wrath, we were soon on the 15 passenger minibus, which took one hour to travel the 11 mile journey to Cape Wrath lighthouse - the end of the line. This is the most north westerly point on the UK mainland and is so remote that NATO / British Army exercises are carried out here two or three times a year - at which times the Cape is not accessible to the public.

The reason for the 1 hour time scale is that the entire road from the ferry to the lighthouse is potholed and very old (mainly built in the 1850s by the Northern Lighthouse Board) and is not maintained by the local Council. But the driver was very good with his ongoing commentary and humorous comments and the time passed quite quickly.

We were allowed an hour at the lighthouse to take photographs and have a sandwich in the adjacent café. Unbelievably the weather was almost warm - the sun was shining, there was blue skies and there was hardly any wind! I can't imagine that happens very often in this part of the world!

We arrived back at our car at 2pm and drove south (some very spectacular views from this road) to Ullapool, further down the west coast, arriving at our B&B at 4pm. We'd driven a total of 83 miles today.

Some photographs of our trip are appended below.

A Ticket To Ride

Janet in the ferry

Cape Wrath lighthouse

Blue skies at Cape Wrath!

Sandy cove just south of the Cape

29th MAY - MELVICH TO KINLOCHBERVIE

Early breakfast today, leaving Melvich at 8.20am. We were looking to take the ferry over to Cape Wrath and having yesterday spoken to the guy who operated the ferry, he told us to arrive at the ferry port by 10.30am. This we did, but unfortunately there were about 20 people ahead of us and as there was only one (16 seater) minibus available (to drive the 11 miles to the lighthouse (end of the road) at Cape Wrath), we had to give up on this trip. Ironically, the weather was absolutely fantastic this morning, beautiful sunshine, blue skies and not too windy. Well, we may try again tomorrow, before we travel down to Ullapool.

After leaving Melvich, we had travelled west through Tongue and Durness on very narrow, single track roads with the usual passing places, pretty much par for the course this far north. From the ferry port (which was only 3 miles south of Durness), we carried on heading south to our B&B near Kinlochbervie (on the west coast and a very large fishing port / market) and arrived about 11.30am. Not as picturesque an area as I had imagined. A total of 80 miles driven today.

The weather, as it's been since we left Peebles, has remained generally very good, with only the odd heavy shower of rain.

Had lunch at our B&B before going out for a walk. Dinner booked for tonight - our B&B has a really good restaurant.

Durness Bay

Looking from the ferry port to Cape Wrath

The view from our B&B near Kinlochbervie 

28th MAY - NAIRN TO MELVICH (near THURSO)

We left Nairn in brilliant sunshine at 9.20am and after lunching in Wick and visiting Duncansby Head, John O'Groats and Dunnet Head, we arrived at The Melvich Hotel (located in a small village 18 miles west of Thurso) about 3.45pm. A total drive of 188 miles.

It was notable that the landscape changed north of Helmsdale, from being very hilly and rocky to becoming almost completely flat, until you reached west of John O'Groats.

We were very lucky with the weather - mostly sunny intervals, a bit windy but no rain to speak of until we left Dunnet Head and were nearly at Thurso.

Some photos from today - 

Duncansby Head - most North Easterly point of the UK mainland

The traditional John O'Groats photograph.

Dunnet Head - most northerly point on the UK mainland

Dunnet Bay

27th MAY - PEEBLES TO NAIRN

We left Peebles this morning at 9.15am and after stopping for lunch at Carrbridge, we arrived at the Newton Hotel in Nairn just after 2pm. An uneventful trip of some 185 miles.

When I lived in Nairn in the 1960's, I never even saw the Newton Hotel, far less step inside it, although I was aware at that time that Charlie Chaplin resided here for two or three weeks of most summers of that decade. I still remember seeing Chaplin in a wheelchair, being pushed round the streets of Nairn, quite happy knowing that no-one would bother him. There is a Chaplin Suite in the hotel, although that is not our accommodation!

Going out for dinner tonight with Gordon Main and his wife, Susan - to the Classroom Restaurant - Gordon's choice and located directly outside what used to be Nairn Academy, my old secondary school.

Quite heavy rain started mid afternoon, but had stopped by the time we left for the restaurant at 7pm.

Great night and excellent restaurant, followed by drinks at Uncle Bob's.

A PRECURSOR TO OUR TRIP UP NORTH

We leave for Nairn next Wednesday, but on Monday last week we travelled to Portpatrick for a couple of days. This was mainly Janet's idea, as she had visited there about 30 years ago. From Peebles, this is a journey of about 130 miles.

We were lucky with the weather, and although it was very windy, we had sun and blue skies.

We also visited the Mull of Galloway, this being the most southerly point of mainland Scotland.

Portpatrick is a lovely place to visit for a couple of days and our hotel - the Harbour House Hotel - is recommended.

So I thought I'd post again on this blog and also try adding a couple of photos of our trip away.

NORTH COAST 500 NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

Just came across this newspaper article (link below) from early March 2015 relating to the North Coast 500 - basically the same route as we shall be travelling at the end of this month. But anti clockwise, not clockwise as described in the article.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2975434/Scotland-s-answer-Route-66-North-Coast-500-unveiled-drivers-scenic-trip-past-fairytale-castles-beaches-ruins.html