Day 1
It was a long-but-easy train journey to Inverness. Sure, adc wanted to leave at 17:30 to make the 20:57 train, sure, we braved bus diversions to go to Euston, but it only took a quarter of an hour in two episodes to reach the station, and only another forty-minute wait before we could board the train.
New trains, on Caledonian Sleeper. JS and adc had booked berths which seemed more quaint and cramped than ever before, but were clean and utilitarian alright. I am cheap, so it was a "reclining" seat for me: more space, but still cold, not really comfortable, not really reclining, and not far enough from talking toilets. That is great, when you are trying to sleep. In between reading my book, I woke up many times and am not fresh on the other side, but like Gloria Gaynor, I will survive.
Upon arrival, we pick up the car: a Toyota Aygo parked in the station car park. We feed the ticket machine, so as to have time for a bite. It turns out the one just outside the station is a third of the price. Ah, well.
Café Artysans is the usual no-frill good food and it makes me feel better.
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| Tomato, sausage, black pudding and scrambled egg for adc |
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| Mushrooms, black pudding, haggis and scrambled egg for JS |
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| Mushrooms on toast and poached egg for me |
After breakfast, I move the car to the cheaper car park. Should have done so earlier, as it is now almost full.
From there, we go to
Leakey's Bookshop. JS and I came here
over two years ago and found it to be a fantastic place, full of unlikely things. I find a picture of Leige (sic) and one of the Meuse, near Namur. For the geographically challenged, that is near Huy, therefore familiar to me.
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| Enter for a minute, spend several hours there |
After a long time browsing and buying nothing (I do find a book about the history of Haig, but decide against it for weight reasons), we push to the Whisky Shop. They have more interesting bottles than I remembered, yet they remain widely overpriced. The bulk of the stock is underaged and not interesting to me (I know: underaged shoud be right up a Belgian's alley -- ahem).
Back to the car for the drive up north. We stop just outside Portmahomack, at the Tarbat Discovery Centre. adc liked it a lot,
three years ago, and wants to take in the atmosphere again.
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| Tarbat: its chapel... |
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| ...its baptismal font... |
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| ...its dummy torpedo |
We drive further to Tain (Glenmorangie distillery is shut again), then Dornoch. We have a hard time finding a space, this year, and that will remain a challenge throughout the stay.
We check in, tour the town, take a trip to the shops (postcards and whisky, obviously), I have a shower and a little lie-down, then we gather downstairs for
an apéritif and supper.
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| Dornoch's plaiden ell... |
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| ...its cathedral... |
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| ...its bank |
Day 2
Today, we get up early. The staff did not want to fire up the kitchen early for us, but committed to serving us as soon as possible after start time. We order just before 8:00 and receive our plates shortly thereafter.
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| My full without bacon |
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| adc's full-full |
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| JS's Scottish pancakes and bacon |
With food in, we pick up our lunches. I also try to pick up a sample for someone, but the reception manager fails to locate it. After spending ten minutes there (with the girls waiting for me in the cold), I ask her to keep it for me to collect later.
Once outside, it dawns on me that a) JS and adc cannot get into the car, since they do not have the keys and; b) the windscreen is frozen and needs scraping. Argh. Luckily, I have credit cards. Nothing to do with paying someone; everything to do with a credit card doubling up as a great scraper.
We drive off west, today. Soon, we are on the Dornoch Firth Bridge, then pass Balblair distillery (we decide not to stop, unsure as we are that it is even open), then reach Bonar Bridge. From there, Rosehall, Elphin, then south to Ullapool, our destination.
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| Bustling Scottish metropolis, it is. |
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Random rock formations springing out of the crust of the Earth.
(from the Torridon supergroup, this) |
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| As we reach the confluent with the A835, we see him... |
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| ...and them... |
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| ...and him |
The bit of road through Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve is particularly impressive.
Ullapool is full of inactivity on this last day of the year. A walk on the seafront suggests all tea rooms are closed, but in no time at all, they are full. We try one, cannot find a seat, and decide to depart.
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| Ullapool seafront |
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| Random climber by Seafood Shack |
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| Fancy purchasing a couple of islands? |
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| Give your boots a second life |
We go north, this time, through Elphin and Inchnadamph, stop at Ardvreck Castle, pass Unapool and take a quick stop near Kylesku Bridge to eat our sandwiches. It is windy and cold. The plaque dedicated to maiale divers (man-operated torpedoes) sends shivers down my spine. It is one thing to be in the cold and the wind, but on the ground. Another completely different thing is to be submerged in water in the same temperatures, operating military equipment to sink ships.
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| Ardvreck |
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| Kylesku Bridge |
Next up are Kylestrome, Scourie and Laxford Bridge. From there, we take back southeast to Merkland Lodge and Lairg, then Pittentrail, Embo (where we see ponies, mallards, shellducks and a heron that flies away as I stop to snap him -- bastard!) and, ultimately, Dornoch. En route, we also see sheep and whooper swans.
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| Whoop-whoop! |
We are back before sunset. PT and ST are setting up their gin tent for tonight, cheered by RT. We stop by and greet all three, but they are busy and we don't want to interfere too much.
Since we are on time for some drams before getting ready for the banquet,
we do exactly that.
Day 3
Today is not an outdoorsy day. JS and I mostly stay in, only venturing out for the loony dook. adc goes for a walk alone, in the afternoon.
The rest of the time,
we have whisky. To keep warm, you understand.
Day 4
Time to say good bye. We chat the morning away with CT, PT and the staff. adc and JS have a dram -- I am driving. Soon, we have to hit the road.
Our flight back is a few hours away. We have time to drive up north to Brora for the pilgrimage to Clynelish, on the off chance that it is open, on this Thursday afternoon -- someone at the hotel did recommend it to another resident.
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| This looks promising |
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| The cat is back, yo! |
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| A construction site in 2016, and still very much so in 2020 |
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| I can hardly contain my excitement |
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| THIS IS HAPPENING! |
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| That'll be a no, then. |
Back empty-handed to Brora, then Golspie. We see masses of pink-footed geese in a field near Dunrobin Castle and a red kite a little later, then reach Tain, Tore and Inverness, where we fill the tank.
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| We see Highland coos, of course |
From there, we head to Tornagrain, and Inverness Airport.
We have the most difficult time locating the drop-off point for the car. Nervous about the time, we kick adc out with the suitcase for the haul. We ask whomever we can find for the parking lot, are directed to an industrial park outside the airport, just about manage to find the car park, leave the car and... phone the emergency line to know where to drop off the keys, as there is no indication whatsoever on the car lot. "A box in the terminal," he says. We proceed to the terminal, are confused by signs sending us the other way (to a bus shelter), ask the information desk, find the key drop-off box at last, find adc, go through security in no time, embark the plane and leave Bonnie Scotland.
