Western Highlands: Rogie Falls, Corrieshalloch Gorge, and Ullapool.
Great day, and we met our goal at being back in Fortrose by 7 pm today, and eating dinner locally (but our greatest disappointment so far).
Our day was a relatively short one, driving only about 60 miles west to Ullapool, which sits on Loch Broom, a seawater loch that flows into the Minch, which in turn flows from the Atlantic. The drive is less than 90 minutes (itself a miracle for us, it seems, given the long drives we’ve made), but we broke it up by taking shorter drives to several stops along the way, each of which was a treat.
Elana grabbed a little breakfast at a local bakery in Rosemarkie, which is minutes from Fortrose, and practically the same community, and then we set out around 11. Our first stop was Rogie Falls, along the A835, which goes directly to Ullapool. Rogie Falls is a beautiful deeply forested reserve and waterfall on the Black Water river, which through a gorge and over several lovely cascades. These are not giant falls, but they are big enough, and very scenic, and the scene of freshwater Atlantic salmon attempting to leap up the falls. We waited and watched, but saw none of the salmon, although other visitors did, and we’d occasionally hear a cheer as someone spotted a salmon or two leaping up out of the water by the falls. The suspension bridge, crossing the river, built n 1930, is lovely, with great views, and there are other places, also with great views of the rushing river and waterfalls. The river was great, but the surrounding and thick forest was equally lovely, and just magical.
We spent maybe an hour, or maybe 90 minutes, at Rogie Falls (we weren’t keeping track) before continuing west on the A835 toward Ullapool, stopping again at Glascarnoch Dam on Loch Glascarnoch, just past the tiny village of Garve. The landscape started to change dramatically from this point west, as we re-entered the northwestern highlands and its dramatic scenery, and the landscape around the dam was excellent. This landscape and its scenery was very much like that we passed through a couple of days ago on our way to Skye, and also in contrast to the coastal and inland coastal landscape we passed through yesterday en route to John O’Groats, which is cultivated and tamed in comparison. Out here, it is wild.
Then onto the spectacular, and I do mean spectacular, Corrieshalloch Gorge National Nature Reserve. Wow! Also located on the A835 (clearly, a great road to travel), Corrieshalloch Gorge is a mile long and 500 foot deep narrow gorge carved by the River Droma, which flows through it, surrounded by steep, high, and heavily wooded cliffs. itself in a deeply forested and also beautiful forest, with several smaller but really lovely waterfalls along the way. The whole reserve is wonderful, and the gorge spectacular, with viewpoints long the cliffs, including a suspension bridge built in 1875 and a viewing platform built in 2006. Fabulous.
Elana is having knee replacement surgery in just a few weeks, and the real shame here was that she was starting to experience significant pain and just couldn’t keep walking, and so missed experiencing the gorge and its views, although did get some walking time in the forest leading to the gorge, and the falls along the way.
After I re-joined Elana, we continued on the last leg of the drive, passing along Loch Broom, about 12 miles in length and about 3 miles at its widest point, and came into Ullapool, about 13 miles west of the gorge. Harbored on Loch Broom, and on the edge of the Minch,which leads into the Atlantic Ocean, Ullapool is the western gateway to the beautiful Wester Ross, and is a great little village, and clearly a tourist attraction, for good reason. It’s a small village, founded in in 1788 as fishing village and fishing center, with about a population today of about 1,500, but was packed with visitors… and lots of motorcycles. I haven’t seen so many in one location since I started this trip. There are camping and RV/caravan sites around the village, and many hotels, hostels, restaurants, and bars, and the tell tale outdoor recreation store, telling you this is an area for outdoor activity, on the water and inland. This a destination. Beautiful, and very classic. Again, right out of a movie, with its beautiful harbor and moored sailing boats, as well as commercial boats.
We really enjoyed the town, and Elana was able to get around, despite pain in her knee, but we were careful to not overdo it, and then we took a slight side trip to Rhue, in the hills just outside of the village, a small peninsula at the mouth of Loch Broom where it meets the sea. where we enjoyed some more great and classic views. Excellent!
We considered visiting some other spots in the region, but wisely decided to head back to Fortrose, to get there at a reasonable time and catch some dinner in town, so we headed back the way we came, once again enjoying the drive, now less than 90 minutes without any stops. We arrived home at 7, and made a reservation for 8 at a local pub restaurant. I don’t know why they needed a reservation as it was more than half empty, even though another local eatery (which we wanted to eat at) had no available tables at all. Maybe they were smaller, and that’s why they were full, but it may also have had something to do with the quality of the menu and the food at the Anderson, where we ate. At any rate, the menu was mediocre, with no local foods, and the food we got was okay, but bland. A disappointment. Maybe the most disappointing meal I’ve had on this trip. Oh well. Can’t win ’em all.
Then back to the cottage, and starting to get ready to leave tomorrow. We head to Dunfermline, to the same hotel where I stayed a few days ago, and from there, once checked in, we’ll park the car and have train tickets for the short journey into Edinburgh, where we hope to spend the afternoon and easily evening. Elana is hoping to catch some of the Edinburgh Fringe, which is happening right now. For now though, good night.