Another amazing day!
I had a good lie in – in this heat
its harder to wake up early, and I've been sleeping lightly, then
deeper in the morning. I got the van all packed up, and stocked up
with water, full tanks, then headed out onto the road. I stopped and
filled the fuel tank, got a new propane cylinder, got an extra 20
litre jerry can of diesel, and drove out of Glencoe into the
sunshine.
I pulled in at Fortwilliam to stock up
on groceries for a few days, and found that they had a Lidl, and a
Morrisons, and paid both a visit. In Morrisons, the lady was chatting
to me about this and that and told me that seven spectators had been
killed at the Isle of Man TT – not having heard any news since I
left N Ireland it was the first thing I had heard of the outside
world. I might go the rest of the trip without hearing the news, and
see what is important enough to hear through word of mouth.
I passed through Invergarry and along
by some beautiful lochs, and stopped in a couple of places to look at
the views and have a cold drink. The scenery is amazing along the
A87, and I when I reached the Five Sisters, and pulled in to the site
of the battle of Glen Shiel in 1719. All along this road I was
listening to music on the iPod and enjoying the drive through the
mountains and passes. Eventually I reached the town of Dornie, and
pulled in to have a look around Eilean Donan castle.
The castle was 'closed' being a sunday
evening, but in effect this mean that I could cross the bridge and
have a look around the outside of the castle for free. It was great
to see around it close up as every time I'd passed this way before
I'd only looked on it from the shore. I didn't stay long, even after
the long drive – I was keen to get into unknown territory and take
the turn off towards Lochcarron. Staying on the A87 brings you to the
Skye bridge, and onto the Isle of Skye, which I plan to reach by boat
from Harris in a couple of weeks time.
As I drove out the road to Lochcarron I
really noticed a fall off in traffic, it was sunday evening, but
compared to the road to Skye this one was mostly deserted – only
the occasional car. After weaving through some forested areas and
climbing some steep assents I came out onto an amazing view onto Loch
Carron. I had to pull in and spend some time here and have something
to eat..
The views from here were amazing –
high up above the loch, looking through tall pines onto the sound
below. High up enough that all below looked completely still, yet I
could actually see the current in the water that hastened the Vikings
to call it 'Stroom', their word for strong current. From here it was
also possible to see the Kyle line railway tracks far below, and the
ruins of a castle on the other shore.
I knew I was nearing the first major
goal of this trip though, the Applecross Pass, or Pass of the Cattle,
on the road to Applecross. So I rounded the loch and made my way
toward Loch Kishorn, and the beginning of the narrow ascent. As I
pulled up to the beginning of the road, a sign read, 'ROAD NORMALLY
IMPASSABLE IN WINTRY CONDITIONS' – I began the winding drive up.
All I can say is that this really is a
spectacular drive, and well lives up to its reputation, some sections
are very steep, and there are scary drops to remind you – the views
are also amazing, but its best to stop to look around, as its a
narrow single track road (with passing places) all the way up. Nearer
the top there are hairpin bends and its even steeper – I was in
second gear all the way..
I will not be posting any pictures of
the view from the top. You simply have to go there and see for
yourself the views over the Isles of Skye, Scalpay, Raasay and Rona,
and many other smaller islands. The weather was beautiful, and it was
an incredibly calm place, and quiet beyond words..
I descended the pass on the other side,
pulled into Applecross campsite and booked in for the night – I had
experienced enough today, and the Hiace engine needed a rest as much
as I did – plenty of time to explore the area around Applecross
tomorrow. I set up camp and relaxed looking out to sea, before
getting to bed for the night, though it was light until well after
11pm..
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See you soon..
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