Scotland finishing off unfinished walks

[DavidG58]

Going back a few days, we left the Findhorn Valley and headed north, stopped at Falls of Shin overnight. There is a sign saying no overnight parking, but only one sign and by the roadside which I took to mean on the road only

In the morning we walked to the falls, then did the woodland walk option 2km only followed by the biggest piece of cake I think have ever attempted

A little sadness for me as we got out of the Motorhome realised the step wasn’t out, we had t even got out since arriving just before dark the previous day, couldn’t have done that with a dog

On the way out of cafe spotted this in the shop, a flavour too far even for us

Next update will be journey to and Altnharra

 

[Figaro]

Is falls of shin visitors centre rebuilt now ?

 

[DavidG58]

Falls of Shin to Altnaharra only about 30 miles but what a lovely road

Arrived at Altnaharra club site, 24 pitches only one other on site and only £15 per night with electrics

Parked up alongside Loch

Had a result found a spare bottle of gin , not that we are short yet

Now on our way down to Poolewe / Gairloch stopped at Tesco Ullapool, out of water, still and tonic , bound to be few other treats we need

The road here today

We love Scotland, particularly in the sun

 

[DavidG58]

A few more shots from this morning on site

 

[DavidG58]

Plus from the mountain we climbed looking for enough signal to load photos yesterday, we still didn’t find enough

Our Motorhome and the site are in the penultimate photo bottom left

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[DavidG58]

Is falls of shin visitors centre rebuilt now ?

Sort of, it’s a community project with a lovely cafe

 

[funflair]

Plus from the mountain we climbed looking for enough signal to load photos yesterday, we still didn’t find enough

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Our Motorhome and the site are in the penultimate photo bottom left

Thant look just perfect for my new Kayak when I pick it up David, pictures look lovely.

Martin

 

[Robert Clark]

Hi David

Spotted this bird in Amposta - the dark one on the left

Are you able to assist with identifying ?

Thank you

 

[Drum Major]

Smashing pics seeing Scotland at its best hope the weather fair enjoy

 

[DavidG58]

@Robert Clark being dragged round all of the shops in Ullapool, currently outside the candle shop which smells bad enough outside

But I have just managed to sneak into a fishmongers and now have a dressed crab in the bottom of the shopping bag I was being forced to carry

My first guess without a book is an Ibis, but will add more detail later hopefully

Talking of adding more data I should have said that Falls of Shin officially say no parking overnight but turn a blind eye. As ever they have had issues with cassettes being empltied directly into their sewage system causing havoc

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[TheCaller]

Great photos as always & some stunning scenery. But they do bring home just how much you must be missing Lola. I keep expecting to see her in the foreground, looking back at you.

This trip must be bringing back some wonderful memories for you both, tinged with the sadness of missing her presence. I miss her - I knew I would & she wasn't even my dog. I only saw her a couple of times a year & anyway she always totally ignored me. Maybe that's it - it's always the ones that play hard to get that get under your skin!

 

[DavidG58]

Managaed to find another place with virtually no internet, but I have found that GPRS is enough to refresh and post in MHF but virtually no chance of putting photos on

Kinlochewe is our new base for 2 nights, we drove through Gairloch / Poolewe we had brim full waste tanks and no fresh left and knew for sure that this site had low level dump, i decanted a cassette full of black and grey yesterday that isn’t fun and I will keep that for emergencies only, although four nights at Chester might push things again

Kinlochewe is the place of the biggest ‘unfinished’ walk, the Ben Eighe reserve area has a mountain walk that we all started possibly when Lola was only 2 or 3, she was up for it, but my first wife put her foot down with a very firm hand. It became the beginning of many a discussion on how would we manage if Lola got poorly on a walk

We had set off with no research and although the words still get stuck when I say them, Bev was right to call a stop to the first attempt

We now know it is over 3 miles and includes some serious altitude, by serious we are not quite talking oxygen requirement but by using Strava we will record time distance and altitude when we take it on, they say to allow 4 hours which must be new advice I would have noticed that but the map they now show at the start point implies we barely started last time

Just read the guide leaflet, it says 6.5km allow 4 hours and altitude reached 550m, not sure how high we are here but not very being alongside Loch Maree which flows out into the sea

That will probably be done on Friday, but TBH I don’t know what day it is today

This is what we will be doing so if we don’t report in again or turn up at Chester please send a search party

 

[DavidG58]

so much for no internet managed to post same thing twice

 

[bigtree]

@DavidG58
Liking your pictures, still stuck at home with shower mixer problems
when you get to Gairloch dont even think about driving up the single track "Privately Owned" road to the Rua Reidh Lighthouse.
The current owners think when they bought the Lighthouse Accommodation that they bought the actual lighthouse along with the entire road access and surrounding area also, but that is not the case as Trinity House still own the light house and the access road.
The "owners" are apparently very rude nutters and very protective as to who drives on "their" access road
If you want some evening entertainment, check out the trip Adviser reviews and return comments from the current owners.
By responding in the way they have to client criticism, I am not surprised they have it up for sale again. Such a shame could be such a lucrative business if they opened it up as a daytime cafe/diner also, and try and involve the locals a lot more.
The "Owners" put up PRIVATE ROAD NO ACCESS signs just at the end of the village to Quote : "stop the "Fat Bar####ds in their cars that are too lazy to walk the 2.5 mile road to the light house!", so the locals remove them just to wind them up Loads of coverage in the Scottish Papers in the recent past, honestly if you really wanted to sabotage your own business, you couldn't do a better job than they have The sooner they are out the place the better IMHO. Be interesting to hear what the local take on this is, as they dont seem to have have made many friends up there.
If we go up there now, we will definitely make a point of driving up to the light house, just to wind them up further and add to their totally illogical local "Conspiracy Theory".
Have fun Gairloch looks beautiful.
Les

Think I posted of our encounter with the crazy owners when we rode our motorbike to Rua readh, got the police involved. Don't ever try to get a motorhome along as there is a narrow bridge in a gully half way along.

 

[bigtree]

Hi David

Spotted this bird in Amposta - the dark one on the left

Are you able to assist with identifying ?

View attachment 296084

Thank you

Glossy Ibis.

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[TinaLes]

Think I posted of our encounter with the crazy owners when we rode our motorbike to Rua readh, got the police involved. Don't ever try to get a motorhome along as there is a narrow bridge in a gully half way along.

You have had an encounter with the nutter owners also
You really must check out The Trip Adviser reviews, every client that complains are in the wrong, and will never be welcomed back, its hilarious, if ever there was a couple not fit to offer a public facing service of any type its these two.
As I mentioned before they have damned themselves and their business big time.
Sorry @DavidG58 58 not trying to high jack your wonderful highland touring thread, which we are enjoying, just had to forewarn you when you mentioned heading to Gairloch, as the Light house used to to be a highlight of a visit there, but not at the present time sadly.
Les

 

[Anthea M]

Loving the photos David and Bev , take care and Lola is with you in spirit always.

 

[Neilfg]

Great photos, enjoying the trip. We both have lovely memories of Altnaharra had a great time catching little brownies with Geza watching from the bank.

 

[DavidG58]

A quick update courtesy of the local cafe Wi-fi, waiting for soup

This is Kinlochewe, another dry mainly sunny day

Took these on a one mile walk round the village

Big walk is tomorrow

 

[bigtree]

You have had an encounter with the nutter owners also
You really must check out The Trip Adviser reviews, every client that complains are in the wrong, and will never be welcomed back, its hilarious, if ever there was a couple not fit to offer a public facing service of any type its these two.
As I mentioned before they have damned themselves and their business big time.
Sorry @DavidG58 58 not trying to high jack your wonderful highland touring thread, which we are enjoying, just had to forewarn you when you mentioned heading to Gairloch, as the Light house used to to be a highlight of a visit there, but not at the present time sadly.
Les

I have.

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[DavidG58]

Well we can now tick this walk off things we want to do, 7.5km of torture, awesome views great feeling of achievement but never again, we are nowhere near fit enough

Was going to add some photos but can’t will try again later

 

[DavidG58]

We actually did the route in reverse, partly as we had failed last time going the right way, then a girl in the information centre said she always did it as we now intended.

Should you try it, do it the way they say, we had most of the down route on scree not nice at my weight and poorly knees

But done and chuffed to have done so

Elevation 650m

Calories burnt 1199

Distance 7.8km

 

[DavidG58]

backtracking a bit now we have internet strong enough to post photos

from Altnaharra site

a very long distance shot of a black throated diver

big enough to be a raven, but think this was a large crow

distant but good image of whatever it was wheatear?? distinctive cream rump when flying

loads of these, meadow pipits ??

no wildlife since here, no eagles but we are still north of Inverness time yet

 

[Drum Major]

Fantastic

 

[DavidG58]

We are at Rosemarkie CCC site, not really our type of site, too many other people here, but it’s a lovely day, heading back smdown A9 today, Taste of Perthshire at Blackford overnight tonight via Pitlochry for a look round

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[DavidG58]

We had a fabulous sight of a black throated diver in the sea before we left, but it spent more time diving than swimming couldn’t get a photo

 

[DavidG58]

We have trundled 120 miles down the A9 to just north of Perth parked at Taste of Perthshire at Bankfoot, they welcome MH’s and we have had a lovely evening meal, now chilling with gins back in MH

Bev did some shopping in Pitlochry

Didn’t leave enough funds left for me to restock the gin from here, Aldi it will need to be

We are this far south because Nat our eldest is travelling up tomorrow to ‘our’ beach, she last went with us in a caravan 20 years ago, tomorrow we introduce a new generation in the form of our ‘JJ’ our youngest grandson

Bev is very excited to meet them all there

Anybody not yet heard of our beach, we will post photos tomorrow of what is a very special place for us

 

[Drum Major]

Looking forward to that enjoy

 

[Figaro]

Enjoying the thread and the photos.
Is your daughter travelling up in her recently acquired motorhome ?

 

[DavidG58]

Enjoying the thread and the photos.
Is your daughter travelling up in her recently acquired motorhome ?

The very same one, the roof has aluminium cancer and we painted that a couple of weeks back hoping to have halted the leaks

But they love it, they paid less to buy theirs than I did on repairs in first two years of ownership

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