Along the West Coast

Monday, 28 June, 2010

Ullapool to Ratagan

A comparatively easy day today after yesterday’s drive, there were still several single track roads to negotiate but not as many hills and bends, so the 120 miles was not as tiring.

Our window at the Ullapool Hostel looks out over the water and this morning a seal was swimming among the fishing boats, maybe hoping for some leftovers.

The road to Inverewe Gardens from Ullapool doubles back on itself but it couldn’t do any thing else as a few rivers and mountains get in the way. Just after we turned off the Inverness road we stopped to look at the Falls of Measach, we crossed a gorge; over 30 m. deep on a suspension bridge which has a tendency to sway as we walked over it, the falls cascading to just below the bridge. Further along the track it a viewing platform which project out over the gorge but providing an excellent view of the falls. Returning to our car we had to wait to cross the bridge as a coach load of people were coming across and only six at a time are allowed on the bridge. While waiting we were assailed by a swarm of Midges, the call had gone out “fresh meat for morning tea”. The coach driver kindly gave us some wipes that helped remove those that had landed and deterred the others from attacking. From the falls it was another forty miles to the gardens.

In 1865 a twenty year old, Osgood McKenzie purchased 50 acres of barren rocky land on the edge of Loch Ewe and over many years, with the help of his servant collected seaweed in wicker baskets and carried them back to mulch the ground. When he had built up the soil he then stated to plant exotic plants which include plant from Australia, South Africa, Japan, China and many other countries, including hundreds of species of Rhododendron, he also built a large walled garden to supply himself with fruit and vegetables. All these the plant have now matured and it is strange to see eucalypts and bottle brush trees growing in a location further north than Moscow, however the warm Gulf Stream runs down the coast protecting the area from extreme conditions. It is many years since we last visited and we were disappointed that nearly all the azaleas and rhododendrons had finished flowing and they weren’t as pretty as our last visit.

Leaving the gardens to drive to Ratagan a very small village on the edge of Loch Duich we made many stops to take in the grandeur of the many lochs and mountains on the way. We also stopped at the Beinn Eighe Nature Reserve visitor’s centre, which provides an overview of the reserve and lots of interactive displays for children explaining about the animal and insects to be found in the reserve. The reserve is the oldest in Britain and was purchased originally to restore the Scottish Pine which was almost eliminated during WW2 by the Canadians cutting them down to make ammunition boxes.

The last time we visited the reserve was in 1975 with our sons and we camped in a motor home on a single track gravel road high in the mountains, in the morning we were driving through an open area with signs warning that sheep and deer may be on the road, imagine our surprise when a sign warning of elephants appeared, on closer investigation we found some one had altered a sheep to an elephant.

A little further on we stopped to view Eilean Donan Castle, situated on an island and connected to the mainland by a four arched stone bridge; this island has been inhabited from the 900s when St Donnan lived there. In 1220 a castle was built to fend off Viking attacks and in 1306 Robert the Bruce sheltered there. Over the years many castles had been built on the island and the last one was destroyed during the Jacobite uprising. Between 1913 and 1932 the castle was rebuilt to its old plans and since then has featured in many movies and TV shows and if you have a spare £1,000 you can have your wedding there but will have to go to a local hotel for your reception.

From the castle it was only a short drive to the hostel at Ratagen as the crow flies it is only 8 miles from the Isle of Skye but we decided this trip not to visit the Isle. We have been given the only room downstairs and with a bathroom right outside our door it almost as good as an en-suite and as an added bonus, the warden has made a large dish of apple crumble and invited us to help ourselves.

We've just looke out the window and there is a small porpoise in the loch and I'm to;d there are often otters at the front of the hostel