So which one of these places would you choose for your evening meal? We chose the Plockton Inn because Don's cousin Ruthellen and her husband Russell had eaten there last autumn and highly recommended it. But you have to admit that the Grumpy's sign brings a smile.
It took us all day to get to the cottage we had rented because we took the scenic route and, as you know, the scenic route means many stops for photos. We stopped for coffee, scones, and some shopping at The Croft in the village of Glencoe before driving alongside Loch Linnhe where, at Ft. William, we got onto the Road to the Isles. The first stop along this route is the village of Corpach where there are locks for the Crinan Canal which links the Atlantic Ocean with the North Sea across Scotland via a series of lochs connected by canals (see yesterday's photos).
The next stop along the way is the Glenfinnan Monument (homage to one of the brave stands made in the ultimately failed attempt by the Jacobites to restore the Stuarts to the British throne). The monument sits in a dramatic setting at the head of Loch Shiel with hills rising to either side (also see yesterday's photos). (To our back when facing the monument is the Glenfinnan Viaduct over which the steam train runs as featured in a recent Harry Potter film.)
Beyond this point, the road, sometimes narrowing to a single track with passing places, winds through woods and hills, alongside the water at times and in a wood of beeches and myrtles at other times. Occasional glimpses of wooded islets in the water never fail to elicit a gasp at their beauty. We noted as we drove through this time that a road-widening operation has begun. There will be road tie-ups for the better part of a year but at the end of the day the resultant time savings--not to mention the increased road safety--will be well worth it. Almost as a reward for our patience and fortitude we come out of the woods to drive alongside the Atlantic Ocean--or nearly so. We have glimpses of the dunes and occasionally the white sandy beaches and aquamarine waters of the villages of Arisaig and Morar. As you can see in the photo of Morar beach in yesterday's blog, the gently rippling hills of the Isle of Skye can be seen in a purple haze off in the distance. There was no time to walk down to the beach this visit because we were catching the next ferry.
Finally we come to the end of the road--Mallaig--where we catch the car ferry over to Armadale on Skye. We will have about an hour's rest from driving and sitting in the car what with waiting for the ferry to leave and standing about on deck during the fairly short voyage. The farther north we go, the better the weather gets. By the time we've arrive at the edge of the Atlantic, the rain and grey clouds have mostly disappeared and the sun is with us.
Once on Skye, we travel along the southern coast road to near the town of Broadford where we cross the bridge back to the mainland at Kyle of Lochalsh. You may be wondering why we go to Skye if we're not going to see Skye. We go to Skye to avoid going all the way back to Ft. William in order to take the alternative (and more straightforward) route to Kyle of Lochalsh. The views between Ft. William and Mallaig are too spectacular to miss but once in Mallaig it makes more sense to ferry across to Skye and see a few more different sights than to backtrack.
Once we get to the Mainland, we take the scenic drive through the villages of Duirinish and Plockton rather than the main road. Today's photos are of the small village of Duirinish which has a burn (stream) running right through the middle of it and on out into the Atlantic. Sheep and Highland cattle wander freely, grazing in the middle of the village.
As we haven't eaten anything other than breakfast, scones and coffee at 11, and snacks on the ferry, we stop in Plockton for our evening meal before pressing on to Loch Torridon and our ultimate destination, the rented cottage at Inveralligan on the loch. It was 5 o'clock when we pull into Plockton but the Plockton Inn, where we want to eat, doesn't begin serving until 6. We book a table and then go to another hotel's beer garden right on the harbor for a drink while we watch the tide come in. You must admit that the views were worth spending an hour on.
We have a good meal and then forge on to the cottage. By the time we stow all our foodstuffs, turn on hot water heater and so forth, make our beds and unpack our clothes, we sit down at the picnic table on the front terrace and try to admire the sunset. I say "try to" because the midges, which the Torridon area is infamous for, soon drive us back into the cottage. The sitting room isn't a bad second choice what with its picture window overlooking the loch and the hills beyond. It has been a full day but a good one. We are looking forward to an outstanding day weather-wise on Friday and so to bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment