I opened the curtains this morning hoping to look out over the loch, but it was completely invisible behind a wall of rain. What a miserable day! Thankfully, accommodation & breakfast were magnificent, so I decided to wait until about 10 o’clock before setting off, hoping the weather might improve.
Over breakfast I met people from France, southern England and Germany, and we were all sharing the same concerns about the weather/roads. Despite the rain, we all agreed on one thing — what a fantastic experience the NC500 is. The hotel had been really very good, although one guest mentioned that it had cost him £80 just to have his dogs stay the night! As I travelled on during the day, I met people from Sheffield, Australia, and New Zealand. It really is incredible how many people from around the world are drawn to this route. It was reminiscent of the Route 66 escapade.
My first stop was Ardvreck Castle, dramatically positioned on the shores of Loch Assynt. The ruined 16th-century castle looked particularly atmospheric against the gloomy Highland landscape. Built around 1590 by the MacLeods of Assynt, this site holds a heavy history of clan feuds, betrayal—including the infamous imprisonment of the great Marquis of Montrose—and local folklore that whispers the castle is haunted by a weeping ghost and even a pact with the devil.
I then continued to Ullapool, a lovely harbor town on Loch Broom, before heading towards Clashnessie Falls. The one advantage of all the morning’s rain was that the waterfall was absolutely thundering, far more powerful than it would normally be. I finally found something good about the dreadful weather! Plunging some 15 meters over a sandstone cliff face, the swollen torrent was throwing up a massive mist, turning a normally picturesque waterfall into a raw, roaring force of Highland nature.
Continuing on to Gruinard Bay, where things finally started to improve. The bay is absolutely stunning, with a magnificent beach backed by rugged Highland scenery. The weather brightened as I walked along the beach taking photographs, and I also met a couple flying a drone over the bay. I can only imagine how spectacular their aerial photographs must have been.
I made an unexpected stop at Inverewe Garden, which turned out to be another highlight of the day. The garden is famous for its remarkable collection of plants from around the world, made possible by the Gulf Stream and its sheltered position on the shores of Loch Ewe. It is quite extraordinary to see such exotic vegetation growing this far north in Scotland. By now, my original plan to travel much further had disappeared, and as I approached Gairloch I found myself thinking more about finding a bed for the night than adding more miles to the journey. I spotted a hotel, pulled over and asked if they had a room — fortunately they did, so I checked in on the spot.
That evening I walked around the bay as the sun began to set. After such a miserable start, it was a fantastic way to finish the day. The owner of the hotel also gave me some useful advice for tomorrow, telling me that the weather was expected to be much better and pointing out some of the best sections of the NC500 to enjoy while the conditions were good. So, another early start tomorrow — and hopefully a much sunnier one!
LC
Leave a Reply