In September of 2019 the wife and I, along with my parents, took a trip up to the Scottish Highlands staying in a cabin on the outskirts of Strathpeffer. After a long drive through with wind and rain it was dark when we arrived at the driveway to the cabin. Only to find there was no driveway but in fact a fallen tree in our way! According to the neighbours the tree had fallen only moments before our arrival so we were rather lucky we didn’t arrive a few minutes earlier! We parked up the car and clambered over the fallen tree with our bags, assured by the locals it would be cleared by morning, and continued to make our way to the cabin and to a much needed rest.
The next day we wandered down to the car and, as promised by the locals, yet slightly to our surprise, found the tree totally cleared and gone. I do not envy the people who cleared it away during the night! Getting up bright and early we decided to venture from the cabin to the Rogie falls taking a hiking path which would amount to a nice 8km round trip roughly. The walk through the woodland was very pleasant and much to my mothers delight we saw many red capped mushrooms which all earned their own individual photo! With plenty of wildlife around and a close encounter with a deer, the path was only beaten by the Rogie falls themselves. The falls are a beautifully spectacular area which is pictured below and a lovely place to walk to if any readers are ever in the area. As this was a purely leisurely walk we took our time and the day had soon passed by when we arrived back at the cabin.
The plan for the next day was a to Aultbea on west coast of Scotland found on the edge of Loch Ewe. This trip was to see the area where my Grandfather has be stationed during his time in the Navy in WWII, as Loch Ewe was the staging area for the North Atlantic Convoys going over to Russia during the war. In Aultbea we found the Russian Arctic Convoy Exhibition which was a small museum but certainly had lots of information on the convoys themselves. In the surrounding area there were old gun emplacements that were accessible to explore if you knew where to find them. An added bonus was the beautiful scenery surrounding Loch Ewe. After taking in our fill at the museum and Loch Ewe we set back off to Strathpeffer. On our way back we made a fleeting stop to the Falls of Measach, Corrieshalloch Gorge, near Ullapool, pictured below. It is worth mentioning the suspension bridge over the gorge doesn’t half wobble!
After the long journey up, a day of walking and trip across to Loch Ewe, the wife and I decided we would simply have a relaxing day in the cabin and explore the town of Strathpeffer itself. A very short walk into town and we found a little row of shops all located in the Victorian train station that once serviced the area, in which one can find the small Highland Museum of Childhood. After a quick gander round we settled in for a coffee and enjoyed the old architecture. On our route back we popped into The Strathpeffer Pump Room which also doubles as a local history museum and to my delight, a rather good sweet shop! The relaxing day was completed and we were looking forward to a drive up to Cromarty, round the peninsula and over to Inverness the next day.
If anyone from Inverness reading this, don’t take this the wrong way but, Inverness was nicer than I thought it would be! With a castle dating back to 1863 and cathedral built between 1866 to 1869, there is in fact plenty to see with other curiosities around. Inverness itself has only been classed as city since 2000 but was a nice little stop off and a good place to buy our nic-nacks for those back at home.
On the final day of our trip we had planned to take the train from Dingwall to Kyle of Lochalsh, which turned out to be one of the most beautiful train rides I have ever been on. The stunning scenery was a wander to behold and the train line ran alongside numerous lochs and mountains. With tickets starting at £10.60 I recommend the trip to anyone in the area! Arriving at Kyle of Lochalsh we popped over the bridge and on to the Isle of Skye. Sadly the trip was too short to make the journey up the the Talisker Distillery, my favourite whiskey, but instead we decided to take a trip on a glass bottomed boat! The boat took you round the surrounding islands where seals, otters and all sorts of birds could be found. Once you began the journey back to the harbour you can head downstairs to see everything around below the waters surface. A fascinating little trip and one well worth doing if every in the area.
Having taken the train to Kyle of Lochalsh we began to drive back as the parents had taken the car having been on the train on a previous trip of their own. During the drive back we decided to make a slight detour to Eilean Donan Castle near Dornie, which proved to be a good call. The 13th century castle stands on the edge of Loch Alsh and Loch Duich and is often seen in films and adverts due to its picturesque location. Having taken a few pictures of our own we began the trip back to the cabin then home the next morning, our Highland adventure was over.
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