Part 3 - Poolewe to Achiltibuie to Home

On Sunday we left Poolewe to go to Achiltibuie. We had to retrace our tracks for a few miles and stopped at the Corrieshalloch Gorge. This was cut by a river running under a glacier a very very long time ago. Now a river runs in the bottom of the gorge with the Falls of Measach visible from a wobbly Victorian suspension bridge. The chasm has 60 metres verticle walls.

The next photo was taken from a layby, later on the road.

We arrived at the Summer Isles Hotel, Achiltibuie, which has a good view of the Summer Isles. That evening we took a walk along the road and on the way back I 'crossed my feet' and fell on my face - literally! I was walking along with my hands in my pockets. I hit my nose slightly, and my chin rather harder. I also damaged my left arm a little and bashed my knee. Later I discovered a painful lower rib, which is still sore - bruised or cracked? If my hands had been free I would probably have broken an arm so was really very lucky. A bag of ice did wonders for my knee and none of it caused any problem for the holiday.

This is a view of Tanara Mor and other Summer Isles. Skye can be seen in the far distance.

One day we headed North to see Kyleskue, where we had hoped to stay. A somewhat more reasonably priced hotel, but the Summer Isles Hotel gave us comfort, good service and excellent food. Kyleskue is in a great site at the end of Lochs Glencoul and Glendhu. The crews of the X-craft mini-submarines trained here in WW2.
This bridge crosses the bottoms of the Lochs. We walked to it in a gale which nearly knocked us off our feet. Taking photographs was very difficult trying to keep the camera still.

We had to go up to Scourie to get fuel but did not have time to go on the 24 very slow miles to the North Coast. There is nothing much more to see there, just the matter of reaching the farthest North!

On the last day we went for a walk on a beach which was not that easy to access. G has a thing

about walking on beaches so that was what we did! Afterwards we went a short way in the opposite direction and were amused by the sheep.
The lamb was looking down at its mates, which it desperately wanted to join, but didn't know how.
The other three were feasting on seaweed, which they love

One afternoon, I went to see a lady who does Hydroponics and organic growing in a very large plastic tunnel. It was interesting to see her plants growing in various different ways. Some were growing in a non-soil medium with their roots reaching down to the water below. Some were in organic raised beds. And there were other methods too. There were very productive tomatoes and strawberries and Courgettes, potatoes etc etc. I have come home with her Herb kit - 4 growing pots to live in a trough, with wicks to take the water up to the plants growing in the special material. I have sown Italian Broad-leaved Parsley, Sweet Basil, Mazuma and a special lettuce. I shall report more on this in the Purple Coo gardening forum.

On Thursday we came home - a long drive back to Inverness, down the A9 to the Erskine Bridge, and so down to Northumberland and home. It is always good to get home to one's own bed but there is also the holiday laundry and catching up in the garden. It now feels as though we have not been away!