Applecross

There is little point in traveling if you don’t bother to interact with the locals you meet.  After chatting a couple of evenings over pints, Alan, who was also a guest at the Plockton Inn informed me  he was planning sightseeing drive the next day and asked me to join him.  When he said the Applecross peninsular was his destination I was thrilled.  You see although just on the other side of Loch Carron, it is not accessible on public transportation so therefore I had never gotten there in past trips.  In fact the only road through the village of Applecross is only about 40 years old.  Prior to that it was reached only by boat.

The route would take us around the Loch to Lochcarron, one of the longest highland villages that just kept adding to itself by the shore, over the mountains via Bealach na Bà, the highest road in Britain to Applecross.  From there we’d skirt the coast to Shielding and then up to Torridan before deciding which way to return.

Alan has a great Scottish accent and so his pronunciation of the various villages and mountains was a great way to learn.  When I mispronounced, he corrected me.  For example, I mentioned the Falkirk Wheel.  Being from Massachusetts I was drawing out my “A’s” as Faaalkirk when it is more Fallkirk.  Why say a thing incorrectly?

Loch Carron is the loch that Mary & Kenny took be boating on and as you can see on the map is a pretty long sea loch.

The first stop was to snap pictures of this waterfall who’s roar was very clear once the car stopped.  One wonders where the water originates.

As I looked out on the mist covered mountains, Mark Knopfler was in my head.

 

Bealach na Ba, the highest road, is crazy.  No other word to describe it as it hairpins it’s way up and over the mountain and offering great views at every turn.

A view of Skye with the pointed Black Cuillins in the distance

Applecross has an Inn that is usually booked a year in advance and a few houses along the shoreline.

I wonder if this is a loch side pizza oven?!

And the bank was open for business.

Alan says these Highland cattle “Hairy Coos” that were nearly blocking the road are docile unless guarding young but I wasn’t going to get too close as those horns could kill and visiting A&E is not on my list of things to do so I let the zoom do the walking.

The Glen Torridan area offers spectacular views and Alan wanted to check Lower Diabaig off his ‘visited’ list.  A 9 mile single-track, roller-coaster of a road from Inverallgin, one wonders what the mindset is of the few year round residents as it is so very isolated.  And beautiful.

If you visit the Lower Diabaig page of the so very helpful www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk one realizes this boat has been there for a long time.

Bealach na Ba is one tough road to drive but the road to Lower Diabaig is certainly it’s equal.  We had spots where, as you come over a rise, the road seems to drop out from underneath on the downhill side.  The main difference is Bealach na Ba has much more traffic so the passing places get a workout.

 

Heading back to Plockton after over 7 hours on the road there is a tunnel.  Not through a mountain but rather to prevent the mountain rockslides from blocking the train or roadway. I can’t ever recall such a “tunnel” before.

This was the perfect way to see this empty and remote part of Scotland.  With a driver/tour guide who was as impressed with what we saw as I was.  I hope Alan enjoyed the day as much as I did.