Have I mentioned how many dogs are out and about in Scotland? They are everywhere and totally adorable. Dogs are welcome in restaurants, tourist attractions, walking trails, etc.
Day 8 – Orkney to Kirkwall to Ullapool.
After a relaxed start, we leave Orkney and sail the Viking waters back to the mainland. From here, we travel the old road right across the very top of Scotland, driving past the stunning Ben Loyal and Ben Hope mountains, following the rocky cliffs and stunning golden sand beaches.
We then visit the far northwest Highlands and the wilderness of the mountains of Assynt before stopping to view the 15th-century ruins of Ardvreck Castle. From here, we travel to Ullapool, situated at the mouth of Loch Broom, a beautiful whitewashed fishing village where we spend two nights.
Overnight – Ullapool
We all, especially Billy, got awfully excited about these seals waaay out in the loch. (Not to forget Keith’s obsession with otters.)
The Italian Chapel (known locally as The Miracle of Camp 60) built by WWII prisoners of war.
It looks like it was built from materials also used to build Quonset huts.
St. George and the Dragon statue, just outside the entrance of the chapel, sculpted by Domenico Chiocchetti, the same Italian prisoner of war who masterminded the construction and fabulous interior frescoes of the chapel.
Dogs from the ferry, about 1/4 of the dogs there. I’m not even that into dogs but I felt compelled to say HI to everyone of them.
Following come a series of stops to include photo-ops, hikes, etc.
The Kylesku Bridge (known in Scottish Gaelic as Drochaid a’ Chaolais Chumhaing) opened in 1984 to replace a long-running ferry. If we wanted we could have 10 minutes or so to walk across the bridge. I could maybe walk across the bridge, but not in 10 minutes, so I stayed with the bus.
Ardvreck Castle, built in 1490. It seems we are doing a large part of what makes up “the legendary North Coast 500 road trip route.”
The town of Ullapool where tomorrow will be a free day. Oh we, Windy and I, were SO excited about a free day. Turned out to be a 20 minute walk into town from our accommodation. My plan was to lie in the bed with my legs up, add a chapter or two to my diary, and maybe stroll through town without any deadline. Windy’s plan was to find a laundry, and maybe stroll through town without any deadline. But First we went out to find dinner and…
… OMG MIDGES. We were both in a swarming swatting panic over the clouds of biting MIDGES that surrounded us everywhere we went. That’s Windy trying to swat them all out of the phone booth to no avail.
This is me, legs, arms, HANDS, neck, etc etc because the midges continued to swarm for days. Oh cry me a river. (And ps, it’s a week later and I’m still scratching bites!)
