Tag Archives: Views

Ullapool, The Highlands

Made it! I made it to Ullapool. However, it was a short stay. Getting there was all about the 2-hour ferry crossing to Stornoway on the Isles of Lewis and Harris! This was my ultimate destination for this adventure.

On this visit, there appeared to be a lot of road repairs. Regardless, I could still see the “bones” of the village.

I loved the view of the water with the hills as its backdrop.

It perhaps was not the best of days to travel on a ferry to the Western Isles but when you live in Scotland you do not let a “ little thing like the weather” deter you from doing so.

So for our wee group, a ferry ride to Stornoway was definitely on, despite the grey clouds and threat of a little storm 😂

https://videos.files.wordpress.com/oHAS0YjD/ferry-to-stornoway-1.mp4

The ferry ride was calming but that could also be something to do with the glass of wine I was sipping. It was a wonderful trip just getting to Ullapool. I had stopped at the following:

All worth it. Cheers!

© The Scottish Pearl 2022

Morning Walk: Portobello, Edinburgh

There are some mornings when only water will do. This was one of those mornings. So there was no doubt in my mind, my morning walk was all about getting to Portobello.

With the sun rising, it felt like the mood changed every other minute. Which was fine as I wasn’t in any hurry. It was perfect as I came prepared with my large coffee flask.

What a nice way to start the day

© The Scottish Pearl 2022

Corrieshalloch Gorge, The Highlands

We continued our journey north, well north-west.

North West Highland

I marvelled at the mountains that graced our journey. Anyone who states that Scotland is just a drab dreary place clearly has never made the trip here. As we drove, I was glued to the window, mesmerised by what I saw. It was pure eye-candy.

Although we were getting close to Ullapool, we wanted to make one more stop. The Corrieshalloch Gorge

It was so close to our ultimate destination, it would have been a shame not to take advantage of the opportunity. How could we not visit? 😆

We were lucky as it stopped raining as we entered the woods.

Again, these tall majestic trees lined our path towards the gorge. The trees felt like a welcoming committee enticing us to venture further into the woods.

Mother Nature had also rolled out the carpet for us, a beautiful moss-green carpet that lined the forest floor.

After a little meandering, we reached the star of the show, the gorge.

https://videos.files.wordpress.com/uVajcGmH/corrieshalloch-gorge.mp4

Corrieshalloch is one of the most spectacular gorges of its type in Britain and provides striking evidence of how glacial meltwater can create deep gorges.

National Trust

I stood gazing at the water gushing down the rocks for quite some time. It was oddly satisfying and therapeutic. Nature is wonderful. What an awesome experience. I was really glad we stopped.

© The Scottish Pearl 2022

Loch Maree Islands, The Highlands

It was raining outside but we were merry inside!

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The Drive to Loch Maree Islands

We continued our drive north and decided to make a stop at the Loch Maree Islands!

I looked up a little information about the islands.

The Loch Maree Islands are a group of scattered islands on Loch Maree.
More than forty scattered islands carry the nearest thing to natural woodland left in Britain, a fragment of the original Caledonian Pine Forest. The wet climate of this area has resulted in blanket bog filling the damp hollows, where occasional stunted pines have taken hold. Black-throated divers take advantage of the tranquility of one of Britain’s least polluted freshwater lochs to breed here.

Visit Scotland

What an enchanting place. The mist added to the mood. Although there was light rain, it was unusually tranquil. Airy. I felt as if I was snooping around someone’s property; as if I wasn’t supposed to be there.

https://videos.files.wordpress.com/c64JEBNz/maree-islands.mp4

The islands seemed perfectly placed. They looked like they were part of a watercolour painting. There was something very magical about standing there.

Then there were the trees with these elevated root systems. The entire scene felt like a film set from a Tolkien novel!

Loved it!

© The Scottish Pearl 2022

Rogie Falls, The Highlands

Perhaps not the best of weather to be driving but what the heck! We went anyway. We were on our way to Ullapool, again weather permitting!

The ride to Rogie Falls

However, as part of our journey, we decided to stop at Rogie Falls.

Rogie Falls are located in the Highlands, near Contin. It is a popular attraction and so we wanted to take the opportunity to see what all the fuss was about. Upon arriving, we walked through the surrounding forest which alone was worth the trip.

To get to the Falls, we followed the trail along the Blackwater river towards the bridge.

As soon as we approached the suspension bridge we saw an impressive show of the waterfalls. Have you ever seen someone dance listening to music with their headphones on? Well this was the waterfall equivalent. Water cascading all around us, falling to a rhythm that only they can hear.

https://videos.files.wordpress.com/7VYAWSKM/rogie-falls.mp4

Wow! The orchestrated fall of lots of water! It was amazing to see. What a spectacular scene!

As I strolled out of the forest, I thought I would love to return and spend more time exploring this amazing place.

© The Scottish Pearl 2022

Gairloch, The Highlands

My trip north meant getting to Ullapool. On our way, we made a quick stop at Gairloch. Gairloch means “Short Loch” in Gaelic. It is a small village on the shores of Loch Gairloch in Wester Ross, in the North-West Highlands. It’s a popular summer destination but at the end of September, there are very few people to be found.

This was the case with this stop. It was a bit of a giggle because it was SO WINDY. Regardless, we ventured out to take in the view and wonder. The beach and the colour of the water were just delightful despite having to wrestle with Mother Nature.

© The Scottish Pearl 2022