Knoydart part II, Skye and Loch Carron.

Hi all.

I am in Strathcarron, at the north tip of Loch Carron.

Here are a few more pictures form the fairy tale forest.

Snow white and the dwarfs...

A happy family...


The owl that spoke to me...!

As I was saying yesterday before I was kicked out of Kyle library, Dyeison and myself went "hunting" stags. it was really hard and did not get any shot of them. The scenery though was beautiful, and managed to have lunch in one the of the rain breaks.

Dyeison at the top!

We walked chasing the herds of deers (not that we thought we would catch them) and descended back to the valley through a steep gorge with stream.

Amazing views from the top of the ridge.

We recover the rucksacks and walked the track that would take us to Inveire. We were very hungry and tired, and the only thing in our minds was :"Venison pie, venison pie, venison pie..."

Full belly, having a "few" drinks.

We arrived to the bunk house at about six pm. Karen, Lyndon, Jez and Dan were there. It was a pleasure to see them again, and have a shower.... and knowing that we had a table at the Old Forge for 7:15.

We ate and drink and had a wonderful night. Dyeison and i had a Venison burger, each, and then we shared a lamb leg with mash potato and a salad, plus desert, Irish coffee, and a nice mixture of shiraz, whiskeys and red cuillin ( a nice ale form Skye). One of the best meals of my life.

Back in the Bunk house, I slept like a baby.

On the ferry to Mallaig. Quick pic, and back in again! It was very wet!

On Monday we got up early to get the ferry (small boat) to Mallaig. No breakfast, just get our things and go. It was a rainy miserable day. Half way to the pier, I realize that something was missing: i had left the flag in the bunk house. It was "so good" to run back with a 20 kgr rucksack, wearing the poncho, in the rain.... Morning exercise. I made it on time.

Mallaig's Harbour

The ferry was a small boat, and took us to Mallaig in 30 minutes. In Mallaig we had breakfast. Dyeison, Jeremi and Dan left on the 10 am train, I made some shopping and stayed with Karen and Lyndon for lunch. They were taking 2 pm steam train to Fort William to continue their holiday, but I left a bit earlier looking for place to update the blog.

There was a computer in the library, but it would log off every 30 minutes, so not long enough for the update. I had a look at my e-mail and put the music that Phil had sent to me in my MP3.

I rediscovered U2. Songs like "So cruel" from Achgtun baby, and "If you wear that velvet dress" from Pop. Genius!!! http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6snI72LGfP4

Thank you so much Phil!!

The huge ferry from Mallaig to Skye

I took 4 pm ferry to Skye. Unlike early morning, the sun was shining. The wind was blowing strongly and made quite a few pictures of the west side of Knoydart and the south of SkyeKnoydart from the ferry

The first thing that called my attention from Skye was the clarity of its coast water. The landscape reminded me somewhere in England, maybe somewhere in Devon or Cornwall... at least this part of the Isle: Armadale. There was supposed to be a hostel just in Armadale, but it had closed. A local told me that there was another one not far, a couple of miles away following the coast. It was sunny, and I really enjoyed the walk.

Mainland form Armadale in Skye

The hostel was in Kilmore, up the hill from the main road. McDonald hostel. It was a small place, family run.

After eating, i borrowed a bike, without breaks to go to the pub back in Armadale. On my way, I was hit on my head by a disorientated bat. In the pub I could see Man U.-Portsmouth (footy is back, woohoo!) and updated my diary. They had Red Cuillin, which was good.

I cycled back to the hostel under an amazing stars sky.

On Tuesday, for my walk in Skye weather had turned ugly again, and it drizzled constantly, all day long. The landscape changed and from the road I was walking on, all I could see were low moor land covered on heather. It was not a fun walk, to be honest, and all i wanted was getting to Kyleakin, and rest in the hostel I had booked.

Skye Bridge from Kyleakin

Dun Cann hostel, a really cosy one, and family run, was a real pleasure. It is in Kyleakin harbour and overlooked the Skye bridge. The atmosphere was excellent and there was people from New Zealand, Canada, and England, all of them travelling in Scotland. I went to the nearby pub where I try to update the blog, but the computer did not work very well, so i just had a couple of Red Cuillins and went back to the hostel, where i carefully planned the route to Tongue, on the north coast.

The cuillins from Skye bridge

It resulted to be a complicated way, with no villages, apart from the Ullapool area, just very few roads,...

...and a gap between paths where I will have to walk in what for the moment is an unknown terrain and follow a river up hill to find a good crossing point.

I finished the planning a bit nervous, and I went to bed a bit nervous about the walking days coming.

On Wednesday, yesterday, the weather had changed for better again and i could take a few good pictures of the Cuillins (the mountains, nothing to do beer ... for once) from the bridge that took me to mainland again.

In Kyle of Lochalsh I made yesterday slow and frustrating update, in its library. I should say though that they were very patient and kind and let me log in again and again every half an hour so I could do my thing. They shut for lunch and i went for an orange juice (and I mean an orange juice, I swear) and i put dates to my walking plan to Tongue.

I felt better, compared to yesterday unsettling nervousness, when i realize that I had more than enough time to get to Melvick on time, where I will meet Karen on the 8th of sept. to do the two last days together. I think I will have one, two or three spare days, which is always good.

Back to the library, and then I continued to walk following the road that runs by the coast towards Loch Carron. The walk was a pleasure, lifted by the music that Phil had sent to me. The scenery reminded me the west coast of Ireland.... wait a minute, I have never been there, but it is true that when I saw this place, "west coast of Ireland" came to my mind automatically; I guess, that I must have seen a program in telly or something.

Anyway, the place is gorgeous, but mainly, you can breath calmness and tranquility there. Small houses spread in small villages in the heather moorland.

Special mention to Diurinis. If you want tranquility, go there.

Diurinis

After this coastal bit, the road went a bit inland, through a conifer forest and by Loch Lundie. This place was not Knoydart, but there undoubtedly was a feeling of loneliness and isolation in it.

Ria de Vigo?? No, Loch Carron.

The road went back down to the coast and I began walking by Loch Carron. The water reminded me "La Ria de Vigo" (Maria, Ruth? Are you there????!). It is quite a wide one and in the distance I could see one of those floating things they use to grow mussels and other seafood.

Me at Loch Carron

It did not rain in the whole day, but it was being pretty gloomy. There was no camp sites or hostels on the way, so I had to look for a place to pitch my tent. Just a few miles before the end of the Loch, there was a gate that led into a path. I put my tent in the beginning of the path. The place was quite wet, and the midges attacked again, not in the King's House numbers, but were a pain in the arse.

Once I was in the tent, it rained again. I write my diary, read the newspaper (if you are wondering, I updated the diary in the office, and read the newspaper, comfortably, seating in a sofa in the lounge; this tent of mine, is amazing!). Had just a bit of bread for dinner. Mum: don't worry, I am not wasting away, before dinner, I had just had an addict attack and ate a whole pack of choc. biscuits and a whole choc. bar...

Loch Carron

This morning rained a little bit as well. But stopped as i got out of the tent. I kept on walking by Loch Carron. I big clear opened just on top of the Loch, illuminating the North side of it (I was in the north one), and photographed a nice rainbow.

The Loch finishes in Strathcarron where I am now. There is a train station, a restaurant and hotel, an art gallery (there are galleries almost in every house in this place; not surprised, the scenery is inspiring) and a post office with food store where I am now. It is not being cheap or extremely quick, but I am managing to update the blog properly.

From here I will walk 2 or 3 hours more to the hostel in Craig. Tomorrow, off road again towards Kinlochewe.

That was all. I feel better now that I got it updated. Next one?, I don't know.

All the best

Carlos