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NORTH-WEST SCOTLAND This Trip Was Made Over Three Weeks in May

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NORTH-WEST SCOTLAND This Trip Was Made Over Three Weeks in May TRIP 5: NORTH-WEST SCOTLAND This trip was made over three weeks in May and June 2014. I travelled by train, bus and ferry, in particular the D&E Coaches Summer Service 804 from Inverness to Durness. Also highly recommended are the beautiful ferry crossings from Ullapool to Stornoway and from Tarbert to Uig. Surprisingly to me, I found it necessary to book b&bs in advance as many were already full. Place names are spelt according to the latest OS maps. 60: Badentarbat Beach, Coigach, Wester Ross The drive from Ullapool to the Summer Isles, however you do it, is unforgettable. I did it as the only passenger of the local bus driver so was able to view it all and ask questions at the same time. First, there is the view north-west along Loch Broom from Ardmair towards the Summer Isles; then there is the drive between Ben More Coigach and Stac Polly past three consecutive lochs, looking back and forth in amazement. Finally, the road emerges at the lovely beach of Achnahaird before crossing a short stretch of moorland to Achiltibuie and your first proper sight of the Summer Isles. Photo 1143: Map of the first part of the trail: each square is 1k (Crown copyright 2015, Ordnance Survey FL-GV 166842) I was bowled over by the dream-like quality of this view with low-lying islands of various shapes and sizes dotted over the wide expanse of water where Loch Broom meets the Minch. The bus takes you down the coast to Badenscallie. I suggest you get off there and walk back along the coast road past Polglass and Achiltibuie towards Polbain for a more leisurely view of the Isles. To me, the view improves as you proceed further north-west until you reach Badentarbat, a beach between Achiltibuie and Polbain which also gives its name to the whole bay between the coast and the island of Tanera More. Here you can find a delightful spot from which to survey the surroundings: North – a marshy, reedy lake nestles in a shallow green valley leading back to two solitary houses on the far slope; sheep were lying contentedly on the green between the road and the marsh East – Stac Polly’s jagged crest peers over the intervening moorland with Cul Mor peering in turn over its shoulder and Cul Beag off to the right South-East – the Ben More Coigach massif lowers over Achiltibuie, Polglass and Badenscallie, whose houses are strung out like garments on a washing line down the coast; over Badenscallie can be seen the snow-topped peaks of Beinn Dearg and Sgurr Mor way beyond Ullapool South-East to South-West – the mountains of Wester Ross prick the sky in an unruly but unbroken line, starting with the triple peak of An Teallach and stretching away to the distant peaks of Torridon in the south-west; over Horse Island, the rounded shape of Beinn Ghoblach lies beneath An Teallach; most of the other Summer Isles cannot be seen, which leaves a clear arc of silver-grey, sparkling water over which the mountains are ranged in their full glory South-West – the end of the mountains coincides with the eastern edge of Tanera More, the largest of the Summer Isles, which obscures the other isles; in its centre, some of the houses around The Anchorage can be seen, while its northern end slides behind the pier that lies 300m away on the mainland West – a rocky shore runs from the pier and continues in front of you as a stony beach displaying the detritus of an apparently defunct fishing industry: old boats, red plastic buoys, rusting anchors, fraying rope and three huge rusting iron buoys; at the western end of the beach there is a house surrounded by a protective collar of small trees and shrubs and beneath it lies a picturesque little white cottage with a yellow door and window-frame; in front of this, a footbridge crosses a stream where reeds sprout in a pretty, grassy culvert; the stream then curls towards the sea in a chattering S-shape North-West – across the road a dilapidated fishing shed sits beneath the brown dome formed by the lower slopes of Meall an Fheadain I was amazed by the number of little birds all along this coast but particularly at this spot, where it seemed that every colour of finch had congregated and was merrily tweeting away. There was also a collapsed wooden flagpole – clearly Badentarbat had once been a proud launching spot, now disused but retaining a faded glory, such was the beauty all around. 61: Meall an Fheadain, Coigach, Wester Ross Continuing along the coast road from Badentarbat, you climb the rise north-westwards towards Polbain, passing an old peat road on the right and a craft and gift shop that also serves teas. Then, down to your left, you see two fancy ‘eco-pods’ built into the hillside that also charge fancy prices. On your right, you pass No.192 Polbain, where I was advised about the rest of this trail by Pete Drake. By now, many of the other Summer Isles (as well as Horse Island and Tanera More) have come into view. Photo 1151: Continuation of trail to spots 61 and 62 (Crown copyright 2015, Ordnance Survey FL-GV 166842) Where the road splits round the corner from No.192, look for a post with a green circle and a yellow arrow right by the entry sign for Polbain. This indicates the way up the nearby hill of Meall an Fheadain. There are a few more posts to help you up to the col between its two peaks. It’s a toss-up which has the better view so I suggest you visit both. The southern Photo 298: over the Summer Isles from the southern peak of Meall an Fheadain peak has several suitable boulders to sit on and can include a view of Polbain at the bottom of the hillside. You also have a great view over the Summer Isles to the mountains of Wester Ross (Photo 298). My preferred spot, though, was around (but not on top of) the northern and higher peak because it has the better all-round view: South – from this height, you can see an arc of Summer Isles from Horse Island to Eilean Dubh which lies between you and the majestic sweep of mountains on the skyline from An Teallach to the mountains of Torridon – a classic view to rival anything else in Scotland South-West – the rest of the Summer Isles (and there are lots from Bottle Island round to Glasleac Beg) float serenely between you and the flattish peninsulae around Mellon Udrigle and Cove; in a notch between them and the higher mountains, you can just discern the Cuillins of Skye West – a loch lies at the bottom of the hill between you and Meall Dearg, over whose left shoulder Glasleac Mor appears; in the far distance, the mountains of Harris shimmer in the hazy light (if you are lucky) North-West – the township of Altandhu hugs the coast with a couple of lochs sparkling behind; beyond the coast, the sea disappears into the horizon North – first, there are the lochans and moorland of the peninsula towards Rubha Coigach, then the clear expanse of Enard Bay, bounded to the north by the flat Stoer Peninsula North-East – over the sands of Achnahaird Bay, the islands of the inner reaches of Enard Bay lead to the moorlands and lochs of Assynt, punctuated by the serrated ridge of Quinag, the whaleback of Suilven and the pyramid of Canisp; these three distinctive and broody mountains are accentuated by the flat terrain around them East – three more distinctive mountains stand out from their surroundings: the triple peak of Cul Mor, the razor ridge of Stac Polly and the asymmetrical peak of Cul Beag South-East – the various peaks of Ben More Coigach cluster around the deep hole between them and consume the south-eastern half of Coigach; beneath their slopes, the line of houses stretches along the coast to Culnacraig; way beyond the houses, snow-capped peaks fill the gap between Ben More Coigach and An Teallach (Photo 301) Photo 301: from near the northern peak of Meall an Fheadain to Ben More Coigach Apart from all I have described, the beauty of this spot is that in each of the eight directions there is a distinct and different kind of view to be enjoyed: the wide open sea, the myriad isles, the distant mountain ridges, the lochs and moors, the coastline and the brooding mountains of Assynt. Most of Coigach and Assynt is laid out before you into the bargain. 62: Rubha a’Mhadaidh-Ruaidh (Fox Point), Coigach, Wester Ross The trail doesn’t end here, though: you can see your route to the north-east, where you head for the track leading up to a mast. This takes you to the village of Altandhu. On the way down, look left for the view between Meall an Fheadain and Meall Dearg over two lochs towards the distant mountain ridge. If you wish, you can refuel at An Fuaran pub. Ask for permission to walk through their campsite around the bay towards Old Dornie. You walk past a lovely bay, especially with the evening sun shining down on it from the west. Stick to the path close to the shore and steer between the boggy bits. To go round the back of the harbour, you have to follow a rough path between the stony beach and a fence, treading on grass and old seaweed.
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