Saturday 28/08/04

As I dislike large towns, I make a beeline for the busstation to head out of Inverness at a quarter to nine. The bus I'm on will take me all the way to Durness, near the northwestern extremity of the Scottish mainland, 10 miles east of Cape Wrath. It's not a big bus. I start off by having a coffee in the busstation cafeteria, then I board the vehicle in question. One couple already there is mixed British / Belgian. We head off down the A9 across the Kessock bridge, through Dingwall and out up the A835 to Ullapool. We go through Strathpeffer. It's a cool and cloudy day. Just after the Braemore junction, we're allowed to stretch our legs at the Corrieshalloch gorge. The bridge spans a gorde and offers quite a spectacular view. After a sanitary stop, everybody stuffs their face and rejoins the bus. Next stop Ullapool, some 11 miles up the road. We arrive in the village at 1030, on time to watch the Stornoway ferry depart. I hop into the Woollen Mill shop to buy a fleece. It's turning gradually colder. I also need plasters for a problematic toe. Bus leaves shortly before 11. We head north through a stunning landscape of maountains, whose names I can only copy off the maps. Beinn Mor Coigach, then the sideroad to Achiltibuie, through Elphin and on to the Ledmore junction. We join the A837 north, past Canisp and Suilven. It's raining, with low clouds over the mountains. Suilven is only just recognisable. At Inchnadamph we reach Loch Assynt. The A837 heads north over the mountains, from Skiag Bridge. This bus diverts a mere 11 miles to the coast to reach Lochinver. To the right, the convoluted mass of the Quinag rears up, not very far to the north. A fairly steep descent takes us into the fishing port of Lochinver. It's dry now, but still not terribly warm. We're allowed off again, to look round the visitor centre. WQuite nicely laid out. We depart at 12, retracing our steps to Skiag Bridge, then rise from 71 m to 238 m in 1½ miles to crest the pass between Quinag and Glas Bheinn. As stated before, Quinag is a massive mountain with 3 large spurs. The road veers downhill and presently Loch Glencoul and the bridge at Kylesku loom up ahead. We pass through Unapool and finally cross the bridge. We quickly rise up again, but the views from the bridge were very good. Next village is Scourie, which is a bit of a one-horse town. Six miles further up the ocast, we change from A894 (as of Skiag Bridge) to the A838, which will take us to Rhiconich, at the head of Loch Inchard. The narrow B801 road leads to another fishing port, Kinlochbervie. We turn round at the fishmart and drop the Belgian / British couple off at their accommodation. I stay on right through to Durness. This is actually the next village beyond Rhiconich, if 11 miles distant. Pass through a bleak and desolate landscape, where you can see for miles. To the left lie the derelict lands of An Parph, the district surrounding Cape Wrath. The A838 passes along the eastern shore of the Kyle of Durness to Keoldale, where the ferry sails to An Parph. We arrive into Durness village just before two. The driver very kindly drops me off at the youth hostel, which is located at the eastern end of Durness, near the Smoo Caves. The hostel is as yet closed, so I walk back to the TIC on Sango Bay. This is very scenic, it's an official swimming beach with stunning coastal scenery. The main road loops inland for half a mile, but there is a very steep short cut. Go for a walk out towards Loch Meadaidh, south of the village. A vehicle trail leads there, Find a man mending a gate. I head northwest towards Loch Calladail. Bit breezy this afternoon, but now pleasantly sunny. Return into Durness from there, and do some shopping for the weekend. Nothing opens here on Sunday, so I've got to be prepared. The only thing is that the local convenience store doesn't have a large variety of foods. Return to the hostel at 5, and am being welcomed by the warden. He has got Tibetan prayerflags up, windchimes and the lot. The hostel consists of two buildings, separated by a stretch of lawn. One building is the dormitory, the other the main hostel building with kitchen and common room. Hostel is fairly lively at the moment, with a German family out of Hamburg and a British family. It's the weekend. I cook my food, then go out for a walk to the Smoo Caves at 8 o'clock. These are just a few hundred yards up the road. I could not go in far on account of high water. The water from the Smoo river plunges into a sinkhole, down into the cave. You do get wet in there. Hobble back to the hostel. Conduct a phone conversation at 10 o'clock, when it's nearly fully dark outside. It's not very cold.