Sutherland, Northern Scotland — July 30th - August 1st, 2004

Written by Narelle

Day 1, Edinburgh to Kinlochbervie via Pitlochry and Ullapool (Part 2)

We drove through Inverness at around 4pm but didn't stop until we reached Ullapool an hour later, where we took a quick pit-stop to get fuel and water. By this time we were worried about stopping too long in case we had to tackle rough roads further north. We'd heard that the last 10 miles of our journey would be single-track road and the weather wasn't looking so good anymore. Fifteen minutes later we were on our way again and were quite excited as this was the first time we'd ever been further north than Ullapool.

Through drammatic landscapes we pressed on towards Sutherland, passing Stac Pollaidh (Stack Polly) and the beautiful Loch Assynt on the way. We made a couple of photo-taking pit-stops at Kylesku but didn't stay long outside because of the hungry midges and horseflies. They like to come out near stagnant water and bushes, which are unfortunately scenic areas and beckon photos from unsuspecting tourists. In fact, one of the most photogenic places we visited (day 3, part 2) was also the one where you most definitely don't want to get out of the car nor open the windows. You'll be eaten/stung alive if you do. I got a couple of shots of that place but didn't hang around long enough to really do it justice. Those horseflies are just a bit too peckish for my taste.

We arrived in Kinlochbervie without any road/weather trouble and it turned out that there was just a small distance to be covered in by single-track road and only for short spells, so that was a relief. We checked into the Kinlochbervie Hotel and got dressed up for dinner in the restaurant downstairs which had sounded very nice on their Web site.

Our room was rather ugly and unromantic and I felt my heart sink when we walked in. The carpet was a sickly brown colour and covered everything, including the bathroom and up the side of the bath (urgh). The room looked like it hadn't been rennovated or decorated since the 30's. The shower sprayed more of a mist than actual water and it ran hot and cold without any warning. I'd been expecting a lot nicer for £ 60 per night. A lot nicer.

An hour later we were ready and came downstairs looking for the restaurant. What a shock we got! There wasn't actually a restaurant there at all — just a little bistro and a pub, neither of which looked appealing (and we were most certainly over-dressed). Uh-oh.

Realising there was probably nothing else around within an hour's drive and considering the time (around 8.30pm) we decided it was the bistro or nothing and took a seat at the bar to order aperitifs. We brightened up a little when we read the specials menu. I ordered Monkfish a la creme and Yves ordered Crumbed Plaice stuffed with bacon. Well, we should have known better. It was the worst meal I'd ever eaten. All I could taste was salt and the Monkfish was chewy (how is that possible?). Luckily we'd had 2 whisky's each before the meal and had a bottle of wine to cover the taste of the food. We only ate it because we were starving. The "restaurant" did however redeem itself for dessert. They sell Mackies ice-cream (a very good Scottish brand probably on the same level of quality as Haagen Daaz) so we ordered one between us with expresso.

We were the last ones to leave the bistro (11pm) and climbed the stairs to our room for a bit of sleep. Neither of us felt like joining in with what must have been local alcoholics shouting and singing in the bar. We both hoped tomorrow would make everything better.