After saying farewell to Mary and Iain
we headed north for Ullapool.
At Loch Maree the massive bulk of Slioch was veiled by the low hanging clouds.
Loch Maree and Slioch
Beautiful Gairloch beach was charming even without sun.
Gairloch Beach
Along the way we visited Inverewe Gardens which are one of the Northern Highlands' most visited tourist attractions.
In 1862 Osgood Mackenzie
had the idea to create a subtropical garden on a barren headland. He
transferred tons of fertile soil to the grounds and planted numerous
trees to shelter the garden from the harsh sea winds. Over the next
years and decades one of the northernmost botanical gardens was
created. Due to the warm currents of the North Atlantic Drift
rhododendrons, eucalypts and other exotic species flourish there.
hydrangea
giant rhubarb
water lilies
the thistle, Scotland's national flower
In Ullapool we received a warm welcome by Shirley of the Broombank B&B.
We asked her for some suggestions for dinner and the Essence of India
turned out to be a good choice. We also collected our pre-booked ferry
tickets for the Outer Hebrides.
