After a pleasant journey north, we watched the Stornoway Ferry arrive in Loch Broom and sidle up to the harbour. After refreshment in the pier side hostelry, we were keen to set off in the bright sunshine. It was very still as we passed through the hillside suburbs of Ullapool and up onto the A835 behind the town. There we arrived at the road sign that presented us with our first big decision - one way the sign pointed North and the other way it pointed South - which way should we go?
Neither! - lacking sense and judgement, we went East - straight across the road and up the track.
Up past the crushing plant, then the quarry filled with aqua green water and a last glance back as we follow the Ullapool river to Loch Achall. It was very still making the Loch Achall look like a sheet of glass; only occasionally did the merest whisper of a wind ruffle the surface. It was all very pleasant; we were accompanied by dunlins on the loch shore and passed a somewhat sniffy family of horses who looked down their noses at us (I suppose it was hard for them not to). A bit later we sat on the pebbly loch side, and as the midges enjoyed dinner, we listened to at least four cuckoos calling out to each other across the loch - one pair even sang in harmony. Whatever next? Were we hearing things?
Suddenly the calm was broken as a gentle breeze sprung up, causing wavelets to lap the shoreline. We were glad of the breeze as it removed the attacks from the voracious midge as we left Rhidorroch House and the troup of Scouts on the far shore behind us.
At about 21:30 hours, over cast and grey, we decided to pitch the tent about half a kilometre east of Cadubh in the wet midge infested Rhidorroch River valley.
Midges! At 08:05 hours we made a wet grey midge infested start to the accompaniment of a cuckoo chorus. Everything was wet, not untypical of the West Coast of Scotland.
Prolonged showers came our way as we marched along the shores of Loch an Daimh. At one time the rain was so persistent that a dunlin ran along the track in front of us squawking - was it saying: Go back silly boys? The sun appeared as we reached Knockdamph Bothy at 10:30 hours and we enjoyed a well earned rest.
It was decidedly brighter now - the coos grazing high on the hill behind the bothy, a skylark hovering noisily in the sun, the curlews swooping low across the river and the smurr plus hostel behind us - bliss!
Looking down to Glen Eining, while the great billowy grey galleons sail majestically overhead carrying their watery loads waiting until we indulge in lunch. Dropping down to, then crossing the Abhainn Poiblidh, before going east towards Duag Bridge, a backward glance shows its raining on the coos
At 13:25 hours we sat beside the burn under Duag Bridge. It was pleasantly warm and cloudy, but a sharp shower soon sent us on our way.
The skylarks hovered noisily in the warm sun as we made our way around the side of the hill and over the watershed where we met a friendly athletic cyclist who was going to Ullapool for the teatime bus. We would be surprised if he made it even though he seemed to be disgustingly fit. Following the Abhainn An t-Srath Chuileannaich, we sauntered on, beneath our feet a bright yellow carpet of birds foot trefoil. We got to Lubochoinnich at about 16:45 hours, it was now grey and very breezy.
It was a bit of a struggle getting to the church at Croick by 19:00 hours. Colin was delighted to rest as the morning’s partial immersion had resulted in some very sore bits and he was hobbling a bit. We spent some quality time sitting in the Croick Church, eating our tea and reading about the plight of the Glen Calvie crofters during the clearances in May 1845 etc., as it blew a howling gale outside. The long fixed communion table with seats at each side, is an interesting feature. To the right of the pulpit is wonderful wooden organ complete with light stands. The Church was built in 1827, it has pitiful messages scratched on the diamond shaped window panes windows ate either end of the communion table. The detailed reports from The Times correspondent which made sobering reading, but some of the remarks written in the visitors book - magnificent, impressive, etc - were silly and strange, to say the least; as visitors try to relate to earlier times.
Our next big decision was : move on or stay? Colin wanted to kip near the church but David felt uneasy about that and wanted to move a short way further on. We slowly moved on and gained some distance for a good starting point in the morning but when we met the biters again we realised our mistake. At 20:45 hours we parked the tent on the riverbank, near the memorial just past The Craigs. The wind had dropped - it was warm, wet and still; a midge haven.
Cold, wet, grey, midges and a three cuckoo chorus, a familiar start at 07:20 hours.
Back on the track, we were somewhat surprised by the squawking bark of a single deer running through the Amat Forest. It sounded hurt or annoyed and a bit birdlike, strange.
In warm sunshine we wandered across the bridge, to the right Glen Calvie Forest, down stream Alladale River, next we pass a some lucky person's tree house. Then we tip toed around Glen Calvie Lodge and its impressive grounds then up to Glen Calvie where it was warm and breezy - we could get used to this! The sheep and lambs lazed in the sunshine but ran off when Colin said "Mint Sauce". A wagtail sat on a branch and wagged its tail. All was well.
There wasn’t much evidence of the fact that at one time some two thousand crofters lived in the glen. Not much there now grass, trees and the flower of Scotland. Colin came across a dead adder and it was photographed for posterity as you don’t see many adders in central Scotland.
At Diebedale it was a bit overcast. As we passed over the watershed to Lochan a’ Chairn we had a tea break (without the tea) and looked back on the cluster of hills, glens and straths dominated by Carn Chuinneag. By contrast, to the east, lumpy moorland awaited us.
Colin first chased, cornered and photographed a bird, just look at it's expression when he asked it to say 'cheese', then turned his attention to the ground where he photographed a hairy yellow caterpillar then we watched in admiration as a large herd of deer ran across the north side of Carn Chuinneag towards a high col - what they did in a minute would have taken us an hour.
Passing over the Salachie Burn, by 11:00 hours we reached the supposed location of two buildings beside the Lochan, according to the O.S. map. There was nothing there (no, a vacuum did not exist!) but there was a nice flat bit so we had a rest, fertilised the trees and lowered the water level in the Lochan.
The next stretch was a particular challenge. The track crossing the moor by Garbhan Moor was dead straight for almost two kilometres - that is: two Princes Streets long, and just as boring.
Just before the tree line the road end was blocked by some huge boulders, we took the usual silly schoolboy pictures of each other pretending to move the largest one - it only weighed about seventy-five tonnes. It seemed as though this part of the track may have been a minor road as some time as we could see remnants of the macadam carriageway - was it an old road that was closed by a greedy laird?
It started to get a bit showery and after lunch in the trees at 12:30 hours we had to take a few breaks in the trees to avoid some heavy rainfall. We stumbled on a strange phenomenon. When it rained we stopped and Colin put on his troos (waterproof trousers) and then when we set off again the rain would stop and the warm sun came out. So Colin stopped and took his troos off again and it rained soon after. After a few such episodes it was clear to us that the only way we were going to keep the sunshine was for Colin to keep his troos on. Could Colin please keep his troos on for two weeks whilst I go on holiday!
From Braeantra at 14:00 hours it was sunshine all the way down Strath Rusdale - lovely. After Strathlumpie (what a romantic name) a three kilometres up and down but dead straight road brought us to Ardross and its very special church. At 16:50 hours we flaked out on the church steps and lawn and later the church officer dropped by to give us a conducted tour (As I was laid resting on the turf, I thought he was coming to tell me to get off his nice grass!).
Not sure what he made of Colin who was sat against the front door of the Church and was wafting his socks in the air! He was either trying to dry them or scare off the midge. Seeing as his eyes were closed, it seemed to be only affecting him.
Apparently a certain Mr Perrins (of sauce fame) donated the church building, because his wife originated from the Ardross area. The complete building was shipped in from elsewhere by boat, the Ardross church is one half of the original building and the other half is in Alness. Some Irish workmen then erected the church building, hence the village to the rear of the church is called Dublin. The church actually belongs to the people of Ardross and it is in outstanding condition - Colin was like a schoolboy with his toys when he came across the original fuse board, still in use and complete with fluted brass fittings and large ammeter dial. Luckly he did not have a screwdriver in his pocket otherwise he would have been well into electrical saftey check mode; I thought the caresses might end in a kiss!
After the Church Officers consulted with the Church Officer, We left our packs behind the church and set off to make good time into Alness. We took as many back roads as possible and they didn’t fail to provide some interest. Also, without our packs our brains seemed to function much better - obviously we had a load off our minds.....
Just after Auchandownie we passed an impressive row of huge oak trees. Colin, mindful of earlier silly comments that we had read in a church visitors book, exclaimed: Impressive! Fantastic! Thought provoking! When asked what thought was provoked, Colin looking up replied: That’s a big ‘un.
What else can we say to that? Without our loads we strolled on.
Passing the golf course nearly brought about controversy. It was a gorgeous sunny evening and there they were - grown ups lining up like a bunch of primary school kids - having a golf lesson which seemed to entail smacking balls all over the place. Ridiculous, almost as silly as walking across Scotland. We desperately wanted to shout and jeer at them but restrained ourselves admirably for we hard arrived at Alness
We arrived at Colin’s car, which was parked at Alness Police Station, at 19:30 hours. Surprisingly we weren’t detained and we weren’t greeted by evening all either! Colin did go in and admit that it was his car that was littering their car park and he'd try not to do it again.
We had completed our 76 kilometre coast to coast walk in good time, and we enjoyed the typical west coast delights of rain and midges. Although not a challenging walk, it was memourable due the the variety encountered and that this route is enjoyed by very few walkers.
Crossing just one degree of Latituide, it was interesting to see the changes in the landscape, flora, fauna and ever the weather during our crossing. Crossing moors, forest and lowland, we had see few people but many birds and animals. It was quite and peaceful.
We had also encountered some of the history of Scotland in the two Churches that we visited. This walk was uniquely 'remote' in that we had walked right across Scotland but had only 'crossed' a public tarred road at either end of the journey. Strangely it had not seemed remote at all.
Water played a major part in our post-walk deliberations: could Colin use his troos to control the weather for the good of the nation. Why didn’t David realise that his pack was so heavy because the tent still contained a hundred thousand midge and had soaked up half the water in Scotland.
Other Walks:Queensferry Select (walkers)/DJH/August02
