In search of the Highlands: Day 2

From Inverness to Skye

Corrieshalloch Gorge

Clootie’s Well  (7,8 miles -14 min.- A9 and B9161)

Scotland is quite a superstitious country and this magical wood is an extraordinary proof of it. Many people who go there leave clothing –as random as rubber bands, socks or t-shirts among others- in the hope that by doing that, their wishes would come true. Near to Munlochy, it is believed that people used to bring their sick children to the Clootie’s Well, in the belief that spending the night in the well would cure them. These magical wells are believed to have been once common around Britain.  Nowadays the well is suitable for any kind of wish, not only for sick children. Every piece of clothing, as the notice in the Well’s path reads, is a token left by someone who wants a wish to come true. There is a ritual of the Hope Hangs in the Branches process, the recommendation is to walk sun wise around the well three times , drink or splash some of the well water on the ground, make a silent wish and leave a gift or offering, which is normally a piece of clothing. 

Clootie's Well

Corrieshalloch Gorge (41,1 miles -57 min.-  A835)

The breath-taking gorge at Corrieshalloch was not formed by the current river, as it is not powerful or large enough to cause the erosion that cut the gorge. It is believed that the gorge was cut in the Ice Age (2.6 million to 11.500 years ago) by strong rivers flowing beneath a glacier occupying the Loch Broom valley. Even if Corrieshalloch Gorge means Ugly Hollow in Gaelic, the dramatic views of the chasm are everything but unattractive. The most scenic sights are crossing the narrow suspension bridge above the deep gorge. That bridge is not recommended if you have vertigo of any kind.  The sound of the waterfalls is overwhelming and the surrounding mountains are picturesque. However, don’t expect to feel like getting into the wild there, as the road is too close to the gorge main path and it is a pretty busy one so cars are passing by all the time.

Fish and chips in Ullapool (11,7 miles  -17 min-  A835)

Ullapool is a quaint little village on the bank of Loch Broom. It was built by Thomas Telford and the Fisheries Society in 1788 with the aim of exploiting the herring fishing, which was big then. Overlooking the harbour, The Seaforth is an award winning take-away which offers high quality local produce food at reasonable prices, fish & chips from £6. If the weather is good it is worth having lunch sitting on the benches overlooking the Loch Broom, if you are lucky enough, you can make out seals.

Today Ullapool is popular among tourists, especially in the summer months, due to the cruises and boat trips which depart from there to the Summer Isles.

Eilean Donan Castle (95,3 miles -2h. 26 min- A890 and A835)

One of the most impressive castles of the Highlands, Eilean Donan Castle is located on an island at the point where the Loch Long, Loch Duich and Loch Alsh meet. Surrounded by an impressive scenery, the “Highlander” castle was first built in the 13th century and it lay in ruins since the 1719 Jacobite uprising until 1911, when the Lieutenan Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap bought the island and reconstructed the castle. Group prices start at £4.

Eilean Donan Castle

King  Haakon Bar in Kyleakin, Skye  (23,4 miles -45 min.- A87)

The Isle of Skye is the largest island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland and it is currently inhabited by about 9200 inhabitants. In Kyleakin, the first town on the left after you cross the Skye bridge, is the King Haakon Bar, a great place to enjoy traditional highlands tunes while socializing with locals in a great familiar atmosphere.