Day 1 : continued

Following the A832 to the West coast , you pass by a place where the water of a clear mountain stream drops over a rocky precipice : Victoria Falls.
Perfectly cold and drinkable ( I know because I drank it).

There are small and large streams like this all over the Highlands. They are one of the things ( like the mountains and lakes) that make the Highlands such a unique and unforgettable landscape.




A few kilometers further , I pass by the western end of Loch Maree. From this end one can see how big it is , stretching into the distance between the mountains left and right of it.

From here the road continues down to sea-level. The following picture shows the village of Tournaig, sitting on the edge of Loch Thurnaig. Loch Thurnaig continues to the west out into the sea ( that's on the right of the picture).



This is a typical house of the region ( small windows and thick walls : to survive the cold winters up here). An owner of a boat repair company on the North coast told me that the cold is quite bad , but that the winds can go up to 200 kilometers per hour up here in the North!

From here the road starts to go up again : just a few kilometers further one I get a lovely overview of Touraig with the Bein Airigh Charr mountain behind on the left and on the right the Torridons (mountains).

Continuing up the west coast to the north , with the road steadily climbing , I get a breathtaking view of Loch Ewe and the island sitting in the middle of it. Just like Loch Thurnaig , this loch continues on into the sea.


One of the things that I like so much when journeying here is that , when I stop to listen, all I can hear is the noise of the wind and the sea. Except for the occasional passerby I don't hear the continuous noise of cars or railroads or airplanes in the distance as I do where I live.
It is a wonderful feeling and it's one of the things I love coming to the Highlands for.

(I'll continue this and other journeys in my next blogs. See you! )

I've been to the Highlands in Scotland several times and I keep going back there , because it's so beautiful.
Yes I know the weather is changeable and it rains ( frequently ) but it's worth it !

The last time I went there on my motorbike. I crossed the Channel with the ferry from Calais to Dover and drove up to the Black Isle , where I stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast on a farm . The Black Isle is just north of Inverness, which is the main city of the Highlands.
The city is situated by the Beauly Firth which you can cross over on the bridge you see in the picture to get to the Black Isle.

From there you can travel up into the mountains to the north. You can drive for hours without seeing anything but breathtakingly beautiful wild open spaces along roads that will go from 500 meters up down to sea level in just a few kilometers.

Day 1

On my first day I traveled by the A832 to the

West Coast. You can see the road winding down from high up to sealevel in the distance in the picture on the right. ( That's my motorbike on the left of the road )


Going down the A832 you pass by Loch Maree near Slioch ( Loch is Scottish for lake ) The mountain you see in the back is 666 meters high.
I didn't swim in the loch ( water's too cold ! ) but I did get to the little sandy beach you see in the middle and picknicked there.
Actually, Scotland allows you to put up a tent practically everywhere so you can camp there if you want, but I haven't tried that yet. Maybe next time.


(Keep watching my blog! I'll continue this travelog with more pics in my next post ! And Do Click on the pics to see them in a larger format)