Over the sea to Skye

[Archev]

A nice peaceful spot off the road just round from Sanna. No trees though.

I thought I’d recorded the What Three Word address but it was before the public car park at the “end” of the public road. I think it’s where the road crossed the Allt Sanna and they’ve realigned the road in the past.

 

[Rolfe]

A bit of a slope, no? Of course, if you're sleeping across the picture, as it were, in the tentbox, I suppose it's OK. I'd have tried to park a bit nose-down to avoid sliding towards the tailgate overnight.

 

[Archev]

Sanna beach is really beautiful. That’s where our black Labrador, Bracken swam for miles until his rudder (aka tail) drooped for days until he could regain the use of the muscles.

 

[Archev]

A bit of a slope, no? Of course, if you're sleeping across the picture, as it were, in the tentbox, I suppose it's OK. I'd have tried to park a bit nose-down to avoid sliding towards the tailgate overnight.

It wasn’t as bad as it certainly looks. I think it’s kind of foreshortened in the picture

 

[Rolfe]

I tried to find the place I had my eye on (which was closer to the actual road and before Achnaha) in Google Streetview, but it's quite deceptive and I couldn't be sure which one it was. I think there may be several possibilities.

You're right about the beach. I can imagine a Labrador simply wouldn't want to stop!

 

[5teep]

I’ve really enjoyed your tales but none more so than these episodes around Morar. Fifty five years ago tomorrow I married my lovely late wife in Banchory on Deeside. The following day saw us drive home in our Morris Minor and pick up my parents' wee caravan. We headed to Malaig and were getting on grand. This was before the road followed its present route and our journey ceased abruptly at a right hand corner followed by a steep hill. After a few attempts and trying to ignore the stink of a burning clutch, we finally had to give up, unhitch, turn round, hitch up and admit defeat. We stayed somewhere on the shores of Loch Morar instead. Happy happy days and I can’t remember any details of what, when or even if we dined

My first car was a moggy and had the same issues, not towing but trying to get to the ski tows at Aviemore, couldn't make it up the hill except in reverse lolol.

 

[Rolfe]

Not an issue we're likely to have with our EVs!

 

[5teep]

On the morning of Day seven I packed the car again, bike and all, to head for pastures new. I had decided to go back to Ardnamunchan as it was so close, and I'd never done the drive through Moidart that would take me there. First I went back to Malaig for more electricity to cover the trip, and more teabags since I only had one left by this time. Look what was in the station when I got there. (Photo taken through a chain-link fence.) Apparently Harry Potter fans do this trip because they associate it with the Hogwart's Express, which probably explains the number of Griffindor t-shirts in evidence.

The steam train crosses a viaduct on its run from Fort William to Mallaig, that viaduct was used in the Potter films for the train journey to school. It gets crazy busy round Glenfinnan every day when the train is due to pass.

 

[Archev]

My first car was a moggy and had the same issues, not towing but trying to get to the ski tows at Aviemore, couldn't make it up the hill except in reverse lolol.

I managed to seriously overheat the brakes on mine on the old Devil's Elbow complete with hairpins terrifying.

 

[Rolfe]

The steam train crosses a viaduct on its run from Fort William to Mallaig, that viaduct was used in the Potter films for the train journey to school. It gets crazy busy round Glenfinnan every day when the train is due to pass.

Much better to be on the train. This was taken from the bog-standard ScotRail scheduled diesel service in April. We picked a day that was forecast to be wall-to-wall sunshine and early enough in the year that the leaves wouldn't be on the trees and spoiling the view.

Then we stayed the night in a very nice hotel in Malaig and did it all again the next day.

 

[MG Clive]

What a beautiful sight Rolfe.

 

[Rolfe]

What a beautiful sight Rolfe.

The entire trip was amazing, both ways.

 

[Rolfe]

Maybe I should take a break for my tea before embarking on part 2 of Day eight, as I keep being distracted. See you later.

 

[Rolfe]

Well, part two of Day eight (Saturday 23rd August) beckons. This is the view of the castle from the shore that I couldn't fit into the previous post.

While I was having my coffee the receptionist started trying to sell me on coming back for dinner the next day. It looked like the sort of place where if you have to ask the price you can't afford it, but it had been a very cheap holiday so far and I decided to go for it. I had a feeling I was going to move on the next day, probably home, because the weather forecast was going south at an alarming rate, so I asked about that same evening. She decided that one single extra diner wouldn't make much difference and booked me in for 6.30.

I went back to camp, put the front light fuses back into Caliban as I reckoned it might be dark by the time I was driving home, and changed into the nearest thing to respectable clothes I had with me. The castle had a couple of AC chargers outside and I probably should have asked about using them because even if not free they'd almost certainly have been cheaper than ChargePlace Scotland, but I had plenty charge so didn't bother.

I was shown into the empty dining room - although there was only one sitting they were obviously staggering the parties so that the chef could keep up, and they'd put me in first. I got the impression there were only three staff there - the receptionist who also doubled as a waitress, a young waiter, and the chef, whom I began to realise is some sort of genius.

I had been offered the choice of the full eight-course menu or the "taster" menu of five courses. I didn't fancy my chances of finishing eight courses so went for the five. Good plan. The plates were much larger than needed for the amount of food, which makes the portions look small, but I can assure you I could hardly get up by the end of it.

This is the starter, some sort of pate, which was delicious. It was preceded by something hot and cheesy which was only about one bite, but again the taste was something quite special.

There was a bread and butter course in here (yes, aran is ìm, the menu was in Gaelic) but I didn't bother photographing that. Cus ìm.

Main course, absolutely to die for. Yes the beef was all it could possibly be and more, but that thing on the right, which was bone marrow crumble, was absolutely amazing. The mushrooms, said to be "locally foraged" were something else again.

Dessert, which was my undoing. I shouldn't have eaten it, or at least not all of it, because so much chocolate was really too much, but it had gold leaf on it.

There was a petit-four thing to end up with, and as I said I could hardly stand up at that point. Here are a couple of pictures of the awards the restaurant has achieved. They're apparently going for another star from somewhere, and a bit strung up about it.

By the time I left the restaurant it was raining good and proper, but I seriously didn't care. The cocktail, the glass of wine and the liqueur coffee might have had something to do with that. I'm not sure if I was quite legal, but it was only two miles and there aren't many cops lurking in west Ardnamunchan. I got back to camp and then had to set up in the rain, although it wasn't terribly heavy. I just put on my waterproof poncho and got on with it, including pulling these front light fuses again. Totally worth it.

A final twist to the tale. My dessert spoon vanished before I even started dessert, and neither the waiter nor myself could see it on the floor. He just brought another one and I forgot all about it. When I got home I discovered the errant spoon at the bottom of my bag, which had been sitting on the floor below the table on that side. I must remember to take it to the post office tomorrow, I expect it's pining for the rest of its set.

 

[Rolfe]

It seemed to rain most of the night, but although it was overcast in the morning it stayed dry long enough for me to have (a very small) breakfast outside. I knew it was forecast to get better in the afternoon, but it felt like time to go home. Light rain was falling by the time I was loading the car. If it had been going to be a fine day I'd have done the cycle run to Fascadale, Kilmory and Ockle that I'd originally planned for the Saturday (and had that special meal on the Sunday), but there wasn't going to be a long enough dry spell for that. I did do the route in the car before setting off for good, but the countryside there doesn't look its best in overcast drizzle. Mind you, I did see a couple of cyclists I'd encountered on the Sanna road the previous day valiantly tackling it in hi-viz waterproofs, but rather them than me.

I headed for the charger at Strontian* and got my allocated 45 minutes, which was enough to get me home on paper, but I knew better - especially as I made a detour to see a bit of Morvern on the way. Once I get to Stirling I go like a bat out of hell, so stopping for four minutes on the Osprey chargers at Stirling ensured that there would be no unwelcome drama.

I got home at about nine, low enough to be able to do a long charge although I didn't really need to, and then I collected Jori the next morning. I could tell by the weight of the cat basket that he'd been indulging himself, and even though it was only two weeks he was noticeably plumper. As Jean (the cattery owner) said, his mission in life is to make sure every food bowl is polished clean. And of course he gives her the big emerald eyes treatment, and he's getting very little exercise compared to what he gets at home, so puts on weight. That night he disappeared from eleven o'clock and didn't reappear till five in the morning. How do I know? Because that's the time he jumped on to my bed, distinctly damp, and informed me that now he wanted to sleep in the bed with me whether I liked it or not.

So that was eight nights in the car and I could have gone on and on if the weather had held up. Three different camping sites - three nights in Sleat, nearest charger just over five miles away, three more by Loch Mòrar, nearest charger just under five miles away, and two in Kilchoan, nearest charger two miles away.

Having the bike makes a huge difference. I can leave the car in the camping spot, so not lose it, and go off for the day to do proper sightseeing at a relaxed speed and get some exercise. I could easily stay three nights without charging so long as I'm not driving much and the nights aren't too cold, although as it happened I didn't actually do more than two at any point.

The car was the power bank for

• keeping the cabin warm and comfortable all night
• running the refrigerated cool box whenever the car wasn't actually locked (the milk stayed good for five days and nothing else went off at all)
• boiling the kettle for cooking and washing
• running the induction hob
• running the pump to inflate the airbed
• recharging the e-bike

I imagine you could manage this in an ICE car, but you'd be cold at night unless you had some sort of externally-powered heater, you'd need a leisure battery (and probably be restricted to a low-powered kettle whereas mine is the full 3 kw) and I don't really know how you'd get the bike recharged. Having that huge power bank in the car itself is an absolute game-changer.

The sheer freedom of going where the whim takes you without having to think about accommodation is absolutely amazing and I can't recommend it more highly.

* University challenge question. Which element of the periodic table has a Gaelic name? And your bonus extra question, what does it mean??

 

[securespark]

The River Mòrar? Glad you like it. Not sure which one I'd have chosen, maybe one of the Cuillins, or Loch Mòrar.

I've said it before and I've said it again...

The Cuillins are absolutely breathtaking.

Mrs S went to Skye before she met me and saw them, then went to a caff where she saw and bought a picture of them. Which would now be hanging in our lounge if it wasn't in a permanent state of improvement....

 

[Rolfe]

A couple of things I have perfected by learning.

Midges. A' mheanbh-chuileag. If it even looks as if they might be out, smother all available skin in either Smidge or Jungle Formula, without waiting to let them have a go at you. Keeping the car midge-free at night is important. Make sure the car is as dark inside as possible before getting ready for bed, including covering the screens, to discourage them from going in. Get ready while there's still enough light in the sky that you don't need to turn on any artificial lights which would attract them. As you undress, if it's at all midgy, apply Smidge or Jungle Formula to skin as it's exposed.

Once you're in the car with the doors closed, put on just one of the overhead lights above the front seats. (I don't know if this would work with the original pathetic incandescent bulbs, but it does if you've replaced them with cold white LED bulbs. Maybe a bright white LED torch would work if you haven't replaced these bulbs.) Wait a couple of minutes. Any midges in the car will gravitate to the light and be seen flitting around it. Zap them with a quick burst of Jungle Formula aerosol spray. And that is the end of them, you can turn on whatever additional lights you like after that. Sleep well.

You will pick up some bites though. Treat them as soon as you're aware of them, first by using a Bite-away heat treatment wand. These are absolutely magic, no chemicals and last forever just with a two AA batteries (I believe there is a new version that uses AAA batteries and can be used with rechargeable batteries). The sooner you use it the more effective it is. Use it on anything that feels itchy, even if you already zapped the same bite.

bite away - Insect Bite Healer - Chemical Free Effective and Lasting Relief for Itching, Burning, Pain and Swelling : Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care

bite away - Insect Bite Healer - Chemical Free Effective and Lasting Relief for Itching, Burning, Pain and Swelling : Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care

www.amazon.co.uk

Then follow up with some antihistamine cream. Can't hurt, belt and braces.

Just don't lose your Bite-away in the footwell of the car like I did the first time I camped out when the midges were swarming in absolute clouds. I ended up covered in bites that itched for many days. This time, with Bite-away kept under close observation, I wasn't troubled at all, because I zapped the itch and it went away immediately.

Honestly, I don't know how Scotland remained populated until the Bite-away was invented.

This next is for ladies only, gentlemen avert thine eyes.

Spoiler: How to manage the personal part

Archev has described his "en suite facilities", the pee bottle that only men can use. I've seen the alleged female version and it looks like a thoroughly bad idea. This is my solution.

That plastic jug (which I found in a kitchen cupboard, I think it was my mother's, but I'm sure you can buy similar) holds about a litre, and is absolutely perfect. The things inside it are a very small hand towel - or probably an old face cloth would do - and a small jar of baby talcum powder.

Privacy is achieved by parking the car in such a way that the driver's side doors are not overlooked at all. When both doors are open, with all the windows curtained, the area between the two doors is pretty private. Even if your head can be seen, the fact that you're putting on a bra can not. It also gives quite enough privacy to pee.

Stand with legs slightly apart and knees slightly bent - no crouching or squatting or difficult contortions required. It's easy to hold the jug by the handle in such a way that all pee goes into it, and none at all on the ground or your nightwear or your hands. You're almost standing normally and even if you have to do this when people are about they're not going to realise what's going on.

When you're finished, put the jug on the ground and use the towel to dry off. Don't use toilet paper, disposing of it is a nightmare and usually anti-social. Then finish off with a dusting of talcum powder and you're fresh, dry, and ready to get into bed with no discomfort. If at all possible immediately dispose of the contents of the jug carefully into a handy patch of bracken or brambles or long grass. Then you don't need to share the car with a jug of pee, and you can replace the towel and the talcum powder in the jug for future use. The towel can be washed out in the morning, in the water you used to wash in, as necessary. It's not hard to dry it either inside or outside the car.

If you're doing this in the middle of the night remember to unlock the car from the central screen (quick pull-down menu) before you get out, and lock it again before you get back into bed. Otherwise (a) you won't be able to open the driver's door from outside, and (b) the heating will go off after half an hour and you'll wake up cold.

It is actually possible to manage this inside the car, by sitting on the back of the folded rear seat behind the driver's seat and raising yourself with one arm round the headrest. However it's more difficult, and if the car is properly parked this shouldn't be necessary unless it's bucketing with rain.

Other matters? Find a public toilet, or buy a coffee to use a restaurant toilet, some time during the day. I suppose it might be possible to use this method for that as well if you're really up against it, but I don't much fancy it, and disposing of the contents and cleaning up the utensils is obviously going to be more problematic.

It took me a while to work this out, which is why I'm going into these details so you don't have to. Thank me later.

 

[Rolfe]

I've said it before and I've said it again...

The Cuillins are absolutely breathtaking.

Mrs S went to Skye before she met me and saw them, then went to a caff where she saw and bought a picture of them. Which would now be hanging in our lounge if it wasn't in a permanent state of improvement....

Actually I find them quite scary. This is one place I really don't fancy hillwalking. But have you seen this?

 

[securespark]

Yes!

Isn't he incredible?!

I've seen quite a lot of his videos but that one in particular is awesome.

A local told me they found them "foreboding".

You've never been close, then?

If you don't mind me asking do you live locally?

 

[decrep]

On the morning of Day seven I packed the car again, bike and all, to head for pastures new. I had decided to go back to Ardnamunchan as it was so close, and I'd never done the drive through Moidart that would take me there. First I went back to Malaig for more electricity to cover the trip, and more teabags since I only had one left by this time. Look what was in the station when I got there. (Photo taken through a chain-link fence.) Apparently Harry Potter fans do this trip because they associate it with the Hogwart's Express, which probably explains the number of Griffindor t-shirts in evidence.

View attachment 39369

On the way I made a stop at Loch nan Uamh to see the only visitor attraction it seems to have. I was dead lucky because as I was returning to the car a huge tour bus had just stopped in the car park and Hordes of the Things were trooping in the direction I had just come from. (Looking at the gradients involved I'm damn glad I didn't try it on the bike, it would have been pointless.)

View attachment 39370

View attachment 39373

Then I had a really pleasant drive through Moidart and since the weather forecast was getting a bit iffy decided to go back to the camp site at Kilchoan rather than find another roadside camping spot. (I have spotted a really good place on the Sanna road though, for future reference.) I got a pitch for two nights, confirming the second night after I'd visited the charger at Mingary pier to make sure it was working OK and I didn't have to worry about charge. And here we are, with Hilda on charge because I'm not cutting it as fine again as I did yesterday.

View attachment 39372

I got the bottom individual pitch in the row, next to the one I had last year, which was already booked. The owner warned it was a bit midgy and said there were alternatives in the open field, but I value the privacy of these individual pitches, and I'm getting pretty good at coping with the midge issue (which wasn't as bad as it was last September anyway).

Where's the table cloth??? You always have a table cloth!