Prickly Fish and Perfect Cakes (Tourist at Home)

At last I have the chance to visit the Croft Fresh Cafe!

The Croft Fresh Cafe is located in Aultbea.  It was relocated to the Church of Scotland after the old community hall was found to have some structural problems.  This versatile building is also home to 3 Lochs Cinema and  Wester Ross Photography Group, Craft Group, Indoor Bowls, Table tennis, Book and Film Group and much much more.

You won’t find pews in this church but highly versatile chairs and when required tables.  I check out the table groaning with gorgeous cakes and decide on the savoury option first of Butternut Squash soup. This is served with lovely fresh bread and butter, next I order a tea and a lovely moist coffee cake.

I am delighted when I receive a pot of tea and the promise of more hot water should my tea pot run empty.  I sit with some friendly faces and find out more about Aultbea’s men shed, which is welcoming to women.

Next I head to my pottery painting in Laide, just a few miles north up the road from Aultbea. Andi’s house is a lovely little croft house, where her collies give me a happy, friendly welcome.

I choose my mug and Andi explains the painting process. There is a massive array of colours to choose from and Andi explains that the colours, when fired, will become vibrant. I just have ‘to believe’.

Lots of chat and hilarity later and my lovely mug is adorned with Nancy Coo asleep at the High O Many Stanes.

A few days later and the giant mug has been fired and I am delighted to see the finished product.

I think it might turn into my Poolewe Tuesday Market Mug!

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Gairloch Museum (Tourist at Home)

After a year or renovations the new version of the old Gairloch Heritage Museum was finally open. We had wanted to visit it together so it took a bit of planning but on a wet afternoon we finally made it into the wonderful new building.

There is plenty of parking to the front, sides and back of the refurbished nuclear bunker located opposite the stunning waters of the Gair-Loch. We picked up our family membership card from the friendly volunteers (in this case Nevis our neighbour) and immediately I saw my collection of books on sale. Then I was delighted when Irene requested more of my Midge and Puffin books!

The museum is on two levels, downstairs is home to the beautiful prism from Rhu Reidh lighthouse, the Gairloch Pictish Stone and the Poolewe hoard among many other exhibits.

There is lots to read, fantastic old photographs where you try to pinpoint exactly ‘where that is’ and interactive exhibits for all ages.

I especially enjoyed the Earthquake monitor, where you jump up and down on a mat to  see the screen ‘record’ the earthquake you created. Loch Maree is located on a fault line! It isn’t Wild Wester Ross for no reason!

And my illustration beside the Midge Munching Machine!

Great museum, it will take many visits to see it all… tired and leg weary we headed to the GALE centre for coffee and cake, well it was Tourist At Home Day.

 

Ride to Redpoint (Tourist at Home)

I’ve been to Redpoint Beach so many times but lovely guests at our Self-Catering properties Otterburn mentioned the Salmon Beach. By then I had a copy of Dorothy Malone’s booklet, Exploring Gairloch’s South Side and I knew I had to cycle to Redpoint and the Salmon Bothy Beach.

We started at Shieldaig Lodge where Cory’s Gairloch Canoe and Kayak Centre is now based, along with the bike hire. We did a tour of the lovely Shieldaig Lodge and got to visit the amazing raptors at the Shieldaig Falconry Centre. Then we got all kitted out with the bikes and I followed the leaflet I had created.

The fish trap at the Shieldaig Lodge was underwater as the tide was high so we set off to Badachro but it would be visible on my return to the Lodge.

We cycled along quiet single track roads. Some hugging the spectacular coastline of The “Overside” of Gairloch, essentially the south side of the Gair-Loch or along the backs of Lochs and burns.

Todays Badachro Inn built in the 19th Century was originally called the Riverside Inn, the proprietor was  Sir Hector Mackenzie. Before the Inn was built there was a small bothy on Aird, a widow’s cut, selling ale to the fishermen.

When we visited the Inn it was closed due to a family illness but ice cream was available at the lovely craft shop Latitude 57. The original jetty, store and quay walls of the old inn are still in a good state of repair in the little sleepy village.

Badachro today is a popular bay for yachts as it is sheltered from the south and wester winds prevalent in the area. Originally however the sheltered bay served the fishing industry.

Two islands are worthy of mention of the shores of Badachro, Dry Island and Isle Horrisdale. Dry Island is a privately owned island which was originally a fishing station. At high tide it is completely surrounded by the sea and accessible by a floating bridge.  Isle Horrisdale provided stone for the building of the beautiful Gairloch Hotel.

The next village we cycled past was Port Henderson famous for it’s boat builders and stories of mermaids and onward towards Opinan in search of Gold!

The Cave of Gold is on the peninsula between Port Henderson and Opinan. We got off our bikes and started to search up and down the coast looking for the cairn which should pinpoint where to descend to the beach. Despite walking up and down the peaty headland we couldn’t find anything which lead us to believe we might find the cave.   There were quite a few legends linked to the cave but my favourite is that it goes under the sea and comes up in Melvaig!

Opinan (little bays) has beautiful little sandy beaches which tourists overlook as they head to the larger beach of Red Point. Opinan is therefor popular with locals looking to enjoy beaches all to themselves.

South Erradale (Gravel Beach Dale) is an area famous for iron ore and the burns often run red with the ore from the surrounding land. I got off my bike to take some photos of the beautiful 14 arches of the 19th century causeway bridge over the burn or river of Erradale.

When we finally got to Red Point carpark, I didn’t head to Red Point beach which we had visited so often. Instead I took the signposted path to Diabeg, through the farm yard and out the other side until I came to the Salmon Bothy Beach. 

Two beautiful crescent beaches with their own little Eilean Tioram (Dry Island). These beaches were often visited by the Royal Family on their yacht when they toured the west coast of Scotland.

The old anchor photograph from Dorothy’s book lead me to believe I would find the ancient anchors directly on the beach in front of the old Salmon Bothy. However they must have been moved at sometime, as they are now behind and to the left of the shore front Bothy, half submerged in sand and grass.

The views from the ruined houses are breathtaking. It was paradise.

Shieldaig – Old Norse Sildvik – Herring Bay

Badachro – Clump or Thicket of the Cattle Fold

Aird – High Place

Isle Horrisdale – Named after the Norse God Thor

Dry Island – Eilean Tioram

Opinan – The Little Bays

South Erradale – Gravel Beach Dale

Red Point – An Rubha Dearg

 

 

Attadale Gardens (Tourist At Home)

So many visitors stay at our BnB room and Self-catering accommodation and sometimes it is shameful that they have seen more of my country and home than I have had the pleasure to enjoy.

Attadale Gardens was on my list of places to visit in Wester Ross and a beautiful Sunday afternoon was just the day to experience this gorgeous haven of a garden.

What I remember most about the gardens is the peace. It was calm, sunny, warm, birds were singing and water tinkling.

There are so many hidden nooks and crannies with inviting benches in shady or sunny spots.

Finding the 19 hidden sculptures became my challenge as I wandered around the beautiful gardens.

To find:

Heron – Exaltation – Bream – Big Bird – Crowned Eagle –  Life is not a rehearsal (carved in the cliff) – Cheetah – Wild Boar – Chameleon – Roe Deer – Urn – Owl – Torson – Otter – Eagle – Fish – Reclining figure – Gnomon of Giant Sundial – Obelisk

My favourite and the last one I found what the hidden Chameleon…well it is a Chameleon after all!

There is also a little DIY cafe, what I would call an honesty cafe, where you can help yourself to tea, coffee, cakes and ice cream and throw your money in the pot.

You know you are in the Highlands when there is an Honesty Cafe!

Anthrax Island ~ Gruinard Island (Tourist at Home)

Having looked at the many islands off our shores for too many years it was time to explore another local island in my 19 for 2019, Tourist at Home goals.

Gruinard Island is also known as Anthrax Island and until recently we would not have been permitted, or wanted too, set foot on the island.

Paddling conditions were perfect for me and in the capable hands of Gairloch Canoe and Kayak Centre we set off to circumnavigate the island and then land.

We saw many Black Throated Divers calling on the water, Shags perched on rocky outcrops and cliffs and Common Terns screeched in protest when we finally landed on the rocky spit of Gruinard Island.

The heads of bonny Bluebells bobbed and danced in the breeze as we explored the island a little after our lunch. You would never have known the islands sad and dark history.

The island had been used for biological welfare tests and was contaminated with Anthrax in 1942. Since then the island was a no go area until it was finally decontaminated in the 1980s.

Gruinard Island was out of bounds until 1990 when it was finally deemed safe and sold back to it’s original owners for £500 pounds.

Watch this short video to learn more about Anthrax Island.

This is original movies from the Anthrax tests. They are quite upsetting. Caution advised.

Torridon Am Ploc ~ the open air church in Torridon (Tourist at Home)

Tourist at Home  – 19 for 2019 – I first saw the open air church on a TV program and I knew, living so close (for the Highlands), that I had to find it!

It was another gorgeous Wester Ross day, I had done my research, found the co-ordinates and research on google (NGR NG 89511 56228).

It is a hidden gem and on the day I visited in early May it was gorgeous and warm.

The open air church would have been swamped with water on a wet, windy and wild Wester Ross day. You really would have had to be devoted to worship on a day like that.

It was after ‘The Disruption’ of 1843 that open air churches were used.

Parishioners of the Church of Scotland were disillusioned as they had no say in the choice of minister who preached to them. The minister was chosen by the landowner or laird. The split in the church lead to the creation of the Free Church of Scotland, predominantly a church of the Highlands of Scotland.

The open air church was still used into the 1980’s.

With Bluebells dancing on the day I visited it would have been a wonderful location for an open air wedding ceremony.

Tranquil, hidden and peaceful!

Below are images (screenshots) of what it would have looked like when in use.