By the time we hit the B869, there was a steady rain, heavy at times. So that beautiful scenery was wasted for us. The Drumbeg Hotel is about eight miles along the B869, and that road is winding, narrow, and hilly. I may have made third gear once along the way. We passed some bicyclists who were absolutely drookit. We were very happy to finally reach the hotel. This is a great little hotel, and as there are no chippies nearby, we had dinner in their dining room overlooking Loch Drumbeg (or what we could see of it in the rain!). Excellent meal (local salmon), and our room was very cosy. Initially we were the only guests at the hotel, but the bicyclists arrived about an hour later. Richard, the hotelier, told us that deer would come down from the hills in the evening, as the grass to forage. Sure enough, a herd of deer came down later, to the hill across the road, and we watched them for the better part of a half hour.
Thursday, July 4th.: Much to the dismay of Ms. A, it was back on the B869 again, although the Drumbeg to Lochinver portion is not as bad as the Kylesku to Drumbeg section. However, after we reached Lochinver, it was back on the "Wee Mad Road" from Lochinver down to Loch Lurgainn. The dreich weather that had followed us the previous day continued. Stac Pollaidh was almost invisible, and Suilven and Quinag were nowhere to be found. We blew through Ullapool, stopping for lunch at Tesco. (Yes, more sandwiches - love those three pound 50 meal deals!) Stymied for toilet facilities in Aultbea (50p to spend a penny?), we hammered on to Gairloch, where we found welcome relief at the Gale Centre. Stopped for the night at the Gairloch Hotel, where we had a really great room. We got the last space in the car park, so I said that instead of driving in to town for dinner, let's eat here at the hotel. A serendipitous choice, as in over 50 years of visiting Scotland, we had the best meal ever. Haggis stuffed chicken. It was superb!
Friday, July 5th.: The weather turned sunny! Gairloch to Broadford - through Glen Torridon and Lochcarron (Second best tablet at the Lochcarron Garage), and across the Skye Bridge. We stopped for a toilet break and well deserved Cadbury doughnuts at the Co-op in Kyle of Lochalsh (where we also had a meal deal lunch) before crossing the bridge. We arrived at our favourite B&B in Breakish, where we had stayed on our last six visits to Skye. Our hosts are like old friends, even though we only see them every two years. Hawaiian Pizza at Cafe Sia, then a short walk through Broadford, and millionaire's shortbread at the Co-op.
Saturday, July 6th.: Mrs A found a very nice pillbox at the Blytheswood Charity Shop in Broadford. Then it was off to Portree for more charity shops, a walk around town (yes, we parked at the library - free parking and clean toilets!), and then on our way to Uig for the Falls of Rha and the Fairy Glen. As there had been a few days of rain, the Rha was in spate, and the falls were spectacular. Then it was off to the Fairy Glen (Pay and Display), which was really packed with visitors. We were lucky to find a parking space. I had considered parking at the Uig Hotel and walking in to save money, but Mrs A would have none of it!
From Uig, we drove around the top of the Trotternish Peninsula, then back down to Portree. We had planned to drive back to Broadford for dinner, but as we were becoming in dire need of toilet facilities, we decided to stop at the Isle of Skye Candle Company. Another serendipitous stop! We had a really delightful meal there, and a wonderful conversation with Duncan Gillies in the candle shop. I had asked him about the music playing in the restaurant, and it turned out that he had a great knowledge of traditional Scottish music, being a performer himself. We had a lengthy craic about our favourite musicians, and he even showed us where Donnie Munro's house is. (Stay tuned for more)