15 July 2018 Gruinard Bay
This is our second day as we are staying another night at Gruinard Beach. This is a small
This is our second day as we are staying another night at Gruinard Beach. This is a small
campsite that would take about 15 motorhomes and caravans with a similar number of residential caravans and tent spaces. It is set adjoining the beach a mix of pebbles and stretches of white sands. There is nothing much in the village apart from a small Post Office and stores and a fuel station. The camp site is neat and tidy with all the amenities especially the newly opened showers - a delight. The views from our motorhome are second to none and I would rate this personally as the best site we have stayed on so far. It is so peaceful.
Today we have decided not to drive too far so ventured to Gairloch about 12 miles away. Bearing in mind it is Sunday it is very quiet with hardly anything open. However we park up on the front at Gairloch and walk along to the Mountain Coffee shop which shares it premises with the Hill Billy’s Book Shop. The bookshop has a very large selection from the usual Scottish fiction writers, to children’s books and non- fiction together with travel books and maps. We enjoyed browsing then going next door for a coffee and paused over the choice of the selection of cakes and gateaux. There is a conservatory adjoining a nice place to chill out.
Gairloch is the collective name for a number of small settlements overlooking Loch Gairloch. It has been a popular tourist resort since Victorian times, attractive for its scenic location and fine sandy beaches. Sunsets here can be magical and the views west to Skye and inland to the Torridon mountains are spectacular.
We return along the road from whence we came to Poolewe and the Inverewe Garden. There is plenty of parking space here for a motorhome and the property now run by the Scottish National Trust accept our National Trust cards. The car park seems busy with 4 coaches and numerous cars. The gardens are amazing especially the Walled garden insulated by the North Atlantic Drift it seems plants from across the world thrive here.
Poolewe sits in the shelter of Loch Ewe, at the mouth of the River Ewe where it tumbles
down from Loch Maree. It is a pretty place in an area of spectacular scenery. Inverewe
Garden is half a mile across the bay from Poolewe on the A832 and is open all year.
Warmed by the Gulf Stream, the site was developed by Osgood Mackensie from 1862 until
his death in 1922. He collected plants from all over the world for the garden he built there.
He imported Irish soil and worked to create themed gardens linked by a maze of paths.
The NTS Visitor Centre on site has a display charting the development of the garden and
also has an excellent book shop.Osgood Mackensie who started the garden was
succeeded by his daughter, Mairi, transforming what was once a barren windswept headland into a unique and beautiful garden.
There are pathways leading you to feature ponds and areas with plants from Chile, China, Tasmania and the Himalayas. There are great view points across Loch Ewe. The house is also interesting and seems to be wood panelled and to me seemed very homely again with the most panoramic views. We spent a good couple of hours traversing the gardens and house. The SNT also have a cafe adjacent to the car park serving hot and cold meals and snacks. There is inside an amazing mosaic.
We return back to our campsite visiting our neighbouring village Aultbea running alongside the Loch, north from Poolewe one of a number of settlements scattered along the north
Today we have decided not to drive too far so ventured to Gairloch about 12 miles away. Bearing in mind it is Sunday it is very quiet with hardly anything open. However we park up on the front at Gairloch and walk along to the Mountain Coffee shop which shares it premises with the Hill Billy’s Book Shop. The bookshop has a very large selection from the usual Scottish fiction writers, to children’s books and non- fiction together with travel books and maps. We enjoyed browsing then going next door for a coffee and paused over the choice of the selection of cakes and gateaux. There is a conservatory adjoining a nice place to chill out.
Gairloch is the collective name for a number of small settlements overlooking Loch Gairloch. It has been a popular tourist resort since Victorian times, attractive for its scenic location and fine sandy beaches. Sunsets here can be magical and the views west to Skye and inland to the Torridon mountains are spectacular.
We return along the road from whence we came to Poolewe and the Inverewe Garden. There is plenty of parking space here for a motorhome and the property now run by the Scottish National Trust accept our National Trust cards. The car park seems busy with 4 coaches and numerous cars. The gardens are amazing especially the Walled garden insulated by the North Atlantic Drift it seems plants from across the world thrive here.
Poolewe sits in the shelter of Loch Ewe, at the mouth of the River Ewe where it tumbles
down from Loch Maree. It is a pretty place in an area of spectacular scenery. Inverewe
Garden is half a mile across the bay from Poolewe on the A832 and is open all year.
Warmed by the Gulf Stream, the site was developed by Osgood Mackensie from 1862 until
his death in 1922. He collected plants from all over the world for the garden he built there.
He imported Irish soil and worked to create themed gardens linked by a maze of paths.
The NTS Visitor Centre on site has a display charting the development of the garden and
also has an excellent book shop.Osgood Mackensie who started the garden was
succeeded by his daughter, Mairi, transforming what was once a barren windswept headland into a unique and beautiful garden.
There are pathways leading you to feature ponds and areas with plants from Chile, China, Tasmania and the Himalayas. There are great view points across Loch Ewe. The house is also interesting and seems to be wood panelled and to me seemed very homely again with the most panoramic views. We spent a good couple of hours traversing the gardens and house. The SNT also have a cafe adjacent to the car park serving hot and cold meals and snacks. There is inside an amazing mosaic.
We return back to our campsite visiting our neighbouring village Aultbea running alongside the Loch, north from Poolewe one of a number of settlements scattered along the north
eastern shore of Loch Ewe. It then cuts inland, to emerge at Laide the location of our camp site confronted by fabulous views over Gruinard Bay to Gruinard Island and far beyond. A series of attractive beaches skirt the bay and a number are easily reached from the main road. The beach at Mellon Udrigle offers especially spectacular views. There is a small
museum nearby telling the story of the World War II Russian/Arctic Convoys which embarked from here and the deep water loch remains one of only three berths for nuclear submarines.
An early evening walk alongside the Loch at our campsite we see the clouds lift off the mountains and the tide starts to come in. Another wonderful day in the Highlands.
museum nearby telling the story of the World War II Russian/Arctic Convoys which embarked from here and the deep water loch remains one of only three berths for nuclear submarines.
An early evening walk alongside the Loch at our campsite we see the clouds lift off the mountains and the tide starts to come in. Another wonderful day in the Highlands.
