We wake at 7 after a long and deep sleep. There’s some soft rain noticable on the tent. It’s cozy. But we don’t have time to enjoy our ideallic stay on the shore of Ullapool, as we’re attacked by midges the moment we exit our tent. They are with hundreds, biting in our face, neck and hands. There’s no way of standing still to look at the clouds over the bay.
It feels like a military operation to pack our tent and car while the tiny midges attack us and the rain falls. We leave the camping at 8 and continue the scenic highland drive North.
First stop is a waterfall. There is a nice path of ca. 1km to follow from the mainroad into the fields, following a stream. Zeno takes his time to study all flies, spiders and snakes he passes. Tim even spots a marter.
The kids jump over the stream, they for sure have some enery to spend. We arrive at the waterfall in no time. It’s big and impressive. We feel the water splashing in our faces.
Next to the car park is a nice bay with a soft sandy beach and we undress to take a dive. It’s super cold, we feel our bodies contracting to keep the warmth in. Tim is more brave than Olga and is the first to swim, but Olga follows. The waves are strong, the sea is turquoise. Our skin tingles.
There is another waterfall nearby, but the children have just fallen asleep so Tim shoots the fall and the amazing surroundings from the air.
It’s a lot of driving today. We play the game to spot a car in our favourite colour. Zeno wins, there are many red cars in the UK. We sing songs, My Bonnie is Over the Ocean and many others and we look at the stunning scenery, of course.
We pass the Smoo Cave, a 25M high sea cave consisting of two chambers. The first chamber is formed by the sea, the second one by under water flows. The two caves joined over time. There should be a water fall in the second chambre, but it dried up this summer.
There is also a water passage, you can take a boat trip and check it out, but we’re short in time as we still have an evening programme to prepare. We do spot a purple and yellow car on the final miles to the camp site.
We arrive at the camping at 17. It has sea view, we can even see Orkney. Olga does groceries for a nice dinner at the Lidl next door, as Tante Els is visiting us tonight. She is also traveling in Scotland. She arrives at the parking when Olga is back. What a good timing! We cook and eat together, and visit the next door playground.
Then it’s time to get out of the cold as there is a chilly wind and it has cooled down to 12°. It’s our final night in a tent for now as we booked four nights in a caravan tomorrow.
