Edinburgh, le 22 mai 2002 North-West and North of Scotland
From Edinburgh to Roy Bridge
Fort-William and the Ben Nevis
From Isle of Skye to Durness
The North / peat, sea, beaches, seals and....
First of all ! Edinburgh from the 30th of April to the 5th of May :
Nice big city with lots of old buldings and beautifuls parks where to go when it is not raining. Lots of bars as well ! But I have not allready been able to visit this town, I spent all the time to find a good school to learn english and also to find an accomodation. It takes a long time when you do not speak fluently the spoken language and when you do not know where you are. It makes me nervous ....
So, on the 5th of may I decide to go to the North of Scotland, see the countryside and have some pease and quiet far away from this busy city. The journey was good and my feeeling about this country was improving when I passed through Callander, near the aera call The Trossachs. A very nice place at only 85 km from Edinburgh with lots of marvellous rivers, lakes, mountains and forests (I will go there later to fish and walk arround). But my objective for today is Roy Bridge. On the way, the scenery was great and the weather not to bad (lakes, rivers, mountain and peat / Scotland quoi !!!)
05.05.2002 / Roy Bridge :
Nice little village of the west. I went to walk there one day. I saw some eagles, perdrix ou Grand Tetras and of course lots of sheeps.
06.05.2002 / Fort-William :
There is nothing to do there, the town is nice but so touristic .... Anyway, the Fort-William Backpackers Hostel is great. I met there a guy I have already met before in Edinburgh. A cool swiss guy travelling alone with his guitar. Was funny.
07.05.2002 / The Ben Nevis :
On this day I went on the top of the highest mountain in the United Kingdom, The Ben Nevis 1300 m. and a bit more. Beautiful scenery from the top and still some snow.
09.05.2002 / Isle of Skye :
Beautiful isle on the west cost of Scotland. Mountains (The Cuillins), lighthouses, highland cows and sheeps .... I slept in my tent on the see shore in front of a lighthouse where they were nobody, no noise, nothing. Just sheeps (of course !) and see birds .... Great !!!
10.05.2002 / Ullapool :
Nice fishing harbour, nice little town and good restaurant, but to expensive. A place to go.
12.05.2002 / Ullapool – Durness :
From Ullapool to Durness by the cost road. Just great ! nothing else to say.
The see shore around Durness had lots of white sand beaches, great cliffs and sheeps (again and again ....)
13.05.2002 / from Durness to Tongue by the loch Naver :
A nice trip where there is nothing but only peat. The loch Naver and the river Naver are a good place to fish. I met in Tongue for the second time a nice lady of arround 50 or 60 years old, whose travelling by bicycle alone to see her daughter in Inverness. She is doing between 50 and 100 km. per day. I like that kide of mentality, it is great !
14.05.2002 / from Tongue to Thurso by the cost :
Nothing else to say. However I ate my lunch in the Starky Point with two seals looking for food on the see just in front of me, it was nice. Thurso : do not go there !!!! there is nothing and it is awful.
15.05.2002 / Way back to Edinburgh :
I had a good trip.... I pass through Aviennore and Pitlochry. I will probably visite those area as well.
