Day 4 – Getting Laide
I knew that I was staying in a Hostel and the price reflected the fact that I was in a 4 bunk bed mixed dorm. The entrance to the Bunkhouse was up a set of steep stairs and at the top was a keypad to open the door. I’d been sent joining instructions a while back but couldn’t get the numbers to work, however much I tried. Eventually I found a number to ring, and it transpired that the numbers had been changed but I hadn’t been told. Once the new code was entered all was well. The problem with being in a room with others it that you can’t just spread out. In a hotel I just upend the panniers and do my charging and washing in my own good time. In a dorm you have to respect your room-mates and be a bit tidier, I eventually found a double power point hiding behind the bunks and purloined both to charge battery and phones so that was the number one priority taken care of.
The next problem was food: the hostel was called the An Cala Café and Bunkhouse and I’d assumed that I would be able to eat both in the evening and for breakfast today: unfortunately not, without any reason given there was no food available. When I arrived, I found a fellow hosteller Liz from the Wirral who was on a Highland sketching holiday, and she guided me towards the Culag hotel just around the corner. In the event it was really quite good. A couple of pints of Mc Ewen 80 shilling, a thick vegetable broth that was under-seasoned but rescued with salt and pepper and a bit of mayo and a very nicely cooked breadcrumbed haddock and chips. Cherry pie and custard finished the deal. The cost of eating out has increased exponentially and £45-50 now seems to be the going rate for a three course meal. I was able to write the blog whilst eating and make use of the hotel Wi-fi which was infinitely superior to that at the hostel. So blog written and published earlier than I would have managed and back to the hostel after a look around the harbour. Lochinver used to be a deep sea fishing port but now mainly lands shellfish
My roomie was Sue, a Brit who has been living in USA for a while and uncertain whether she wants to go back there. She was walking and trout fishing in the abundant locks. Last night she was on a long conference call followed by an even longer chat with a friend and she was kind enough to vacate the room so that I could go to bed. She and two others eventually followed. I didn’t sleep well but I rested enough that I didn’t feel drained this morning. Breakfast was a problem as there was nowhere close by, but Liz was kind enough to donate some bacon, as she claimed that she wouldn’t be able to eat it all before she goes home tomorrow. There was some Hostel bread, so I had a sarnie and a cuppa to see me on my way on what looked to be a sunny day .
My route took me out into the country on some lovely narrow roads, similar to the ones I was on last evening with stunning views in all directions.
Azure blue seas and lochs are the expectation and mountains, some of them Munros (anything over 3000 feet) surrounded me most of the day.
I was straight into some serious climbing that reminded me of the Pyrenees but the motor made it almost enjoyable. I was on back roads for the first 20 miles with little traffic
Riding the entire length of Loch Lurgainn before joining the A835 a nice wide and well surfaced road that allowed me to make good time to Ullapool, the largest settlement in Wester Ross with a population of 1500.
The town sits on the edge of Loch Broom, a significant natural harbour that hosts the Calmac ferry to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.
It was about 1230 so I decided to stop for a sausage and bacon roll and a cuppa which I enjoyed whilst watching a sightseeing boat docking expertly with bow and stern thrusters working hard.
I continued on the main road the entire length of Loch Broom until the A832 branched off right at Corrieshalloch Gorge about 43 miles into the journey. This was fortuitous as Scottish National Trust have a visitor centre where I replenished my water bottle and topped up my energy with a lemon curd éclair. I didn’t visit the gorge but there were plenty of people there. It’s about a mile long, 200 feet deep and 33 feet wide.
The A832 continued upwards, not steeply and in the sunshine it was a fun ride as the road is wide and the traffic light. It crested out after about 4 miles and then descended more steeply. Part way down road works led to a convoy system and I was lucky enough to be tail end Charlie which meant that the next ten miles were completely free of traffic behind me.
Back down to sea level at Little Loch Broom with about 13 miles left to cycle. I was getting quite weary and the sun had turned my knees red
Despite Gruinard Bay, which is the stretch of water opposite my hotel, being the same level as Little Loch Broom….(obviously) I had to climb over two substantial headlands before arriving at Ocean View hotel, Laide at about 1700hrs.
