The B&B for our stay near Ullaport is not
really in Ullaport – it is within about 1 kilometre of Ullaport as the Fulmar flies but about 20 kilometres
and 30 minutes by Vauxhall Mokka – on the far side of the Loch Broom! – When we
look around Ullaport there are accommodations of all kinds and all standards –
Thank God for my poor memory for I could honestly answer Bernie’s question “Why
did you decide to book here?” – “I don’t remember” says I – somehow though I
have this deep dark feeling that it might simply have been because of price!
Pointing out its distance from Ullapool is very
unkind to the Torran B&B for indeed its location has its own set of positives – it has a nice view over Loch Broom – it is a pleasant accommodation of acceptable
rather than outstanding standard – not the
Hilton but definitely practical and sturdy in comparison to the miscreant camper
of past holidays – the wind here is significant - significant to the extent that it makes the winds
that frequent the ocean sited caravans parks of Australia seem nothing more than Zephyrs - if the miscreant had trouble sustaining
us through the virtual Zephyrs of Australia then she would have long since rolled
herself up in a bundle and flown away to the caravan park in the sky leaving those that depend upon her for shelter rendered homeless!
We rise – we plan a slow - slow – slow day – we
plan to wander into town – galleries – coffee – galleries – lunch – back to the
B&B – sleep – back to Ullaport – wander – have an evening meal at the Seafood Shack – we will once again try Cullen Skink now renamed by Pam Milliken as Killen Skunk! – it still tastes
delicious! – wander through the farm roads that cling to the braes of Loch
Broom – admire the trees – admire the topography – admire the walkers – the walkers
– the walkers – we learn to identify clusters of cars as key indicators of the start
location for walks – we admire the bike riders riding into Ullaport – we admire
the bike riders leaving Ullaport – we admire the bike riders resting in
Ullaport – we admire the bike riders regardless of their attire – we admire
them weather they be dressed in full leathers astride motor powered
monstrosities or whether they be dressed in light rain protection and are
astride pedal powered devices! - the
north of Scotland is clearly prime walking and riding territory for the
actively inclined of Europe!
Ullaport is a pretty little port town – a port –
for fishing – for ferries! – accommodations – small galleries – a town just
starting to recognise its potential to extract an income from Europeans and the
British alike.
The tourists are just starting to arrive – led by the walkers and the riders that we have been admiring - – some of the walkers are well healed and
have discovered that all the gear necessary for an extended hiking holiday in
the Scottish Highlands can be fit, with just a moderate amount of additional
pressure on the rear hatch, into the cargo spaces of a Porsche Cayman, without
detracting, in any way, from the street appeal of the vehicle itself! - The Mokka seems quite content snuggling up to the pretty little thing but just a little disappointed that Bernie has not shown it the same degree of interest in her as she has bestowed upon the Cayman.
We wander the streets – do what everyone does
when on holidays – look in the real estate windows!
