Waterfalls Walk

Smoked Trout Salad with beetroot couscous

Our days seem to have fallen into a bit of a routine: sleep in (well try to anyway), have a lazy morning and then go out for the afternoon.  It doesn't get dark until 11pm so really you don't have to be up early.  I have spent the holiday teaching Tom how to play patience (in an attempt to stop him following me round like a lost sheep the whole time and also to try to teach him to concentrate).  He's getting there, he understands 7s but his awareness of cards is quite poor, meaning he thinks the game is over when he has a few options he hasn't seen.  I also showed him 5s today, but I think that one is going to take a couple more shows - he didn't quite get it.  Anyway, it has done the trick and this morning instead of following me around, he sat in the lounge and played patience.  Phew!

Monster Haddock Wrap

We left the house around 11.30 and headed to Ullapool.  We had decided on a walk south of the town today, mainly so we had an excuse to go into Ullapool again and eat at the Seafood Shack again.  We weren't disappointed.  Tom had another haddock wrap (seemed to be even bigger this time - he managed to eat it unaided though!) Matt had smoked mackerel pate and I had smoked trout salad.  All of which were amazingly fresh and tasty.  We are going to miss this place!

We then headed to Lael Garden, 10 miles south of Ullapool to do a waterfalls walk.  Parked next to a red Honda, and as we were getting ready for the walk, its owners turned up...a couple...the lady was Japanese - how in the middle of absolutely nowhere do we bump into a Japanese person?  Matt was pleased.  Turns out she's lived here for 11 years (she spoke English with an English accent) and works for Honda in Bracknell and her mum comes from Kobe!  After that excitement, we headed off on our walk.  It was along the river Broom, we were expecting a nice gentle walk along the river to a waterfall.  We should have known better after our experience of walks around here, we haven't done an easy one yet!

Even monsters need their mums

Falls on the River Broom

It started off gentle enough - alongside the river.  Very nice, very flat, although a little too midgie for our liking.  We then got to a waterfall - peaty river water tumbling over rocks - and it was very pleasant.  And then we continued, up, up, up towards another waterfall.  It wasn't just round the corner as we were expecting but up, up, up in the muggy, midgey undergrowth.  Once again we were all sweating, all muddy from boggy mud and wondering where on earth we were going.  No other way than up, up, up.  Oh hum, we had started so we should finish, so after a bit more up, we turned a corner and there we saw the Cuileig Falls which were worth the climb.  Tumbling down a huge gorge, framed nicely by some trees.  There was a bridge over the top, so we investigated. It was a bit ramshackle and when Tom started to walk across it the planks of wood started to bow under his weight.  Hummm, he was called back.  Matt then tried the same, but holding onto the frame of the bridge but he didn't make it either.  Shame.

Cuileig Falls with very dodgy bridge

Oh well, we were at the top of the mountain now, so we figured we should walk back over it and then head down.  We did so, but unfortunately didn't get the views we wanted as it started to get misty.  Never mind it was a good walk - just a little bit longer and higher than we were expecting.

We headed back to Ullapool, it was lovely and clear there - the weather here is more changeable than at home, and then back home for showers, to put all our clothes in the washing machine - again!  More games of patience and then tea (fish cakes - just in case we hadn't had enough fish yet!) before watching the cricket highlights.

Another good day, the weather has completely cleared this evening and we have blue sky.  We are hoping to go to a beach tomorrow - fingers crossed the weather is good to us...