The NW Highlands, March 2023.

 

This post is about my first trip in the caravan in 2023. I left home on the 24th of March and returned on the 1st of April. I stayed at three C&MC Sites during this trip, Culloden Moor, Morvich, and Kinlochewe.

The weather was, on the whole, better than forecast and was in fact very pleasant. Any rain I experienced was light or drizzly and winds were light. Overall, great weather for touring.

I use Culloden really as a 'stop-over'. It's ideally located for me between my home in Aberdeenshire and my first objective, Morvich. It's a nice, well kept site with good dog walking, and access to the supermarkets around Inverness before heading into the more remote areas. I normally take the basics from home, pick up some of the 'staples' on route, and try to buy the top-ups and luxuries in the local areas where I'm touring.

Morvich was comfortably quiet. The site had only been open one day and the weather was great. I've been here many, many times and it felt good to return, I know the area, the walks, and what facilities are nearby.

I shopped in Kintail Crafts which has a well stocked Grocery, as did the Petrol Station up the road at Inverinate.

There was almost an 'Alpine' feel to some of our walks, above just next to the Ratagan Pass.

The occasional shower seemed to just miss us.

On my return to the site, for the first time I noticed an Inter Tidal Fish Trap at the head of Loch Duich near Shiel Bridge.

Essentially, it's a substantial lagoon formed by piles of rocks which trap the fish as the tide recedes.

This well known Castle is only a short drive from the site. Eilean Donan. We passed it on way to one of our favourite walks from Kirkton to Reraig on old tracks on the Balmacara Estate, now a NTS Property.

Looking back to the start.

We took a spur which was an incredibly steep grunt up through a very old wood alongside a gorge.

Gaining height gave us great views down Loch Alsh to the Skye Bridge.

Morvich is also ideally situated for exploring around Skye. I planned to travel to one of the outlying islands, Raasay, using the Ferry from Sconser on Skye. It was about a 45min drive from the site.

It has been a few years since I've visited the Island and it remains one of my favourite places.

The return Ferry trip cost about £14 for the car, and £4 for me. The boat was very quiet.

Conditions on the short crossing were incredible.

 On arrival, I took the dogs on a great walk formed from tracks from the old, redundant mine tracks and trails around the south of the Island.

Great views to Skye. I stayed three nights in my Campervan here back in 2013.

The pillars of the old railway viaduct.

The track continues with Skye ahead in the distance.

We parked up at a disused quarry near the Old Pier for a bite to eat.

The weather was spectacular.

After eating my packed lunch, we drove along the road towards Brochel to stop and walk to the abandoned (cleared) settlement of Screapadal. The road was in a dreadful state with potholes which added to the frighteningly steep drops, climbs, and hairpin bends!

Zooming the camera, I could make out clearly the Five Sisters Ridge in Kintail. Morvich is below this ridge, possibly 30miles away.

All that remains of the settlement are the ruins of the many buildings and the strips on the land which were used for cultivation. This is a very remote community.

A drone shot shows the remains of the village.

On the walk in, I spotted a Golden Eagle and then a pair of White Tailed Eagles, the 'Sea Eagles'.

A zoomed shot of a White Tailed Eagle. In total I spotted six on this trip. These are massive and impressive Birds of Prey.

The Cuillin Ridge on Skye on our return drive to the Ferry Pier.

Another lovely crossing back to Skye. This time there were only two cars onboard.

On the evening walk with the dogs just outside the site, we'd often see Red Deer. This particular Stag was a bit close!

His pals were across the River.

I spent four nights at Morvich, then drove around 90mins to Kinlochewe. This site is located adjacent to Beinn Eighe NNR, and is on the NC500 tourist route. For this reason, it is popular with motorhomes who all vacate in the mornings leaving a quiet site until the next arrival in the afternoons.

The weather was, again, excellent. This picture was taken in the evening. It is a fantastic spot.

The site, however, makes a lot of use of grey stone gravel which can look a bit dull, but it makes for easy pitching. The borders break the site into smaller areas.

An aerial shot showing how quiet the site can get. At the top left is the Petrol Station which has a Cafe and a good supply of Groceries and it is also Licensed. Kinlochewe as a village is somewhat depressed though; the local shop now shuts at lunchtime, the local Cafe has shut, and the Pub/Hotel is closed due to plumbing issues.

It is, however, a fantastic place for walking. There are mountains, forests, and coastal walks nearby. We walked in the Beinn Eighe NNR, on the mountain Slioch, in Glen Torridon, and in Gairloch. All nearby with a short drive.

One of the hilly little paths on the slopes of Beinn Eighe.

The view down Glen Torridon from a hill.

The view down Loch Maree.

From a lofty summit, the panorama showing the Achnashellach and Torridon Mountains. Many of these are 'Munros' over 3000'. Being a Munro 'Compleator', this is quite nostalgic as I've stood on the summits of all of these high peaks!

Took another nice low level stroll on Glen Torridon.

A plantation of Pine Trees,

The water coming down from Beinn Eighe is incredibly clear.

One of the Torridon 'giants', Liathach. A very, very steep mountain.

I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. Weather was good and the walking was simply superb. One other crucial point is also that this area is notorious in the summer for Ticks, Clegs, and Midges and can lead to a miserable experience. This is avoided early or late in the year.

 At the Waterfall in Glen Sheil.

Got a chance to try my new spot lights. They proved to be excellent.

And, my Sunnestra shelves from IKEA. Again, fantastic!