Day 5: Inverewe Gardens and Ullapool

Wednesday 17th August - 2022

Day 5: Our fifth day on the road for us today. We are still in the western highlands of Scotland. Continuing our journey to northern Scotland, we departed our hotel, the Balmacara Hotel in Kyle this morning.

(Above) Coach outside Balmacara Hotel in Kyle before we hit the road this morning.

(Above) Looking towards the Isle of Skye from the restaurant while enjoying breakfast.

(Above) John (our Guide, the big fella on the right) & Gary our C·I·E Tour Group motorcoach driver loading all the punters suitcases onto the coach while we enjoyed breakfast inside the hotel.

(Above) What a gorgeous Scottish morning. Our coach preparing to leave the Balmacara Hotel in Kyle with the Isle of Skye visible across Loch Alsh in the background.

We made a stop into the Inverewe Gardens. A lochside garden amid a barren wilderness on the Atlantic coast in the North West Highlands.

This impressive garden was designed & built by Osgood Mackenzie, some of the mature specimen trees of pine, beech, eucalyptus and abies date back to garden founder Osgood Mackenzie's original 19th century plantings.

(Above) Inverewe Gardens. Rare species thrive in this heritage garden as the effects of the Gulf Stream meet the Highlands.

(Above) A layout map of the huge Inverewe Garden.

(Above) The wonderful name tag tree where l discovered the P. Warburton name tag.

(Above) Guess what l discovered hanging on the welcome tree as l entered the gardens? A tag with the name Mr. P. Warburton, my first cousin's name was Peter he has gone to heaven & l know that he never visited these gardens when he was alive.

(Above) Some of the garden flowers (yellow flowers in garden bed).

(Above) When I was sitting in the gardens having my lunch today this beautiful Red breasted Robin decided to join me & ate all my crumbs. He was so beautiful, he stayed with me within less than a metre, so tame.

(Above) The National Trust for Scotland plate. The garden and estate has been the property of the National Trust for Scotland since it was given to the Trust along with a generous endowment for its future upkeep by the founder's daughter Mairi Sawyer in 1952

The reason why these Inverewe Gardens survives is because here in this area it is a Micro Climate from the Gulf Stream with perfectly good air quality. Truly a natural wonder, because nothing needs to be nurtured especially in these very harsh conditions in the Scottish Highlands.

(Above) Our C·I·E Tour Group motorcoach at one of our many pit stops along the way.

(Above) Me watching on as they prepare the dog's life jacket before venturing out onto the freezing cold water of the Loch. Hope that you are all noticing the Blue Sky.

(Above) A dog going for a ride on a ski at one of our pit stops beside a Loch.

Our fifth day's journey will end at the Caledonian Hotel in the tiny port town of Ullapool this evening.

(Above) Our accommodation in the tiny port town of Ullapool for tonight, Night 5. The Caledonian Hotel.

(Above) Moored in Ullapool harbour, the 700-passenger cruise ship Azamara Quest. Ullapool has several cruise ships a week calling in here to western Scotland. Azamara Cruise lines is based in Miami, Florida and operates four cruise ship on worldwide itineraries.

The ferry terminal at Ullapool harbour runs a daily service to the Isle of Lewis. Routes south of Ullapool pass through Gairloch and Poolewe to Kyle of Lochalsh and the bridge to Skye. Ullapool is also the main terminus for the ferry to Stornoway.

That's it for Day 5 of 12 on the Scottish Highlands road.

Warbo