Inverewe here we come!
Our first job for the CCC was up here in 2010 and we’ve been planning on coming back to visit ever since. Sometimes it is dangerous to revisit somewhere that holds so many happy memories, but we were not disappointed.
The weather for our seven day stay was absolutely glorious and we were blessed to be on two pitches with equally stunning views across the sea loch. We had been asked to move half way through as a WW2 event was invading the site during our stay and the managers needed to corral them into one area. This was no problem and the managers were lovely to deal with. We shared a few stories with them and gave them some pointers on where to visit, if they ever get a day off!
During our stay we took a walk along the River Ewe one day, to where the deer fences are and then returned the same way.
Our main expedition though was a cycle ride out to Cove, to visit the memorial site for the Arctic Convoy sailors of WW2. There is so much history tied up with this place, a link to the Imperial War Museum’s website (www.iwm.org.uk) will be the best way of doing justice to the sacrifice made by people who set off from this loch, many never returning.
Returning to our day out, the cycle ride was nine miles out and the same back…and didn’t I know it! Although the scenery was absolutely stunning, the road out there is much hillier than I remember. Dean just seems to go along at a relaxed pace, coming back to check on me every now and then or takes photos while he’s waiting for me to catch up.
Having done an 18 mile bicycle ride, with the resulting sore buttocks we decided to take a leisurely drive into Ullapool the next day to stock up on food supplies. When we were here in 2010 the nearest supermarket was in Ullapool.
It still is but they now deliver to site! Having said that, it is one of the most beautiful rides to a supermarket we have ever done and we stopped to watch seals at one point. Despite it being relatively early in the tourist season it was very busy in Ullapool as a music festival was taking place. Adults were able to get tuition on how to play traditional musical instruments, such as the fiddle, accordion, tin whistle etc.
Another day we went for a walk along the PInewood Trail, part of the Inverewe Gardens Estate about five minutes walk from site. We were the only ones there and again the weather was glorious.
While we were at Inverewe, we met up with a couple who visited the site when we worked there and who now live in the village. We went for coffee with them in the local village hall on market day and caught up on life and it was lovely to catch up with them again.
