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I was pretty excited about heading north into the Scottish Highlands, anticipating gorgeous scenery, muscular kilt- wearing Scottish lads striding around with or without their bagpipes, nourishing meals from fresh local produce, and lots of whiskey. I was disappointed in everything except the scenery!! The drive north of Edinburgh to Inverness was indeed beautiful - hills empty but for thick layers of purple heather and the odd sheep, white frothing streams tumbling down rocky stream beds, the wide sky closing in with big black clouds the further north we went - but we had to drive past every whiskey distillery we saw since Dale couldn't enjoy a tasting as he was driving, and I couldn't enjoy a tasting because it was 10 in the morning!
By the time we reached Inverness it was around 1:30pm and our tummies were rumbling. I found a supermarket where I could buy a takeaway salad and fresh juice. Dale found a KFC for, surprise, surprise, another burger. With another couple of hours of driving ahead of us we did not linger long in Inverness, but from what we did see, it is a pretty little city with lots of old buildings, hanging baskets of flowers, and a river running through it. Pulling onto the motorway we could see forks of lightning stabbing down to the ground in the distance. The rain began pelting down and Dale set the wipers on full. After that we didn't see much of the scenery until the weather began to let up as we reached the coast. Our destination was a small town called Aultbea, somewhere north of the Isle of Skye and south of Ullapool. During the war Aultbea was a naval base where ship convoys grouped before heading off with supplies towards Russia to break the German blockade.
The sun was trying to break through the clouds as we arrived at our seafront b & b. Having spent the best part of the day in the car, we were glad to take the opportunity to stretch our legs with a walk along the seashore. Then it was time for a beer at the pub and for Dale to see if there was another burger on the menu (although he settled for the ribs)!
We woke up in Aultbea to a beautiful day, sun streaming in our window, and a full Scottish breakfast waiting downstairs. It was Dale's turn to choose our agenda, which meant that nothing happened before 11am, by which stage I was ready to throttle him when I found him googling sunglasses! At last, Dale got our show on the road and we set off along the coast towards the south. We paused at a lookout to admire the view when a roar deafened us and a fighter jet whizzed over us. I had time to glimpse the plane rotating above us onto its side as it passed overhead, almost close enough to see the pilot. With heart thumping from fright, I turned and saw another jet heading towards us and seconds later it too was zooming over us, followed by another crash of noise. The excitement of sharing a Top Gun moment was enough to have us both grinning like idiots as we continued on our way south.
We passed through Poolewe and ended up in the village of Kinlochewe. There I used my cafe-seeking superpower to find a hidden treasure - The Whistle Stop Cafe. An arty little spot where we were greeted by the homely owner and seated at a wooden table with a pot of flowers and a delicate patterned china sugar bowl in the centre. The menu was filled with traditional temptations - Victoria sponge, scones with jam and cream, and lemon meringue pie - as well as a few more healthy options than on most menus we've seen (celery soup, chicken salad, and vegetable tart) Dale ordered a chicken and bacon sandwich and I chose a rocket and baked goats cheese salad with an old fashioned lemonade - so good!
After getting back to Aultbea, we made the most of the sunshine - Dale with a book by the loch, and me with a walk to the headland. I tried to imagine the sleepy village as a crowded wartime hub, but couldn't picture the loch full of ships or the town as a hive of activity. I smiled when I read one serviceman's quote on an information board about the town's WWII role - "After 6 months [in Aultbea] you were talking to yourself, after 12 months you were talking to the sheep, and after 18 months the sheep were talking to you"!!!
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