Tuši's blog: 16522

Scotland: Day 9 - Sutherland & Ross and Cromarty

After the breakfast and morning walk we left Sutherland, but only for a while, since the road took us back after some time, still we spent the majority of today's time in Ross and Cromarty, a county born of contrasts. Once two separate lands - the fertile heartlands of Ross-shire and the scattered enclaves of Cromartyshire - they were joined in 1889 into one. The western part of the county of Ross and Cromarty, also known as Wester Ross, is typified by its mountainous Highland scenery and we spent the most of the day driving around this area.

Previous days of our trip to Scotland: Day 8 - 16521, Day 7 - 16520, Day 6 - 16519, Day 5 - 16518, Day 4 - 16517, Day 3 - 16516, Day 2 - 16515, Day 1 - 16514.

Morning at River Kirkaig.

We left Sutherland and entered Ross and Cromarty county.

We were back on the coast on Loch an Eisg-brachaidh.

The area near Loch Buine Mòire feels almost untouched - a solitary loch, a whisper of a road, and no structures apart from electricity poles and occasional cottages. And off course, us.

We had to share the road with the locals.

Nada photographing Nada and Loch Bad a’ Ghaill in Wester Ross, a small, deep freshwater loch surrounded by iconic peaks: Stac Pollaidh, Sgòrr Tuath, and Cùl Beag.

Nearby Loch Lurgainn is also popular spot for hiking, fishing, and outdoor enthusiasts.

We used our first longer break to discover the Knockan Crag, that lies within North West Highlands Geopark.

4 guys, Peach, Horne, Tuši and Bronco exploring the history of rocks.

Rock globe.

We hiked the interpretative trail where we visited the rock formations known as the Moine Thrust and learned how the landscape was formed. The trail leaded us up above the crags where we had breathtaking views.

Knockan Crag holds the key to an amazing story of colliding continents and scientific intrigue. The low cliff of Knockan exposes rocks that set the scientific world ablaze in the 19th century, with the discovery that a slice of old rock sits on top of much younger ones. The controversy was finally resolved by the work of Ben Peach and John Horne whose 1907 paper on the subject remains a classic text. Peach and Horne demonstrated that the situation resulted from the action of a thrust fault - this being the first to be discovered anywhere in the world. The older rocks had been moved some 70 kilometres to the west over the top of the younger rocks due to tectonic action.

Wild nature.

Typical weather. A little bit of sun, wind and rain.

Ascending. We did almost 100 vertical meters.

View to Lochan an Ais.

Interesting educational trail that gives you some basics of geology.

The trail has poems engraved into stones. It’s one of the few places where you can read poetry while climbing over a billion-year-old rock.

Returning back to our starting point.

Nada, Bronco and Tuši at the end of the trail - Garmin Connect.

One more photo and we will move forward - goodbye Knockan Crag.

After a short drive, we made another hike, this one to Meall Mòr.

At first, the weather was still god, just a lot of wind.

Last meters.

At the summit, 270 meters above the sea level.

Our next stop will be village Ullapool.

View to Loch Achall.

Directions led us back to starting point, where we were soaked to the skin - Garmin Connect.

After the fish & chips we also visited the Fowler Memorial Clock in Ullapool. Said to be the most photographed clock in the Highlands, the clock was originally erected in 1899 and sited in the middle of the road but was moved to its current position in the 1960s.

Our final walk (Garmin Connect) was in Corrieshalloch Gorge, where we visited 46-metre high Falls of Measach. he gorge is approximately 1.5 km long, 60 metres deep, and 10 m wide at its lip. The Abhainn Droma flows through Corrieshalloch, below which the landscape opens out into a broad, flat-bottomed glacial trough at the head of Loch Broom.