Badachro, Gairloch 57:42.071N 005:42.807W
Pelagia
Frans & Sarah Toonen
Sun 28 Jul 2013 20:18
| 28 July 2013 NE2 and then W2 so we only managed to sail a few hours tacking up the Sound of Raasay and for an hour or so with the chute up across the mouth of Loch Torridon. We had to leave Portree as we had tried all the restaurants and were getting a bit lazy with 5 nights on the same anchorage. We anchored in a pretty spot behind Eilean Horrisdale island which is just off Badachro village on the south of the loch. There are so many moorings laid that there is very little room left. Having laid the anchor we drove the boat around on the chain to ensure we couldn't swing into the nearest moored boat or rocks, we had about 10m to spare which is loads for us anyway. Set off to explore the Gairloch the next morning and went by dinghy to Flowerdale which is a mile or so from the main village. Walked along the road admiring the golf course and fine beach. Very grand visitor centre type place with a 'local' market where we were able to get homemade bread, smoked salmon and fresh haddock. Stocked up on delicious olives from Greece, not very local but we have so many hot sunny days it could be Greece. Next stop the tiny Heritage Museum where we were able to see the top of the old Rudha Reidh 1912 lighthouse which as moved here when the light was modernised in 1986. Until then the powerful 'hyper-radiant optic' and 'equi-angular' refracting prisms still floated in a mercury trough and the mantles burnt kerosene. Heavy blinds surround the display following a tourist having his coat melted in the early days of the museum. Having been surrounded by distilleries en-route this year it was good to finally learn a little of how whisky is made. Production was not always as sophisticated as it is now of course and the still on display was illegal until 1823 when exist duty was introduced. Prior to then there was a £5 reward for reporting the stills, the canny Scots did this when they were due for replacement and so the industry was subsidised by the tax man anyway. Not content with this action packed morning Frans went back across to Flowerdale in the afternoon to have a walk up the glen towards the waterfall. It soon started pouring with rain and the waterfall got bigger and bigger as it thundered towards him. This afternoon was the most rain we have seen so far and both Frans and Pelagia had a good wash down. Glen Flowerdale's wee burn |