Yesterday we decided to take advantage of the fantastic weather and head over to the west coast. Gairloch is about an hour and a half away from Caravan 109 but is well worth the trip for a full day out.
The drive across is one of the most picturesque around here and takes you through some dramatic scenery. As you get towards Gairloch you go through the Ben Eighe National Nature Reserve which is a great place to see the elusive Golden Eagle. As luck would have it we spotted one being mobbed by a Hooded Crow - its plumage looked great in the sunshine.
The road into Gairloch is the usual Highland single track road but is well worth it. We went for a coffee in the Harbour Lights Cafe down at Gairloch harbour and then went for a stroll around to see what was around. The sea was crystal clear and the was a wonderful little fish shack selling lots of Highland specialities including hand dived Scallops.
There are also boat trips running from here - a glass bottomed boat and Orca whale watching trips. They all looked very busy as there were lots of tourists around. We then headed up the hill and parked up by Gairloch Golf Course. There is a little cut through to the beach which is a beautiful arc of golden sand. You look out across Gairloch Bay towards the distant hills of Skye.
We had a picnic and spent a couple of hours just chilling. There were about a dozen people on the beach!! If this was in the south of England it would be mobbed!! There were several Red Throated Divers (calling), lots of Arctic Terns and best of all a small pod of Porpoise.
Sadly it started to rain so we decided to return to Nairn via Poolewe. Here there are the famous gardens which looked great in the distance. We didn't stop but will return later in the year. In Little Gruinard bay on the way back were 4 Black Throated Divers - fantastic!!
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