Road Trip! French France & the NC500
Discussion
Now then. I thought I’d do a bit of a road trip in my Alpine. After all, road trips are one of the reasons I bought the car last October, and despite doing some great local drives over the last year, I’ve not (until now) had the time to really get away in it owing to a busy year with work & just generally messing about doing other things in life like cycling through the amazing summer weather / camping holidays etc…
So – this is my trip for those who will be interested in following it over the next week or so. It’s been broken into two parts which is quite deliberate. Part one was over the weekend just gone via a Friday afternoon ‘Le Shuttle’ & the D roads down to Honfleur for the weekend with Mrs Nomadic Mind. Part two (and the lions share) will see me tackle the North Coast 500 over 5 days. I’ve wanted to cycle this route for years and thought driving it would be a good recon for the group I’m planning to ride it with next year.
The road trip is a bit of much needed time for myself having lost my best friend very suddenly to cancer 4 weeks ago. 41 is no age to be leaving us all with so much left to give and enjoy. We did most things together and as you can imagine it’s left a big hole. We were huge adventurers & made the most of everything and one of his last messages to me was him telling me to just go do this trip – so here I am.
I have my friend’s funeral tomorrow and will be setting off on Wednesday from Kent for the NC500 leg of this tour. This is my itinerary:
Day1: Home – Gretna.
Day 2: Gretna – Inverness
Day 3: Inverness - Wick
Day 4: Wick – BettyHill
Day 5 – BettyHill – Ullapool
Day 6 – Ullapool – Applecross
Day 7 – Applecross – Inverness
Day 8 – Inverness – Derby
Day 9 – Derby – Home
I live about as far away as you can from starting this trip (!) so all told I’ll be doing about 1700 miles. Accommodation is booked & as a keen runner my plan is to take in each overnight stop with an exploratory run each morning before packing the bags and enjoying some decent roads for the remainder of the day. I fully expect the weather to be atrocious, but I really don’t care! I can’t wait. I’ve bought Robbie Roams ‘NC500’ book as a guide and plan on stopping at whatever takes my fancy. Aside from a destination each day I’ll take it as it comes.
A bit about my Alpine. It is a ‘S’ model that I bought from Orpington Alpine in October last year. It was the company car for one of the big wigs at Renault initially & I bought it at 1 year old. It had pretty much every option ticked on it which helped me seal the deal on this rather than a ‘new’ car and has been everything I’d hoped it would be since buying it. It’s just ticked over 7000 miles & is heading for some new PS5’s on the rear prior to my setting off on Wednesday morning. Yes. It’s been enjoyed so far.
That is enough for context & background! Onto the trip. I’m posting up the France leg now, but my intention is to update my journey with tales of (hopefully) joy at the end of each day when at my hotel for the night. So more from me on Wednesday evening….
So – this is my trip for those who will be interested in following it over the next week or so. It’s been broken into two parts which is quite deliberate. Part one was over the weekend just gone via a Friday afternoon ‘Le Shuttle’ & the D roads down to Honfleur for the weekend with Mrs Nomadic Mind. Part two (and the lions share) will see me tackle the North Coast 500 over 5 days. I’ve wanted to cycle this route for years and thought driving it would be a good recon for the group I’m planning to ride it with next year.
The road trip is a bit of much needed time for myself having lost my best friend very suddenly to cancer 4 weeks ago. 41 is no age to be leaving us all with so much left to give and enjoy. We did most things together and as you can imagine it’s left a big hole. We were huge adventurers & made the most of everything and one of his last messages to me was him telling me to just go do this trip – so here I am.
I have my friend’s funeral tomorrow and will be setting off on Wednesday from Kent for the NC500 leg of this tour. This is my itinerary:
Day1: Home – Gretna.
Day 2: Gretna – Inverness
Day 3: Inverness - Wick
Day 4: Wick – BettyHill
Day 5 – BettyHill – Ullapool
Day 6 – Ullapool – Applecross
Day 7 – Applecross – Inverness
Day 8 – Inverness – Derby
Day 9 – Derby – Home
I live about as far away as you can from starting this trip (!) so all told I’ll be doing about 1700 miles. Accommodation is booked & as a keen runner my plan is to take in each overnight stop with an exploratory run each morning before packing the bags and enjoying some decent roads for the remainder of the day. I fully expect the weather to be atrocious, but I really don’t care! I can’t wait. I’ve bought Robbie Roams ‘NC500’ book as a guide and plan on stopping at whatever takes my fancy. Aside from a destination each day I’ll take it as it comes.
A bit about my Alpine. It is a ‘S’ model that I bought from Orpington Alpine in October last year. It was the company car for one of the big wigs at Renault initially & I bought it at 1 year old. It had pretty much every option ticked on it which helped me seal the deal on this rather than a ‘new’ car and has been everything I’d hoped it would be since buying it. It’s just ticked over 7000 miles & is heading for some new PS5’s on the rear prior to my setting off on Wednesday morning. Yes. It’s been enjoyed so far.
That is enough for context & background! Onto the trip. I’m posting up the France leg now, but my intention is to update my journey with tales of (hopefully) joy at the end of each day when at my hotel for the night. So more from me on Wednesday evening….
This is Honfleur. Genuinely surprised at how much I liked it. I adore France but tend to ordinarily head to more rural locations & had heard that Honfleur was a bit ‘tourist trap’. I sense it would be in the summer, but on a bleak November day, it was all I could ask for. The steak dinner on Friday night & red wine was amazing, and I found a great café to watch the world go by while my wife bought ‘stuff’ on the Saturday. We stayed at ‘La Frachette’ – a 3-star hotel about 3 miles outside. I’d recommend it. Very clean, excellent breakfast and a nice indoor pool to relax around if that’s your thing.
On Sunday we headed back to the UK. Google maps and ‘avoid tolls’ to head back to Coquelles via Dieppe. I have wanted to visit the Alpine factory since I bought the car & whilst it’s not glitzy like Aston Martin is in Gaydon, to me there was still something nice about going there. You can’t go in or have a tour - but I think there’s something quite funny about it just being ‘as is’ and not showy! The town has a few indicators that they make quite a special car there, such as the memorial roundabout. The main standout was just the drive. A few hours of empty D roads and cheering from locals for the Alpine in a couple of the sleepy towns we drove through. One of the many things I love about this car is the quiet appreciation it seems to get from those that just ‘get it’!
The NC500 roads can be great at this time of year if the weather’s just slightly in your favour!
I just spent 3 days staying at the Kylesku hotel and driving around lots of different roads to do some walking. Unfortunately not in my Alpine because we had our dog with us, I will definitely go back in the spring.
The much quieter months are appealing to have the roads almost to yourself.
I can also recommend the Kylesku hotel, great location, friendly people and good food.
I’d love to hear how you feel the firmer suspension of your S handles those roads. I choose a GT since it’s my everyday car but wonder if I should have picked an S.
Keith.
I just spent 3 days staying at the Kylesku hotel and driving around lots of different roads to do some walking. Unfortunately not in my Alpine because we had our dog with us, I will definitely go back in the spring.
The much quieter months are appealing to have the roads almost to yourself.
I can also recommend the Kylesku hotel, great location, friendly people and good food.
I’d love to hear how you feel the firmer suspension of your S handles those roads. I choose a GT since it’s my everyday car but wonder if I should have picked an S.
Keith.
What an enthusiastic write-up, Nomad! I wish you a safe and enjoyable second leg to your trip.
You're right about Honfleur, it's a really nice place and not far from Dieppe even along the coast road which is fun.
I stayed there overnight before this year's Jean Redele tribute gathering and am planning to go to next year's Alpine 1973 WRC celebration, so will probably make a mini-tour of it again....
Pity the Alpine memorial hasn't been repaired though, As you may know it should have the new A110 standing opposite the classic, but it was wiped out by a truck a few months ago. Delayed due to a lack of parts, no doubt!
Your friend would have been pleased you're having fun - enjoy!
Clive.
You're right about Honfleur, it's a really nice place and not far from Dieppe even along the coast road which is fun.
I stayed there overnight before this year's Jean Redele tribute gathering and am planning to go to next year's Alpine 1973 WRC celebration, so will probably make a mini-tour of it again....
Pity the Alpine memorial hasn't been repaired though, As you may know it should have the new A110 standing opposite the classic, but it was wiped out by a truck a few months ago. Delayed due to a lack of parts, no doubt!
Your friend would have been pleased you're having fun - enjoy!
Clive.
Day 1. Home to Gretna. (6.5 hrs, 380 miles)
And so, my journey to the start of the NC500 begins. An 8:30 appointment at the local ATS saw two new PS5’s put on the rear prior to setting off. Pleased with a price of £124 a corner fitted via Blackcircles. Good to get a couple of shots of the car up in the air & I still love the completely clean underside of Alpines – so much thought went into this car. I had a proper look at it all while up on the ramps – sheet aluminum riveted to the chassis & you can see all the bonding – just fantastic.
The weather as I left was very bad (I knew my clean car wouldn’t last long in November, but I thought I’d at last make it a few miles before it got sprayed with muck by a passing HGV! Oh well…
It was a full day on our motorway networks today, pitting in only twice for comfort breaks and one fuel stop. The Alpine always feels very small in modern Britain on the roads, but I made good progress threading my way north in a sea of SUV’s & lorries. Radio 1 kept me company, and as more of the tell tale yellow ‘Arnold Clarke’ car dealer stickers appeared in the rear of some cars, I knew I’d left the south behind! I'm excited for this trp as I haven't been to Scotland for years. In fact the last time I went was probably back in 2001 when I drove a Pug 206 1.4 from Kent to Oban in a day. It took most of that holiday to recover from that drive!
Back to today, and after a few hours of very heavy rain I was glad that I’d swapped out the old PS4’s for these PS5’s. Granted, the PS4’s were still legal at 3mm, but the new rubber didn’t skip out once. I was interested to see if I’d get any ‘tramlining’ as I know some have experienced that with these tyres, but so far, so good & after 380 miles today I consider them nicely scrubbed in.
After 6.5 hours of driving I’m pretty tired (went running at 6am too, so to be expected) but the car was very comfortable save for that awful part of the M25 around Cobham where I think you could be in a Rolls and still hear the concrete & seams bashing below.
Tomorrow, I have a 10k run planned via the ‘komoot’ app that should take in what there is to see of Gretna before hitting the road mid-morning again. It is still quite a haul to get to Inverness, and I’m hoping for a smooth run again. I don’t think my OCD (!) will stand for the car to be this grimy for the next week, so I may try and find somewhere to get it cleaned when I get to Inverness. I am wary of the ‘hand car wash brillo pad’ outfits, so will see what I find - it might just stay grubby.
And so, my journey to the start of the NC500 begins. An 8:30 appointment at the local ATS saw two new PS5’s put on the rear prior to setting off. Pleased with a price of £124 a corner fitted via Blackcircles. Good to get a couple of shots of the car up in the air & I still love the completely clean underside of Alpines – so much thought went into this car. I had a proper look at it all while up on the ramps – sheet aluminum riveted to the chassis & you can see all the bonding – just fantastic.
The weather as I left was very bad (I knew my clean car wouldn’t last long in November, but I thought I’d at last make it a few miles before it got sprayed with muck by a passing HGV! Oh well…
It was a full day on our motorway networks today, pitting in only twice for comfort breaks and one fuel stop. The Alpine always feels very small in modern Britain on the roads, but I made good progress threading my way north in a sea of SUV’s & lorries. Radio 1 kept me company, and as more of the tell tale yellow ‘Arnold Clarke’ car dealer stickers appeared in the rear of some cars, I knew I’d left the south behind! I'm excited for this trp as I haven't been to Scotland for years. In fact the last time I went was probably back in 2001 when I drove a Pug 206 1.4 from Kent to Oban in a day. It took most of that holiday to recover from that drive!
Back to today, and after a few hours of very heavy rain I was glad that I’d swapped out the old PS4’s for these PS5’s. Granted, the PS4’s were still legal at 3mm, but the new rubber didn’t skip out once. I was interested to see if I’d get any ‘tramlining’ as I know some have experienced that with these tyres, but so far, so good & after 380 miles today I consider them nicely scrubbed in.
After 6.5 hours of driving I’m pretty tired (went running at 6am too, so to be expected) but the car was very comfortable save for that awful part of the M25 around Cobham where I think you could be in a Rolls and still hear the concrete & seams bashing below.
Tomorrow, I have a 10k run planned via the ‘komoot’ app that should take in what there is to see of Gretna before hitting the road mid-morning again. It is still quite a haul to get to Inverness, and I’m hoping for a smooth run again. I don’t think my OCD (!) will stand for the car to be this grimy for the next week, so I may try and find somewhere to get it cleaned when I get to Inverness. I am wary of the ‘hand car wash brillo pad’ outfits, so will see what I find - it might just stay grubby.
Up on the ramps for the tyres. Probably as clean as we’ll see this Alpine on this trip!
I think the rear is one of the best angles on the Alpine – especially when taken from below
Undertray. I just love the attention to detail on this.
Safely in Gretna for the night. Bagged a spot right outside the entrance too! (Gables Hotel).
I think the rear is one of the best angles on the Alpine – especially when taken from below
Undertray. I just love the attention to detail on this.
Safely in Gretna for the night. Bagged a spot right outside the entrance too! (Gables Hotel).
Day 2. Gretna to Inverness. (4.5 hrs, 245 miles)
After a night sleeping in what felt like the centre of the sun (why are hotel rooms always set to almost nuclear levels of heat?) I awoke to a cold crisp morning in Gretna. Having arrived in the dark I had yet to see what it was like. I laced up and went for my 10k leg stretch, knowing that I would be in the Alpine for the best part of 5 hours today. There had clearly been a lot of rain, as the tracks I ran were very boggy as I ran down to a viewing point of the river Esk. After a couple of miles, I realized wearing road shoes was a mistake, but the views & the crisp morning air were worth it. It’s always nice to wish everyone a good day when out running in the early morning & it was nice to hear the Scottish lilt in accents as I passed many dog walkers. It was going to be a good day, I’d already decided that! As to what Gretna is like? Well, a bit bleak if I'm being honest. But the views of the Esk were great.
A quick pack up and I was soon on the road, though not before a tactical dash for the local Co-Op to get a cheap lunch for later. Once on the A74(M) the views started almost immediately. I sat back and relaxed at a steady 65 and just took it all in, relishing the light traffic & open spaces in between some torrential downpours. The gantry’s were showing a yellow warning for wind, but it didn’t seem too bad the whole way up.
It wasn’t a day for photographs (aside from the running this morning). The A9 has a series of very well-placed laybys to stop off in, but it’s a busy old road so it limits the opportunity for a good photo – though traveling through was magical. Lovely to see lorries loaded with Christmas trees & just generally fewer people about than I am used to living in Kent meant for a content day behind the wheel.
The Alpine is (so far) taking it all in its stride. For some reason I couldn’t get my phone to play Spotify for a while, but that seems to have sorted itself now. I’m also keeping an eye on a stress fracture on the front windscreen that appeared while in France last week. From what I understand this is a known issue of 19/20 plate cars where the factory used thinner glass for the screens that (evidently) isn’t up to the job. It’s not spreading (yet) but I will be calling Orpington Alpine to get it sorted. Averaging 36mpg so far which is decent I’d say. The car is filthy (as in rear plate obstructed!) so I do need to get it cleaned. I’ll have a hunt around Inverness tomorrow.
I'm staying in a hotel called 'BlackFriars' Room is very good & it's right in the centre. Won't be able to comment on the food as I'm going to wander out for a curry. The 'free customer parking' turned out to be a bit of a ramshackle ex council car park. Hoping the car is still there tomorrow!
Tomorrow it’s a run around the town, then on the road to start the NC500 ‘proper’. Destination tomorrow is Wick, though I’ll be stopping off at wherever takes my fancy enroute.
Appreciate the positive comments so far for those that are interested in this short road trip.
This is the only photo today – looking out onto the Channel of the River Esk from just outside Gretna.
After a night sleeping in what felt like the centre of the sun (why are hotel rooms always set to almost nuclear levels of heat?) I awoke to a cold crisp morning in Gretna. Having arrived in the dark I had yet to see what it was like. I laced up and went for my 10k leg stretch, knowing that I would be in the Alpine for the best part of 5 hours today. There had clearly been a lot of rain, as the tracks I ran were very boggy as I ran down to a viewing point of the river Esk. After a couple of miles, I realized wearing road shoes was a mistake, but the views & the crisp morning air were worth it. It’s always nice to wish everyone a good day when out running in the early morning & it was nice to hear the Scottish lilt in accents as I passed many dog walkers. It was going to be a good day, I’d already decided that! As to what Gretna is like? Well, a bit bleak if I'm being honest. But the views of the Esk were great.
A quick pack up and I was soon on the road, though not before a tactical dash for the local Co-Op to get a cheap lunch for later. Once on the A74(M) the views started almost immediately. I sat back and relaxed at a steady 65 and just took it all in, relishing the light traffic & open spaces in between some torrential downpours. The gantry’s were showing a yellow warning for wind, but it didn’t seem too bad the whole way up.
It wasn’t a day for photographs (aside from the running this morning). The A9 has a series of very well-placed laybys to stop off in, but it’s a busy old road so it limits the opportunity for a good photo – though traveling through was magical. Lovely to see lorries loaded with Christmas trees & just generally fewer people about than I am used to living in Kent meant for a content day behind the wheel.
The Alpine is (so far) taking it all in its stride. For some reason I couldn’t get my phone to play Spotify for a while, but that seems to have sorted itself now. I’m also keeping an eye on a stress fracture on the front windscreen that appeared while in France last week. From what I understand this is a known issue of 19/20 plate cars where the factory used thinner glass for the screens that (evidently) isn’t up to the job. It’s not spreading (yet) but I will be calling Orpington Alpine to get it sorted. Averaging 36mpg so far which is decent I’d say. The car is filthy (as in rear plate obstructed!) so I do need to get it cleaned. I’ll have a hunt around Inverness tomorrow.
I'm staying in a hotel called 'BlackFriars' Room is very good & it's right in the centre. Won't be able to comment on the food as I'm going to wander out for a curry. The 'free customer parking' turned out to be a bit of a ramshackle ex council car park. Hoping the car is still there tomorrow!
Tomorrow it’s a run around the town, then on the road to start the NC500 ‘proper’. Destination tomorrow is Wick, though I’ll be stopping off at wherever takes my fancy enroute.
Appreciate the positive comments so far for those that are interested in this short road trip.
This is the only photo today – looking out onto the Channel of the River Esk from just outside Gretna.
....if you pass Gretna on return this is an unusual short stop!
https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/
Last vestiges of the vast munitions factory.
https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/
Last vestiges of the vast munitions factory.
Enjoying your review. If you pass by Gleneagles I'll give a virtual wave. We did a 2500 road trip in the summer and totally agree at how the A110 can soak up these trips. Seems we had some similar thoughts, although this is what the roundabout looked like in July...
Living up here in Scotland you get used to the grime. The only solution is to give up washing the car between November and April and accept it'll be filthy again within 100 yards.
I'd encourage you to also explore the Cairngorms and NE Scotland at some point - some fabulous roads around there.
Living up here in Scotland you get used to the grime. The only solution is to give up washing the car between November and April and accept it'll be filthy again within 100 yards.
I'd encourage you to also explore the Cairngorms and NE Scotland at some point - some fabulous roads around there.
Edited by biggles330d on Friday 25th November 08:26
Day 3. Inverness to Wick (104 Miles casually throughout the day).
I woke early to the street cleaners / bottle banks being cleared. Once dawn looked imminent & after a hit of caffeine, I laced up once again to run a 10k loop that would see me take in the Ness Islands and the Merkinch Nature Reserve of Inverness. It was a cold; clear morning & I was glad to get out of the centre of Inverness to explore some of the waterways. I had a fantastic run. Happy Scottish dog walkers were out in force, and the Ness Islands looked magical as I ran through them. This is a photo of part of them:
I then continued round to the nature reserve & ran past a series of locks until I’d reached Beauly Firth. By luck rather than judgement I timed it just right and caught the most incredible sunrise that you can see here:
I continued on, and just before I got back to my hotel, I managed to catch this picture of the Kissock Bridge just after the sun had come up that I would be crossing shortly in the Alpine enroute to Wick. Not the best picture, but it impressed in person.
By the time I was ready to leave the hotel the moody skies that I had half an eye on during my run had come in with aplomb. Big, heavy raindrops greeted me as I made a dash with my luggage for the Alpine – with half a mind on would it be OK as the car park was a bit suspect. I needn’t have worried – all was well. I hastily packed the car and set Google Maps up with the first destination: Dornoch. I meandered out of Inverness & was surprised to see the NC500 is a signposted route. It’s logical that it is as I know a lot has been invested in it, but regardless it was nice to see! As the Alpine popped and banged on a twisty descent, I quietly grinned to myself at what I imagined was to come.
It rained intermittently for the first 30 minutes or so. I caught this picture of the Alpine with a rainbow in full force as I crossed one of the waterways. As it turned out I’d be chasing rainbows all day, which made for quite a magical drive as you can imagine.
Once in Dornoch, I headed down to the beach car park & spent an hour or so walking the dunes & taking in the man-made golf course and the ruggedness of what nature offered immediately next to it. Aside from one chap who had about 6 dogs there wasn’t a soul in sight. The sun was out & quite piercing as I walked the shore, though with inky skies looming I headed back to the Alpine before getting a dousing.
I then drove back into Dornoch and parked up to sample what was advertised as ‘The Best Hot Chocolate’ by a café called Cocoa Mountain. I’m more of a strong black coffee drinker ordinarily, but it was that kind of day – bitterly cold, rain at times etc. I don’t regard myself as a connoisseur of hot chocolate – but it was bloody nice!
After recovering from a sugar coma, I headed to ‘Big Bern Falls’ for a short hike of an hour or so. The weather was on my side, and I didn’t pass anyone while enjoying these incredible waterfalls. I’m quickly realizing that this is the time of year to do these kind of trips as you really do have the place to yourselves, and if I’m honest the rain (so far) has added to the beauty of it all. A quick photo from the hike, though it doesn’t really capture the power of the waterfalls (that I forgot to photograph!)
Once back in the Alpine I headed down to Dunrobin Castle as I have always thought it looked so imposing from pictures I’ve seen. It didn’t fail to impress, and whilst the actual castle and gardens are shut this time of year, I still managed to drive right down to it and get this shot of the Alpine with the castle towering in the background & as I left via the walled road out. Not convinced I could have done that in high season!
Time was marching on by this point, and I was keen to see Wick in the daylight prior to checking in at my B&B. I dialed in Wick to Google Maps and hit the road with Spotify working nicely. (Thanks to a fellow PH’er who yesterday suggested downloading some tunes!) The drive to Wick was an absolute joy. Wet in places, but dry in others the car felt alive the whole way. I drove largely within the limits and wondered as I often do where anything more powerful could ever be used properly. If this is the type of roads I have to look forward to over the next 4 days then I am in for the trip of a lifetime.
I came into Wick around 3pm & popped to the Pulteney Distillery as I had a tip that they do an incredible Whisky Liquor. A quick sample (obviously) confirmed the recommendation wasn’t wrong & a bottle is now tucked away in the frunk to enjoy at Christmas.
After that I parked up outside my accommodation for the night: ‘Harbour House B&B’. It is wonderfully basic and takes me back about 20 years when I did the ‘LEJOG’ cycle and stayed in places just like this up and down the country. A wander into Wick pre sundown didn’t reveal much to get excited about, but there looks to be a decent pub in the centre that will do me just fine later on, I’m sure.
I did give in and get the car cleaned when I got here (pointless I know, but when your hands are grubby just from opening the door & the windows look frosty it’s £7 well spent in my mind). My car was cleaned by who must have been Bert Large (of Doc Martin fame) twin. The mannerism was the same too, and it just made me smile!
I have a long run planned tomorrow morning (if the weather is good) and then I am making my way round to BettyHill, via (as always) wherever takes my fancy.
Thanks to all for the tips for things to see so far. I am taking note. The gin distillery near Dunnet Head has certainly been added to the list. PH’er LE62NDE said yesterday ‘may the road rise to greet you’. That sat with me for much of the day, and I feel it has. I take comfort to find there are corners of PH that remain pleasant.
Until tomorrow…..
I woke early to the street cleaners / bottle banks being cleared. Once dawn looked imminent & after a hit of caffeine, I laced up once again to run a 10k loop that would see me take in the Ness Islands and the Merkinch Nature Reserve of Inverness. It was a cold; clear morning & I was glad to get out of the centre of Inverness to explore some of the waterways. I had a fantastic run. Happy Scottish dog walkers were out in force, and the Ness Islands looked magical as I ran through them. This is a photo of part of them:
I then continued round to the nature reserve & ran past a series of locks until I’d reached Beauly Firth. By luck rather than judgement I timed it just right and caught the most incredible sunrise that you can see here:
I continued on, and just before I got back to my hotel, I managed to catch this picture of the Kissock Bridge just after the sun had come up that I would be crossing shortly in the Alpine enroute to Wick. Not the best picture, but it impressed in person.
By the time I was ready to leave the hotel the moody skies that I had half an eye on during my run had come in with aplomb. Big, heavy raindrops greeted me as I made a dash with my luggage for the Alpine – with half a mind on would it be OK as the car park was a bit suspect. I needn’t have worried – all was well. I hastily packed the car and set Google Maps up with the first destination: Dornoch. I meandered out of Inverness & was surprised to see the NC500 is a signposted route. It’s logical that it is as I know a lot has been invested in it, but regardless it was nice to see! As the Alpine popped and banged on a twisty descent, I quietly grinned to myself at what I imagined was to come.
It rained intermittently for the first 30 minutes or so. I caught this picture of the Alpine with a rainbow in full force as I crossed one of the waterways. As it turned out I’d be chasing rainbows all day, which made for quite a magical drive as you can imagine.
Once in Dornoch, I headed down to the beach car park & spent an hour or so walking the dunes & taking in the man-made golf course and the ruggedness of what nature offered immediately next to it. Aside from one chap who had about 6 dogs there wasn’t a soul in sight. The sun was out & quite piercing as I walked the shore, though with inky skies looming I headed back to the Alpine before getting a dousing.
I then drove back into Dornoch and parked up to sample what was advertised as ‘The Best Hot Chocolate’ by a café called Cocoa Mountain. I’m more of a strong black coffee drinker ordinarily, but it was that kind of day – bitterly cold, rain at times etc. I don’t regard myself as a connoisseur of hot chocolate – but it was bloody nice!
After recovering from a sugar coma, I headed to ‘Big Bern Falls’ for a short hike of an hour or so. The weather was on my side, and I didn’t pass anyone while enjoying these incredible waterfalls. I’m quickly realizing that this is the time of year to do these kind of trips as you really do have the place to yourselves, and if I’m honest the rain (so far) has added to the beauty of it all. A quick photo from the hike, though it doesn’t really capture the power of the waterfalls (that I forgot to photograph!)
Once back in the Alpine I headed down to Dunrobin Castle as I have always thought it looked so imposing from pictures I’ve seen. It didn’t fail to impress, and whilst the actual castle and gardens are shut this time of year, I still managed to drive right down to it and get this shot of the Alpine with the castle towering in the background & as I left via the walled road out. Not convinced I could have done that in high season!
Time was marching on by this point, and I was keen to see Wick in the daylight prior to checking in at my B&B. I dialed in Wick to Google Maps and hit the road with Spotify working nicely. (Thanks to a fellow PH’er who yesterday suggested downloading some tunes!) The drive to Wick was an absolute joy. Wet in places, but dry in others the car felt alive the whole way. I drove largely within the limits and wondered as I often do where anything more powerful could ever be used properly. If this is the type of roads I have to look forward to over the next 4 days then I am in for the trip of a lifetime.
I came into Wick around 3pm & popped to the Pulteney Distillery as I had a tip that they do an incredible Whisky Liquor. A quick sample (obviously) confirmed the recommendation wasn’t wrong & a bottle is now tucked away in the frunk to enjoy at Christmas.
After that I parked up outside my accommodation for the night: ‘Harbour House B&B’. It is wonderfully basic and takes me back about 20 years when I did the ‘LEJOG’ cycle and stayed in places just like this up and down the country. A wander into Wick pre sundown didn’t reveal much to get excited about, but there looks to be a decent pub in the centre that will do me just fine later on, I’m sure.
I did give in and get the car cleaned when I got here (pointless I know, but when your hands are grubby just from opening the door & the windows look frosty it’s £7 well spent in my mind). My car was cleaned by who must have been Bert Large (of Doc Martin fame) twin. The mannerism was the same too, and it just made me smile!
I have a long run planned tomorrow morning (if the weather is good) and then I am making my way round to BettyHill, via (as always) wherever takes my fancy.
Thanks to all for the tips for things to see so far. I am taking note. The gin distillery near Dunnet Head has certainly been added to the list. PH’er LE62NDE said yesterday ‘may the road rise to greet you’. That sat with me for much of the day, and I feel it has. I take comfort to find there are corners of PH that remain pleasant.
Until tomorrow…..
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