We are moored in the bay of the small and pretty village of Plockton. We were in Skye in both Loch na Cairidh and Loch Sligachan. From there we had planned on climbing one of the Red Cuillins (mountains on Skye). High winds and low cloud put paid to that plan. So today we had our first hillwalking tour.
After rowing the dinghy to the pier we set out through the village of Plockton and then around the bay before following tracks and paths that continued up through the woods and forest. We continually had good views back to the village and of Artemis in the bay.
Higher up we left the trees and enjoyed amazing views across the wild mountains and lakes to our north. The downside was that we also lost the shelter from the wind which increased as we climbed.
At the summit of Carn a Bhealaich there is a huge radio mast and just a few meters higher the summit cairn. At the top we were exposed to the full force of the wind so we admired the view, made the obligatory photos and then retired to a sheltered spot to eat the first half of our picnic. From here we could see much of the Inner Sound and our sailing routes of the last few days.
On the way back we diverted to look at Duncraig Castle and its railway station which looks like something straight out of a Harry Potter film. We ate the second half of lunch at the war memorial above the village and then walked back to the pier over a small hill behind town. Nearly 11km and nearly 500 meters of climbing and we were nearly “home”. But not quite. The wind was blowing 20-25 knots and with our dinghy and rowing we were not going to reach the boat. Luckily two crew from a moored training yacht gave us a lift in their motorised tender,
It made a nice change to see Scotland from above sea level.
Our route is at GPSies.