Into the Wild

I made it back intact from the wilds of the northwest on Sunday.

The weather was fierce, but the hospitality and whisky as always - more than made up for that. 

I drove home from Ullapool via Torridon, which is one of my favourite areas, spectacular mountain scenery and strange rock formations are quite different to the landscapes around the central highlands. This area always inspires me and local mountain An Teallach had a big part in my song Bridge of Kings. Unfortunately the shear volume of rain and the lack of TVs meant that both the mountains and the lesser spotted Scotland goal remained hidden from view. Shame that wasn’t the case for Wednesday’s game.

I stopped for lunch in the village of Kinlochewe which was hosting a gruelling 90 mile cycling competition through hell & high water. The only cafe was therefore bustling with activity as half drowned tourists and frozen cyclists in need of a heart massage took refuge. As I ordered soup & a coffee the wee wifey in charge made an announcement to everyone that the village had ran out of water (what on a day like this??) and if we must use the toilet only no.1s were acceptable. Highland hospitality at its best.

Not far from Kinlochewe I came across a car stuck in a ditch. Offering my assistance I decided to inspect just how ‘stuck’ the tyre was and bent down for a closer look at the exact same time as the driver decided to give it one last go with spinning the wheel, which gunned me down in a hail of mud. Not funny. After confirming the car was well and truly stuck I decided the best place for the driver was Kinlochewe.

The weather was so bad that even the sheep were looking for a lift.