Highland Drive & Paddle

A fantastic weather report for the weekend resulted in a last minute plan for a highland drive with Allan aka Welsha. As I finish work early on a Friday I decided to go through a day early so that I could have a paddle on Loch Broom while Allan travels up Saturday from Glasgow. Last arrival at the Broomfield campsite is 7pm as they lock the barrier then. Banchory to Ullapool is around 3.5 hours and I aimed to leave early but was only in Ballater by 3:30 where I stopped for a bite to eat so it was an enjoyable and enthusiastic drive to the campsite!

Car washed and ready the night before. Paddleboard & Tent packed!
Very luck when passing through Ballater that the seafood bothy had their trailer there.
Obligatory stop at the Lecht.
Arrived at the Broomfield around 18:30 and picked a spot down by the shore for easy access in the morning
Beautiful views at dusk

I met a couple of legends who arrived in some fantastic Peugeots, we got talking about the cars and ended up having a fantastic dinner in the Seaforth.

I’m usually at this campsite in large groups on an organised drive, so normally it’s park, pitch and then pub. It was nice to be here solo and have a chance in the morning (without a hangover!) to explore Ullapool and scope out the paddling scene.

Saturday Paddle Recce

A nice and early 7am start, emerging from the tent to have a wander and check out the river. I had no idea (and probably wouldn’t have cared previously) there was such a nice river walk just next to the campsite. I had thought I might be able to paddle the Ullapool river, but no it’s a rocky number so the Loch will have to do.

Saturday Paddle

I pumped up the board and then got onto the water for what still to this day was the best day of paddling I have experienced so far. The water was so calm, no wind and clear as glass at the edges. Absolute tranquility.

Finished off with Langoustines from the seafood shack – highly recommend!

Drive & Meet

With Allan enroute and closing in, I dried up and jumped in the car to meet him at an old MR2OC stayover point – the Aultguish inn – which has considerably improved since we last stayed!

Sunrise Paddle

The Friday paddle was so good that I decided I wanted to get up before dawn to watch the sunrise from the Loch. I thought I’d be the only one awake, but alas Allan wished me well from his tent as I passed – having got no sleep whatsoever thanks to the disco party camper van that parked up next to him. On the water for 6am till just before 8am.

Breakfast and Drive

Breakfast was from the Bothy Coffee Shop right outside the campsite and was fantastic both mornings. Our route for Sunday would take us south from Ullapool to Gairloch and from there to Bellach na ba. We decided not to descend to Applecross as we would be struggling for time, but we were blessed with pretty clear roads and blue skies for the entire drive. Lunch was at the Waterside Cafe, Lochcarron before heading to Pitlochry and then home via our separate routes.