22nd January 2024
The weather had quickly gone down hill over the past hour or so and as we climbed up the hill out of Ullapool the heavy rain was being driven sideways across the landscape in sheets. I couldn't help but wonder how the people on the ferry would cope, I was to far away to see what the waves were like but the picture as a whole looked very grim to say the least. The road ran up hill, down hill, this way and that which meant the bus was only able to make slow progress, especially the way the weather was. The windscreen wipers struggled to clear the water sometimes, the road was at times flooded with standing water and any exposed rock shone like dull silver from being soaked in water. The landscape now looked completely desolate studded everywhere with bodies of water from the size of a car up to fully blown lakes, or lochs as they are called here. Going off road in this place must be a nightmare. The mountains are solitary rather than ranges connected by ridges. They just seemed to pop up here or there each one it's own master.
I got in a bit of a panic at one point as we passed a road junction where the sign pointed to Durness which is where I thought we were headed. Anyway I'd nothing to worry about as the bus first had to make a detour to a place called Lochinver before returning to the Durness road.
At Lockinver we parked up and waited a short while for some people to get off and a few to get on. With the low dark clouds and the time of day we were pretty much into the twilight zone. At a small village called Scourie the walkers that got on at Ullapool got off and headed up the drive of a hotel by the side of the local shop. It wasn't long after this that we made another detour to a place called Kinlochbervie. It was here that the driver informed me that my stop would shortly arrive after we rejoined the Durness road. It was along the road to Kinlochbervie that I noticed a small village store going by the name of "London Stores". I wondered what the story was behind the name.
Within a few meters of rejoining the Durness road it went from two lanes to just a narrow single track road which climbed up and onto a plateau like area and more desolation. The weather did seem to brighten a little at this point but it only proved to be temporary. Soon the bus began to slow to a stop and the driver told me this was where I needed to get off. At the opposite side of the road was a junction and a lay by and there parked up was a beat up looking jeep. As I looked past the driver he asked if that would be my ride but I didn't know for sure, I hoped so. But the thing that held me spellbound was the view beyond the old Land Rover. There was this huge broad dark valley that seemingly went on forever into the dark grey distance. It was topped by heavy almost black clouds that hung so low that they took off the tops of the jagged mountains. We were high up overlooking what seemed to be the outer edge of an uninviting rain sodden alien world - it shocked me! I don't recall ever seeing anything so grim and daunting. My mother couldn't have done better than this if she had planned it. It felt like I had been sent to hell. I know now that any other time it's an amazing view but this day it was both scary and shocking and had me rooted to the spot by the side of the driver who brought me back to earth by asking if I was okay. With a sigh I told him that I'd have to be, what choice did I have. He kindly said that he would stay until I confirmed with a wave that the jeep opposite was indeed my ride and with that the door opened and let in a blast of cold wet air. I pulled on the hood of my jacket and stepped off the bus where upon I was immediately pushed back against its side by a massive gust of wind. Had the bus not been there I'm sure I would have been blown right off my feet and beyond the out edge into the valley below... To be continued.
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