Menotouring; Showing off The Bonny Land #3

After loading up Little Ren with our stuff from our stay at the Broadford hotel, we took a half hour to walk across the road to where there was a wooden bridge. It afforded us a couple of pleasant views - despite the very grey day it turned out to be.

Skye was high on Kay's list of places to be, so it was important to prove she was really there!!!









The smile says it all. 

Remember to biggify!

The summit of The Beinn could not be seen, as the sky had dropped. Beinn na Caillich, West of Broadford, is one of the Red Hills, or Red Cuillin. Its name is translated into English as Hill of the Old Woman. ... there's probably a story in that, but we must press on!

Into the Little Ren and off we drove, heading for Lochcarron, in the first instance. This is the place for those in search of tartan. The weaving is done in the Borders town of Selkirk now, though it originated from my own birth town of Galashiels.  A Mr Wood of that toon was sent up to Lochcarron, where wool spinning was of some renown, and there he began to teach weaving to the locals. As these things do, it grew and grew and grew. 

Now, it took some finding, this place, and we were hanging out for a cuppa by the time we got there. On looking at the website previously, we were under the impression there was a little cafe attached. Another group of folk, who had walked the long road in, also thought this. Not to be the case however. (When we got back to the Hutch, I tried to check this but their website was offline... what the??? However, on this day of typing up the post, the site is back in operation and has, I can see, been updated; it is now much more clear that it is the visitor centre only (in Selkirk) which has the tearoom. hey ho...) 

Not daunted, all the goodies were surveyed. Kay asked that I keep an eye on her. Which I did - was beginning to realise this was a serious task! The key thing was to purchase a meaningful piece of MacKenzie tartan (from her mother's lineage) - and this she did with a gorgeous stole. It will serve her long and well. A handful of smaller items for gifts were also gathered. All in all, quite a successful side-trip. Albeit 'drouth'... (dry).

Back into the car and along the sheep track which serves as the main highway thereabouts... we had Ullapool in our sights.