I’m feeling great again- all systems are “go.” I joked yesterday about the day is “a day of reflection.” All joking aside, that is what today is going to be about. This doesn’t mean I’m going to stay all day indoors, however. We’ll see what happens- I just need the rain to stop.
19:22
The rainy weather seemed to have finished up for the morning, so I walked over to see Lews Castle. It was a nice little walk, and it felt good to stretch my legs for a bit, especially being cooped up here for most of the day yesterday. About the time I was finished, it started to rain again. I thought it was best to come back to the hotel and wait it out for a few minutes. Little did I know it wasn’t going to let up anytime soon. I did manage to get a few good pictures on my walk, however. Such a cute little city!
Today I felt somewhat sick. I guess I had an off-day. This is what I think was the rest of that motion sickness from the ferry ride yesterday. I got a really late start and even when I felt up to leaving the room, it was so cold outside! I decided that the day was going to be a “day of reflection”. Translation: I watched movies and stayed in my hotel room.
I know that is pathetic- I can hear a bunch of my friends saying stuff like- Really? You’re in Scotland and you’re staying indoors? I literally stressed yesterday, worried about what friends would think, then it dawned on me that this is not only a sight-seeing trip, but it is my vacation. Relaxing is part of a vacation as well. Then it also dawned on me that I don’t really have to answer to anyone. Peace at last.
As I was waiting for the ferry terminal to open up, it actually started snowing a little bit. I had heard a couple talking yesterday in Ullapool, discussing that there was a cold front being pushed down from the arctic. But snow? I thought it was only in American that there were snow showers in April. Thankfully the terminal was soon open and I was able to wait inside, out of the cold.
I’ve been talking to this guy who is on his way back home to Stornoway. He’s been on the mainland traveling on holiday. He’s got his motorcycle helmet and wearing leather pants. Someday I hope to be awesome like he is. Confession: I have wanted leather pants ever since college. Maybe I’ll just get some awesome chaps. That would be rad.
This is so beautiful! So many little sheep farms, the sheep dotting the shoreline. It boggles my mind that people still inhabit places so extremely rural! I could do it, but I would require access to either a local Sam’s Club or a Costco.
Stornoway Hotel | 23:52
I think I got a bit of motion sickness on today’s journey. I was chatting with a guy and not paying attention to the movement of the ferry on the choppy water. I had ordered a burger from the kitchen and after taking two bites, I wasn’t having it. It tasted good, but my stomach started to ache. This is something I have rarely felt in my life, since I pretty much spent my growing up summers in the back seat of one vehicle or another, riding from Arizona to South Carolina and then back again. I thought I couldn’t get motion sickness by this point. I hope it calms in the night and I am ready to go tomorrow.
My hotel was extremely easy to find, as it is located just over a block from the ferry terminal. When I asked the customer service representative at the terminal, all she did was point. That was all the direction I needed. Since I couldn’t find any hostels available in town when I’d checked the internet, a hotel will have to do.
Late last night I jumped on the internet to look for deals, hoping to find a different hostel here in Ullapool. It was frustrating to learn that this is the only hostel that I can find online and for me to move to a hotel or a B&B, I’d have to fork out a whole lot of money that I really didn’t want to fork out. I decided that the best thing for me to do would be to forget about it. I’m excellent at moving on when needed.
Thank goodness today was absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous. It was only partly cloudy (well more cloudy than not, but at least it wasn’t raining) and as the day progressed it just kept getting nicer. It was a short-sleeve shirt kind of day. I decided to follow the coastline of Loch Broom in a northwest direction toward the ocean. This was another beautiful walk! I walked slow, listening to podcasts and ended up wandering for about 2 ½ hours.
When I got back into Ullapool, I still had some time to kill so I found a chippy and afterward ended up sitting and chatting with a bunch of elderly ladies in a teahouse. This particular teahouse is owned and operated by a couple who are originally from Australia. They are incredibly sweet and funny!
Soon we were joined by a group of 8 ladies from Paisley, Scotland who are members of a walking club. We chatted about everything under the sun! They were also a delight! More elderly ladies joined us and pretty soon this little teahouse was filled. I can’t begin to describe how much I love flirting with old ladies! It’s hilarious- they get a kick out of it and even though they know I’m joking, they totally appreciate it and flirt right back! This is something I learned to love to do at work.
21:20
Tonight the hostel is so quiet. It looks like the only guests here are myself and a French family. They seem nice and are if I understood their accent, they’re from somewhere in the middle of the France. I told them I had only been to Paris, and that was years ago. It would be great to explore more of their country!
I just finished up doing my laundry. Tomorrow I’m off to my second-to-last destination.
I’m sitting in the Ullapool ferry terminal, just trying to keep out of the cold wind. I’m frustrated with the fact that I have to be out of the hostel every day from 10:00 until 16:30. I just walked up a hill and have come back to shower and possibly take a nap- nope. They told me I can’t be inside. Understand that it’s April in Scotland. There is cold weather and there is rain here, more often than not. I basically have no shelter during the day while I’m in this windy, seaport town. Once I’m allowed back in, I’m going to have to jump on the internet and see if I can afford another place. I’m budgeted to almost the dollar so this will be interesting, I’m sure. This isn’t normal. I have stayed in hostels all over the U.K., and in France,
Once I’m allowed back in, I’m going to have to jump on the internet and see if I can afford another place. I’m budgeted down to almost the dollar so this will be interesting. This isn’t normal- I have stayed in hostels all over the U.K., and in France, Germany, and Australia. This has never happened. I understand closing a room or two at the time while it’s being cleaned but to have to leave the entire property?!
Sorry for that. I just had to vent for a moment. My walk up the hill was absolutely marvelous, even though it was quite cold today. I know I said it last night, but this valley is extremely beautiful!
21:01
It’s nice to be in the hostel again. Even though I’m still frustrated, I’m not upset like I was earlier. I shouldn’t write when I’m that upset. It’s like shopping while you’re hungry- there’s no telling what may happen.
The artwork at the Invergordon station reminds me of the artwork at Denver International Airport. It’s nice but disturbing. This one has a few morbid scenes, but not as many as Denver. I know there’s a story there and I should google that. Maybe later.
I woke up this morning just before 06:00 so I could put all my clothes in my backpack and grab a quick breakfast. The little old lady who works in the hotel kitchen confronted me to let me know that I didn’t have to leave a tip, as I’d been doing each morning after breakfast. She was a bit embarrassed by this confrontation, I could tell. I told her that it was not a big deal and left her another few pounds. I don’t think she’s used to being tipped because the breakfast is actually included in the hotel stay. She’s a sweety.
Ullapool Hostel | 20:02
Ullapool is an absolutely beautiful little town! It sits right not he water and the view from the hostel is breathtaking! I can’t wait to get out and explore tomorrow. Tonight I’m just too tired to do much this evening. I’m told there are some great walks nearby and things to see. Once my devices are all charged up, I may just head to bed a bit early.
This morning I have confirmed what I already suspected: There’s not much going on in Invergordon. As I explained the other day, it is about the size of Thatcher, the little town in southeastern Arizona where I grew up. I love Thatcher, but most of my entertainment was the friends I hung out with. I walked two blocks south to the back of Cromarty Firth and followed it out of Inverness and into Saltburn, the next town over. I was thankful that the sun was out, even though there was a cold breeze blowing.
Not too much to report today. I woke up this morning, and the rain was pouring down- not just sprinkling. Cold wind too! It was crazy! I bundled up and walked down the street to find the local place to attend church. It was just what I needed! About 25 people were in attendance, and they were so happy to see me, or they acted like they were. They really went out of their way to make me feel welcome.
Dinner was a simple Chinese take-out. Will make for good leftovers for breakfast tomorrow. I am planning on getting a good look around Invergordon tomorrow. This is a great little town. I hope to have some great pictures soon!
Yesterday’s sunshine was very short-lived. Today, Thurso feels more like late February than the beginning of April. After a fast look at the ocean in the rain, I made my way to ‘Reid’s’, which is the place I’ve been eating my breakfast the last three mornings, for one more meal. A steak puff and some hot chocolate- the same thing I’ve had every morning while here. This has become my morning ritual in Thurso.
Since the hostel required me to be checked out before 10:00, I had no place to go, other than the train station. It’s too cold to be the tourist, and with my heavy pack back on my back, I didn’t want to wander too many places either. For the past three hours, I have been pacing the cold train station. I didn’t want to sit because I know that this train ride to Invergordon is going to be a three-hour tour.
Invergordon Hotel | 19:58
Invergordon is a very sweet little town. The population is just over 4000 people, so this is about the size of Thatcher, Arizona, the town where I grew up. In other words, I can relate to Invergordon. Take Thatcher out of the desert, put it in a more wet climate and add some older buildings. This is Invergordon. At least that’s my opinion so far.
There’s not much here as far as entertainment, however. I went to google maps and put in ‘cinema’ and the nearest one that came up is in Inverness. One of my friends in the states googled “Invergordon Scotland Entertainment” and I guess the have some kind of Country and Western celebration in July. That’s awesome! Too bad it happens to be April!
After dinner, I walked down the main street in town to find something sweet to take back to the hotel with me. I asked the cashier at the convenience store what people do for entertainment on a Saturday night here. She told me there was a great pub nearby, and proceeded to explain the directions. Since I don’t drink, this was off-putting, but maybe there’s live music or something there. I may go check it out in awhile. Otherwise, I think it’s a Netflix kind of night.
This morning I followed the Thurso river to what was supposed to be a big Salmon hatchery place. I must have misunderstood. There was nothing there but a dammed part of the river. There may have been salmon in it, but I couldn’t tell. The way it was talked about, I was expecting an actual built facility. I guess not. It was a short, but scenic walk.
I have two new roommates. They are a father and son from Fair Isle, which is a tiny Island between Orkney and Shetland [map]. They are biking around the U.K. and are on one of their last stops before going back home. The son is young and full of so much energy, but the father is a bit aged and set in his ways (that’s the nice way of saying it).
They’re nice and there is love there, but I can see that there is a bit of tension in their relationship. I’ve gathered that the father has recently divorced the mother and are now living separately. I was sitting on my bed earlier, and the father asked me if I felt disconnected to the world since I’m staring at my laptop.
I told him that I definitely wasn’t disconnected from the world. I told him that this isn’t a scenario where I’m sitting down at the dinner table, ignoring my family or loved ones. This is a scenario where I’m traveling in a country alone, staying in hostels by myself and have chosen to spend a few minutes watching a movie.
He went on about how horrible he thinks it is that people are constantly on their phones and electronic distractions in this day and age. I do agree with him, but I know this frustration comes to him because he really hasn’t kept up with what is going on nowadays. Yes, it can be overdone- but these electronic “distractions” are how we shop, communicate with our loved ones, plan, and so many other things. It can’t help that he is in his upper 60’s (from the looks of things) and that he has chosen a place to live such as Fair Isle.
I’m not knocking his choice of location. I, as much as any person understands that want and the need to live rural, but I also understand that there is often a lack-of-progress in such places. That’s not a bad thing at all. I just think it’s easier to acknowledge that the world has ALWAYS changed and like it or not, is going to ALWAY change (hopefully for the better).
14:51
I found out (a little too late) that today there was a surfing competition. I thought I’d go check it out for a few minutes. When I got to the bay, I regretted not having my scarf or hat. The wind has kicked in, it was hitting me in the face. It was like a constant ice cream headache.
I took one picture of some surfers swimming in, and decided to head back to the hostel and bundle up a little better. Then I heard the announcer over the loud speaker at the event say that there was only 5 minutes left of the competition. I guess I missed it.
19:06
Dinner was curry again. Just like the last curry, it tasted delicious, but this one had no spice to it. I’m too afraid to ask for hot though because I did that once at and Indian restaurant up on Shetland, five years ago, and they made it so hot that I couldn’t eat more than one bite. Such a traumatic memory!
DavTravels 