Day 75: Ullapool - Little Gruinard

Adventure? You say adventure? Well, today the most adventurous thing was crossing the suspension bridge with the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. But let's take things in order. We woke up with rain in the car park at the entrance to Ullapool, and since no one's in a hurry in a cloud, we set off at midday. Half an hour later (okay, twenty minutes, but I was asleep and everything seems long to me) we arrived at Corrieshalloch Gorge. There's a visitor centre with a pay-and-display car park, but Daddy Edu, who's only a bit of an idiot, parked in a lay-by fifty metres away. Free. They say the car park fee is for maintaining the park. But come on: five quid a head even if you're just a head? And what if five humans come in a single tin can with wheels, all for a quid? Someone explain that to me. It would be better to say "this costs five quid per human" and be done with it. But no, they camouflage it. Like the dog food they try to camouflage with gravy… they don't fool me. The place is pretty, yes. The gorge is impressive, there's a suspension bridge (but not much, because it's quite sturdy) and a platform that hangs over the abyss for those who think they're peregrine falcons. Daddy posed there as if he wasn't scared of heights, but I saw his little paws trembling. We did the long route, which is like saying: "we walked all the way around the park". Except the park is mini, and the route is like three kilometres. Also, it's so well paved you could ride a scooter on it. There wasn't even any mud. No adventure. Not even a rebellious squirrel. I'd call it a "scenic outing with a handrail" rather than a hike. After that we went back to the car and drove about forty kilometres to a viewpoint over Gruinard Beach. The usual: lay-by, postcard landscapes and decorative sheep. But Daddy Edu has a good eye and better wheels, so he found a piece of field above the viewpoint where you only go if your car has a mountain goat's soul. Our campervan went up, no problem and with dignity, and from up there... oh my God, what a view! The bad thing is that there are also midges. Lots of them. Clouds of biting insects with legs and wings. So yes, we have the best views in all of Scotland, but we can only see them through the windows. We ate inside. We watched the sunset from inside. We decided to sleep here. Inside. And we're very comfortable. Honestly. Although I already suspect that at this rate Daddy Edu is going to end up learning Gaelic without setting foot on a muddy path in all of Scotland.