Trip to Scotland 1983: Four and half months in the Highlands and Islands

[DCampbell16B]

£2.47 food
35p [unclear]
£1.05 bus
£3.05 bus
£1.80 hostel
80p lunch

[missing photos]
•From Carbisdale
•Bonar Bridge (Main St) Larg Rd
Carbondale Castle (~5miles) built 1850's with alimony by Duchess of Sutherland to spite Duke by showing the world his money from Bonar Bridge
•Ardvreck Castle on the fly

Bonar Bridge [spoken] English sounds very Highland. Misty today. Bits of drizzle. Wt 145 lbs Skye man [I have no idea what this meant. My weight at the time is probably it]
Such a relief to be back in West Coast tides, write about trip later [below]. Can see Harris, Point and Muirneag.

[missing photos]
•Suilven
•Achmelvich, Russian fleet? Outer Islands? Harris

Caught ride into Bonar Bridge and laid in supplies. Talked a while w/ tourist [unclear] lady, then w/ petrol man, Skye Gaelic speaker.

Quite interesting. Bus to Lairg then Lochinver. Penultimate postbus [I think I meant that it went to the end of the road and had to turn back?]. Back ½ was for storage. Delivered papers and mail. Car postbus to Achmelvich Rd, then walk to Hostel. Older warden. Keeps everything shipshape and Bristol fashion. Separate containers for each kind of waste. Long talk with warden evening. Early bed.

[DCampbell16B]

It is odd what triggers different thoughts. Seeing my weight of 145 lbs got me reflecting. I am 20 pounds more than that now (and could usefully drop 5 or so). Two years ago next month I had a car accident. I wasn't injured, but as a result found I had a tumor on my kidney. Surgery was some months later. They removed a tumor the size of a rugby ball. When I left the hospital I was down to 139. It was while I waiting for surgery and when I was in the hospital I started making these entries.

All good so far, by the way!

[stickman]

It is odd what triggers different thoughts. Seeing my weight of 145 lbs got me reflecting. I am 20 pounds more than that now (and could usefully drop 5 or so). Two years ago next month I had a car accident. I wasn't injured, but as a result found I had a tumor on my kidney. Surgery was some months later. They removed a tumor the size of a rugby ball. When I left the hospital I was down to 139. It was while I waiting for surgery and when I was in the hospital I started making these entries.

All good so far, by the way!

So glad you are gaining weight. I do pray you are getting good reports. I was just at the doctor and got good news. Last cat scan was negative. Dr told me I will be five years clear on my next visit. He told me he could not believe it. The type of cancer that I had they had given me three to six months. I guess the good Lord had more plans for me. So keep on believing in Him.

[DCampbell16B]

Thanks Ray! Good to hear your report too!

[DCampbell16B]

£1.80 bus
£1.56 food

Up 8:30 off 9:30 Short lift to Lochinver (Loch an inbhir) to Inverchaircaig. Another w/ RAF elec master sergeant across Inverpolly Reserve. Very beautiful. Walked a ways. Picked up in VW bus, English older couple and Isreali. Took us for sight seeing. Left at hostel, warden let us in (Isreali and I) eat lunch in. Walked afternoon. Tried for pic of an t-sail and Beann Mor Coigach, too misty. Should have anyway. Very wet today. Used new rain trousers and wellies. Dry feet, what a concept. Saw graveyard, beach, large old boat; old style oars.
Israeli just out of 4 years military service (6 months Lebanon). [He] wants school. Tonight starts Rosh Hoshanna. [He planned to stay there to celebrate, as it was quiet to practically deserted and he could be alone] Weather very wet today. Would like to meet [local] Gaelic speakers here, but weather report[s] say clearing tonight (Ha!) nice morning, gales afternoon/evening. If I don't get out morning I won't get out. Laundry in Ullapool [I planned to get there the next day]. Hostel [Achiniver] very basic, no elec, gas light. Candle. Coal/peat stove, dirty coal fire. One other here. Student Geography.

[I remember the Israeli soldier. We were about the same age. We sat outside during a break in the rain and talked for quite a while. While he never talked about what he saw and did, I think he was dealing with what we would now label PTSD. We were the same age, and yet what a difference in our lives.]

[DCampbell16B]

£4.60 hostel [two nights]
92p tea
£1.56 [unclear]
10p shower

Up 7:30 off 8:30 Trail rough mist still on hills. [Hike from Achininver along the coast to Ullapool road]

[missing pictures]
● Loch Broom from road
● Ben Mor Coigach

Trail rough, wore wellies. [I didn't have hiking boots. I had light sneakers/trainers and black Oxfords, and none were adequate for this hike. And I was carrying my full pack...] Up and down, climbing rocks. Bog Myrtle, lovely gorge waterfall. Royal Navy watching the Russian fleet. Tied up long hose w/ wellies. [I wore a pair of my kilt hose under the wellies to try and keep my feet warm.] Keanchulish Estate. Waded river to cut walking time. Very cold. Mostly mist on the highest part walk. Got lift from Eng? couple living in Lairg to hostel. Got to Ullapool about 3pm. Cold, wet, hungry. Had tea down street and wasted as much time as possible in shops to keep warm. [Once hostel opened] Hung things to dry, showered and ate. Nice evening weather. Sun!

● Loch Broom from Hostel, Brit fishing vessels, Congregating to sell to Russians (also Bulgarians)

Gales expected tonight. Buy or borrow book tomorrow? Gaelic? Laundrette not open til Monday 8:00. Need to repair sneakers, trousers. Spent evening talking to 2 Scots boys starting Ed U next year [unclear] Heriott Watt, Aus couple traveling around the world (2 years) [many of the Australians and New Zealanders I met did that, taking one or two years off to travel], Australian girl, Eng lady. Australian couple had great airline stories. Eng lady wanted to know about Islands.


[Long, wet, cold, tough hike. There was a lot of up and down. I remember climbing up the side of a steep gorge with that pack on my back. I did think that if I fell I could take the bright red tarp out of my pack and signal the Royal Navy destroyer out in the loch and they would send a boat to set my leg and give me some hot tea, or whatever. But it didn't happen.

I was probably hypothermic by the time I reached the road.
A woman and young daughter picked me up on the road after I finally reached the road. They took me to their home and gave me hot tea.

I remember getting picked up by this English couple in a Mini Cooper. Mungo and Sue Ross were their names. I have them written down as an English couple, but I always think of Mungo as Scottish and Sue as English. He was a diver who examined North Sea oil rigs under water. They picked me up and drove me all the way to the Ullapool hostel, which of course, wasn't open yet. It was quite a squeeze to fit us all in the Mini Cooper. It was one of the classic ones, not the nice, roomy ones you see now. They put all their gear and luggage in the back and Sue, who was not very big, lay across the top with her head behind Mungo and her feet behind me. I sat, barely, in the the passenger seat with my backpack squeezed in front of me, sort of between my legs and under my chin.

I'm not sure why I noted the Keanachulish Estate. I was in that area.]

[DCampbell16B]

86p tea

[Missing photos]
● Coire shalach from suspension bridge

Caught ride from Ullapool to Coireshallach w/ Lancaster Civil Engineer. [He is] going to states for vac. Been in Middle East working. Up here 7 months.

● Falls of Measach
● Looking down to Loch Broom from Inverbroom Estate
● Rainbow over Glen toward Broom

Walked back to end of Loch Broom in intermittent heavy showers. Picked up by vacationing tea salesman/buyer (from brokers in London) for Melrose's. Took me to Ullapool then we went back to Inverpolly, Lochinver and chambered cairn (all fallen in). [I told him I had seen it marked on the Ordnance Survey map and we decided to stop] Someone just saw a Golden Eagle, we just missed it. Went to Ullapool and had tea. Weather got worse about 2-3 o'clock. Now (2:30) high wind (gale) rain, very wild.

● Ben Mor Coigach from Ullapool side

In all evening, to wild to go out. Pretty dull in. Talked to warden for a while. [Usually the were a variety of people staying at the hostels. Must have been less that night.

The tea buyer drove like a maniac. We covered all that area in record time.

It occurred to me recently that although I seem to have lost all these photos, many similar ones can be found on the internet now. Except of ones like the rainbow picture which were one of a kind because of something at that particular moment.]

[DCampbell16B]

Monday
£1.30 Laundry
47p lunch
£2.30 hostel [Carn Dearg]
17p candy

Up early, did laundry, while washing went back to hostel, did duty and got card. [Duty was a job assigned by the warden as partial payment. Everyone was expected to do something. The card would have been my hostel membership card with stamps from each hostel.] Finished wash and packed, on road by 9:00. Actually waited for a ride. Picked up by English couple, mid-age, he was a GP doctor. They took me right to Gairloch. Nice easy ride. Told them to stop at Corrieshalloch. River very much in spate, impressive. 3 more waterfalls on side of gorge. Then along road [more waterfalls]. Stopped at Inverewe, he paid my ticket (£1.20). Got to Gairloch and got 1 pt paraffin (blue) given to me at store. May not use. Hostel open early, so writing now. Luxury being inside early. Dundonald hills magnif. High waterfall across and down road from An Teallach.
[List of where to possibly go next] Craig? Torridon? Ratigan? Garramore? Loch Lochy?
Californian girl here tonight with Glasgow accent. Folks emigrated when she was young [1 or 7? unclear], but been visiting now some weeks/months. Odd girl. Lovely I think. Quiet evening. Several Germans here. South German? Must make decision. Either Craig hostel or Loch Maree. Cannot do both, I think.

[DCampbell16B]

£1.77 food
£2.30 hostel [Torridon]

[Missing pictures]
● Loch Maree into sun. Hamish Brown left
● Sliochd over Loch Maree
● Loch Maree
● Liathach

Walked through Gairloch, saw Dun, OK. 1st ride with English forest commissioner. Caught ride in blue minibus (VW) w/ man who turned out to be Hamish Brown Author [of the/or is a] Guide (autograph appended). Stopped several places, took pictures, told me about many places around. Penny tree in Loch Maree.
Next lift w/ English family it Torridon. Got instant soup.

● Liathach, Torridon hostel lower right

Evening in. American from Inverness and Carbisdale Castle [hostels] here. Also English cyclist from Killin/Glencoe [hostels]. Met Aberdonian/English wife, Oil diver [I met up with Mungo and Sue Ross again, and had more of a chance to talk with them. And I was right, he was Scottish. Why I noted him as English in my previous entry, I don't know]. Met Hamish Brown again. [There was piper?] but he was drunk, playing pipes badly, Brown not amused. [I think I've translated that correctly from my chicken scratchings. I do remember his not being amused though.]

[I was absolutely thrilled to meet Hamish Brown. I had read some of his writings before, so was familiar with his name. But I have to say at this distance of time I can't remember if it was from books or The Scots Magazine (many of which I have hidden away somewhere and must get out). I went with him to several places while he was photographing landscapes. His Google hits are pretty long I just found out. ]

https://postimg.cc/5QXTvMfn

[MacKenzie]

They took me right to Gairloch.

My brother put in the time and legwork to determine where the MacKenzies (McKenzies) in SW Va. & East TN came from. His research led him to Gairloch.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gairloch#Land_ownership