Scottish Highlands

[Robin.Hood]

On 16/08/2020 at 12:29, Empty It said:

Any idea when campsites are likely to be back open, we usually do Applecross every year round about now but with the campsite being shut and the place probably being over run with arseholes in their campervans it's looking like it may be a write off this year.

Shite story but I know the owner of the hostel there. Cracking wee place. 

I'd be back in a heart beat but the bairn dosnt cope very well with nature up that way.

Lovely place. 

[invergowrie arab]

On 02/09/2020 at 08:45, 8MileBU said:

FFS. Right, I’ll use a different word.  

Let’s have this thread go back to being about the Highlands now.  

 

For clarity I wasn't having a go. Its I word I used freely myself until discovering the origin.

[highlandcowden]

On ‎12‎/‎08‎/‎2020 at 11:49, Savage Henry said:

8. At London prices.  It’s an absolute scandal.  The pizzas are very good though... it’s a real dilemma.  

Black isle bar-absolute rip off of a place taking advantage of gullible hipster types

[Le Tout P'ti FC]

I can't agree that Black Isle Bar is a rip-off. £4/£5 for a pint is pretty much par for course these days, certainly in the pubs I drink in.

There's definitely cheaper pints of Big Brewery Beer available nearby, but ultimately if you're going out for four or five pints of a night on a fairly irregular basis then the price point is not really your biggest concern. If the beer tastes good (which it does), the surroundings are amenable, and you're not surrounded by utter bams then that's all as important.

The food is pretty mid market in pricing. My pizza and salad, which were excellent, was less than £20. I could have got a cheaper pizza elsewhere in town, but I didn't care to seek it out.

As regards hipsters, the crowd on Thursday night near me was this: a young family, a small group of 30s/40s guys in Berghaus fleeces, a young couple just finished work, an older couple on holiday from Brexitland, a big group of guys of mixed ages 20s to 60s all sporting their finest checked shirts and jeans, and a couple of solo travellers reading their books or playing on their phones.

Then yesterday I went to the Fort William bar for lunch, and the crowd was pretty much the same mix.

That's a pretty balanced group of customers, not remotely screaming hipster to me.

I'll happily go back next time I'm in either town.

[Savage Henry]

2 hours ago, Le Tout P'ti FC said:

I can't agree that Black Isle Bar is a rip-off. £4/£5 for a pint is pretty much par for course these days, certainly in the pubs I drink in.

There's definitely cheaper pints of Big Brewery Beer available nearby, but ultimately if you're going out for four or five pints of a night on a fairly irregular basis then the price point is not really your biggest concern. If the beer tastes good (which it does), the surroundings are amenable, and you're not surrounded by utter bams then that's all as important.

The food is pretty mid market in pricing. My pizza and salad, which were excellent, was less than £20. I could have got a cheaper pizza elsewhere in town, but I didn't care to seek it out.

As regards hipsters, the crowd on Thursday night near me was this: a young family, a small group of 30s/40s guys in Berghaus fleeces, a young couple just finished work, an older couple on holiday from Brexitland, a big group of guys of mixed ages 20s to 60s all sporting their finest checked shirts and jeans, and a couple of solo travellers reading their books or playing on their phones.

Then yesterday I went to the Fort William bar for lunch, and the crowd was pretty much the same mix.

That's a pretty balanced group of customers, not remotely screaming hipster to me.

I'll happily go back next time I'm in either town.

I will too... but those prices are scandalous.  That French smoked beer costs £9.60 for a pint.  In Inverness you get the tourist footfall, and it’s particularly the case in that bar.  It certainly isn’t going to be anyone’s regular haunt. 

[doulikefish]

Got back las night from FortWilliam/Skye/Ullapool/Orkneys and Dornoch best advice is too book ahead for somewhere to eat.Im lucky i was visiting friends/relations everywhere apart from Dornoch and saw quite a few people that were struggling to get an evening meal due to restrictions especially in Skye and Ullapool 

[Empty It]

Shite story but I know the owner of the hostel there. Cracking wee place. 
I'd be back in a heart beat but the bairn dosnt cope very well with nature up that way.
Lovely place. 

The good lady and I go every year and it's usually outstanding.

[Robin.Hood]

2 minutes ago, Empty It said:

On 06/09/2020 at 11:15, G_Man1985 said:

Shite story but I know the owner of the hostel there. Cracking wee place. 
I'd be back in a heart beat but the bairn dosnt cope very well with nature up that way.
Lovely place. 

The good lady and I go every year and it's usually outstanding.

Aye my mate got married there.

[The Mantis]

Me and the missus have got a motorhome for the week. Picked it up this afternoon at Sneckie. This is Loch Maree looking across to Slioch with an iPhone 

[The Mantis]

This morning 

 

[Spyro]

That’s where I saw my first Golden Eagle, right where that picture was taken from!

Only just catching up with this thread, the Strontian loop off the Corran ferry is a great shout. There’s a venison place halfway round that I was always meaning to stop by that looked interesting for a munch.

Applecross is getting slightly spoiled by the new influx of (insert suitable term here). Better off going further north toward Lochinver and KLB now.

Is there still the Burger Van parked in the car park in Lochinver? There used to be an amazing selection of nice grub being sold from there. Also the tiny backroad towards Achiltibuie was always worth a drive for some stunning, hidden away beeches to chill at

[Le Tout P'ti FC]

At Landmark at Carrbridge today. The highlight, for me at least, was watching a couple of red squirrels feed.

Think my wee boy preferred that bloody roller coaster though.

A good day out here, not as "Shan Disney" as I'd feared.

[The Mantis]

3 hours ago, Spyro said:

That’s where I saw my first Golden Eagle, right where that picture was taken from!

Only just catching up with this thread, the Strontian loop off the Corran ferry is a great shout. There’s a venison place halfway round that I was always meaning to stop by that looked interesting for a munch.

Applecross is getting slightly spoiled by the new influx of (insert suitable term here). Better off going further north toward Lochinver and KLB now.

Is there still the Burger Van parked in the car park in Lochinver? There used to be an amazing selection of nice grub being sold from there. Also the tiny backroad towards Achiltibuie was always worth a drive for some stunning, hidden away beeches to chill at

There’s a far better stop for views of Slioch than the photo above but I was getting a bit frazzled driving the van and I thought the other one might be crowded once I got there so we stopped at the Beinn Eighe one, regretting it now. Today we’ve been in Gairloch and decided to stop at Ullapool. Not as far as we intended but hey the weather has been incredible.

For our anniversary last year so we were in KLB so the missus could tick off Sandwood Bay and we also went to Handa. Can’t remember the burger van in Lochinver, just got a fruit pie and a coffee at the pie shop even though everybody on here thinks it’s rubbish.

[vikingTON]

Appin's not too shabby.

[8MileBU]

8 minutes ago, virginton said:

Appin's not too shabby.

If you’re up that way and after a quality scran, head up to the Holly Tree Hotel at Kentallen. 

[8MileBU]

On 19/09/2020 at 15:36, Spyro said:

That’s where I saw my first Golden Eagle, right where that picture was taken from!

Only just catching up with this thread, the Strontian loop off the Corran ferry is a great shout. There’s a venison place halfway round that I was always meaning to stop by that looked interesting for a munch.

Applecross is getting slightly spoiled by the new influx of (insert suitable term here). Better off going further north toward Lochinver and KLB now.

Is there still the Burger Van parked in the car park in Lochinver? There used to be an amazing selection of nice grub being sold from there. Also the tiny backroad towards Achiltibuie was always worth a drive for some stunning, hidden away beeches to chill at

Grot.

[The Mantis]

Got back on Friday from a week's motorhome hire. "Wild camped" at Loch Maree, Kylesku, Balnakeil, Kyle of Tongue, Loch Fleet. Used sites at Ullapool and Fortrose. Tuesday was awful and Monday wasn't great but otherwise what a great advert for Scotland. Wasn't following the NC500 so off-route was quieter. 
Never realised the sheer fucking abundance of these motorhomes until I saw it with my own eyes. I go to Lewis a lot and see a fair number but this NC500 thing is fucking mental. Groups of 5 or 6 identical hatchbacks travelling in convoy. Even came across some cockney arseholes with graphic-covered sports cars and big mooths. Apparently the polis stopped them further south.
Here's a couple from Loch Fleet c/w Aurora.

Edited October 1, 2020 by The Mantis

[RH33]

Wild camping isn’t possible with a motor home ffs.

[The Mantis]

3 hours ago, RH33 said:

Wild camping isn’t possible with a motor home ffs.

Jeezo  Give me another name then and I'll edit it. 

[RH33]

Parked your motor home on a nature reserve for a night.