The Bealach na Ba (170 miles)
A horrible week has just passed at school. My voice is hoarse with checking nasty pupils. I had S2 reports to write and I completely disagree with their style. I even had a disagreement with our rector over it. Yet my own classes for the most part are lovely, particularly my N5 class – they have been special since they were S1. Most of them have been with me for four years. A lot of them were also taught Maths by myself so we have a special relationship.
I needed a scooter adventure. I have not been on a long trip since the summer break. The day was cold and there was some rain despite the forecast. This is the trusty vehicle ready for off.
I left home at 10.30 taking the Old Evanton Road to Dingwall. I bought my picnic for the day in Tesco and headed out by Strathpeffer and Garve onto the Achnasheen road. This is Loch A’Chuilinn just before Achanalt.
Then moved onto Achnasheen and took the road that passes through Glen Docherty to Kinlochewe.
At Kinlochewe I went left onto the Torridon road. This is Beinn Eighe with just a touch of snow near the top. It was a very cold day.
And this is Liathach. I’ve taken its picture several times. Quite a mountain. As a young man I did Beinn Eighe and Liathach with my cousin Martin in a day. Today the scooter took me along the valleys.
I stopped beyond Torridon for my lunch about 12.40.
But there was a misadventure. My side-stand came off.
Beyond Shieldaig I took the Applecross road.
This is looking out to Skye.
There is rain down there and sure enough I ran into it. It wasn’t bad and was away by the time I reached Applecross.
Then it was the tough stuff over the Bealach. This is at the top.
Going down the other side.
Looking over to the Bealach from near Kishorn.
I bought petrol at Lochcarron. It was a self srvice pump which wouldn’t deliver less than £10’s worth. A fellow in the shop let me have a £5’rs worth at £1.35 a litre (that’s not too bad when it is £1.30 a litre back home). It felt good to have enough in my tank to get home. I might have made it back to Dingwall.
I stopped by Loch Sgamhain for my mid-afternoon snack.
And pushed on to Achnasheen. This is a couple of miles outside Achnasheen. My brothers and Martin and myself went on a long camping expedition to the Fannich Forrest and cut up from here many years ago. The house is well ruined. There is something poignant about these Highland ruins.
Using the zoom lens I took this picture of a ruin across the glen. I’m sure it could tell a story.
At Lochluichart I stopped to take a picture of the church. It is described as a Thomas Telford, 1825, modified standard Parliamentary T-plan design. What a great day when Parliament helped build churches. Today our government does the opposite.
There was a gay-pride march in our Highland capital, Inverness, today. What has happened that we as a country so despise God, His Bible and His church and honour perversion. There is nothing ‘gay’ about the practise. There is nothing to be proud of.
The rainbow flag was flown above the Highland Council Building in Inverness. They have even taken that great covenant symbol that God gave of the rainbow.
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
(Genesis 6: 5 – 7)
God flooded the whole earth with the only surviving humans being Noah and his family. After the flood had passed we read –
I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
(Genesis 9: 13 – 16)
The rainbow is God’s promise never to judge the whole world again. What a merciful God He is.
Good for the Western Isles Council who refused to fly the rainbow flag for the pride event in Stornoway.
And this large table tomb to Lady Ashburton of Rosehall (Sutherland). What a strange and impressive memorial.
On doing a bit more research she does not seem to have been a very nice lady. It seems so strange after my rant above. There is nothing new under the sun! Wikipedia has an article about Lady Ashburton.
Before Garve there was this lovely old ruin.
Then I retraced my way home. A cold but lovely day.
So that is –
21585.3−21313.9 = 271.4km (168.6miles)
I did walk a bit and that will have added the extra mile to the satnav. I think the scooter odometer is pretty accurate.