Wester Ross May 2013 - Around Loch Ewe and Gairloch

Firemore Cove - Loch Ewe

We visited this beach, on the west shore of Loch Ewe on a morning of very dynamic weather. Exciting skies, good lighting and  colours, though not to be trusted for walking any distance or going anywhere too far from shelter.  Provided shelter nearby, great for artwork. Got several sketches done during the course of the day. Very cold in the wind, wish I'd worn warmer trousers.

Stayed there until early afternoon, occasionally dashing back to the car from the beach as dark clouds came in from the north / north west. When not raining, we had views of Torridon hills. Rabbits scurried in and out of burrows in the dunes.

Line of Loch Maree fault along the ridge to the west.
Loch Ewe, WW2  Arctic  convoys.



Gairloch and Redpoint

Redpoint - Tuesday 21st May 

9 miles from the A832 Gairloch road to Redpoint, along single track road. Parked in the car park at the southern end of it.  Short walk to beach along Redpoint Farm path - surreal line of baths

Baths  - Bonnard, death/coffins, tombs. Boats in dried up river or sea, Aral Sea. Ghosts of bathers, detritus, water use, rebel blue bath.

From name, expected lots of red sandstone - Torridonian, indeed boulders / large pebbles of Torridonian Sandstone conglomerate containing gravel, small pebbles. Also some gneiss. Also sand dunes. Spent most of time on beach on s side of headland, with Eilean Tioram islet,  being cut off as tide came  in during afternoon. Derelict stone cottages  - fishing station, sketched. Cloud base lifted from earlier in day, some sunshine. View up Loch Torridon towards Ben Alligin, across to Rona  - lighthouse and Trotternish Peninsula of Skye with basalt landslip cliffs around The Old Man of Storr. Birds - plovers, oyster catchers, gannet, shags on rocky outcrop offshore.


Walked back long way round, around Redpoint headland, about 2 miles, but felt further and time consuming because no clear path. Was a trodden path, but had to continually dodge sphagnum  bogs, zig zagging towards boulders, jumping worst bits etc. Also obstacle course when got to northern beach crossing rivulet and sand dunes. Made for a later supper etc.  -  back at car about 5.20pm, cottage about 40 minutes later after drive back.

Thursday 23rd May

After our excursion up Loch Maree to the Ben Eighe Nature Reserve on Thursday, we headed back to the Gairloch area, hoping that thinking it would be clearer by the sea. It was, but seemed it didn't follow that it would be dry.  We stopped at the Old Inn, south of the centre Gairloch around Flowerdale Bay to look round Sòlas Gallery, run by Rob Howard, Lyn Beckett. We particularly like Lyn Beckett's loose semi-abstract mixed media, landscapes.

We then thought we'd pay another visit to Redpoint, only the 18 mile round trip along single track roads, with some  pushy drivers hanging on the bumper was a washout.  It was raining just as much as it had been further inland near the mountains and showing no sign of stopping. After about 15 minutes sat in the in the car, feeling rather stupid, watching a couple of fast, expensive looking cars  pull up and promptly head out again, we came straight back again. For the third time in as many days, we found ourselves back in the Mountain Café. This time, they had the giant scones in. I bought another of their postcards - Crisis Capitalism (RMS Titanic), which pretty much sums up the economic situation in Britain and Europe since the banking crisis of 2008. This  comes from Schnews, a weekly online newsletter from a direct action group in Brighton. Scones eaten, we didn't need much supper...

http://www.solasgallery.co.uk/

http://www.schnews.org.uk/index.php