The holiday cottage was as nice as last time (with all mod cons), also cakes and biscuits on arrival. Mr and Mrs Strachan senior run it along with their daughter who lives in the farm building. Trig and Bob (dogs) came visiting most days, along with Jack who was staying next door, so Henry was very happy, as they all got along famously.
Our itinerary went something like this:-
Sunday:- Aviemore & Highland Wildlife Park
Monday:- Dornoch and Tain
Tuesday:- Nairn, Findhorn, Burghead, and Elgin
Wednesday:- Ness Islands River Walk, Inverness, The Black Isle (including Rosemarkie and Chanonry Point, Cromarty and back around the Cromarty Firth)
Thursday:- I was ill in bed all day :( (possible food poisoning). Rob went to Nairn beach with Henry
Friday:- Ullapool on the West Coast, then on to Achiltibuie
The weather was almost always sunny or cloudy, but dry. There were a few showers on the journey across to Ullapool and overnight on two occasions. There was still snow thick on the ground in Aviemore/The Cairngorms, but it had melted (apart from on the mountains) by the time we passed back through on Saturday.
A really enjoyable week with lots of nice meals out and about. We either had lunch or dinner out every day (sometimes both). Sometimes we bought food while we were out to eat back at the holiday cottage.
I particularly enjoyed the trip to Ullapool - a pretty little 'Fairtrade' town on the side of Lochbroom with a small port. The beach near Achiltibuie (at Achnahaird) was absolutely amazing and completely deserted when we got down to it (quarter mile walk from the car park). It had acres of clean sand, blue water with the mountains in the background - just perfect.
