Loch Sunart - The Prequel

Friday 15^th & Saturday 16^th June

So the holidays have finally arrived. No matter how old we get there is no feeling better than the one you get as you drive out of the office car park knowing that it’ll be two and a bit weeks before you need to drive back in. Our destination this year is a cottage on the west coast again although a bit further south than that of “Hector’s Hoose” at Strathcanaird last year. This year we’re off to Sunart House, rented out by Laudale Estate, on the shores of Loch Sunart, on the edge of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. . The only problem of course is that as of Thursday night I’m on holiday and the lease on the cottage is Sunday to Sunday. So should we spend the weekend at home and do all of those chores that need doing before you go off on holiday? Not a chance! We left Aberdeen early on Friday morning with the intention of spending Friday and Saturday nights in Nairn before completing the trip to the west coast on Sunday.  Rather than take the A96 we opted for the less well travelled route through Alford to Dufftown with the intention of climbing The Buck ‘o Cabrach or Ben Rinnes, depending on the weather conditions. In the end we decided that, since it was already raining at Cabrach, we’d push on to Dufftown and try for Ben Rinnes before the weather closed in.

 

The last view we got of Ben Rinnes before the weather set in.

I’d like to say we made it, but we didn’t!  We were thoroughly soaked before we got to the top and even worse by the time we got back to the car, (you can read the full story here). The weather was drier but still overcast when we arrived in Nairn to a pint and a well deserved bar supper. We were staying in the Aurora Hotel and Italian Restaurant, but felt it was a wee bit posh for the evening meal we were interested in after our walk, so ate next door at The Leerie.
It rained heavily during Friday night but the morning was fresh and mild with a promise of a drier day ahead. We spent most of the day walking the beach from Nairn out to Whitness Head by the now defunct rig fabrication yard, (you can read the full story here), and it stayed dry all day.

Nairn golf course and beach

Whiteness Head

That night we did eat in the restaurant and it was probably one of the best Italian meals I can remember eating, so if you’re ever in the vicinity of Nairn with an evening to kill I’d recommend The Aurora.
J
More Ben Rinnes Photos
More Nairn Beach Photos