A Drive Not Recommended for Beginners
Day 10: Fairy Pools and Scenic Vistas
Fairy Pools
"You can easily follow the well-tended trail down across the field and toward the rounded peaks. Very soon you'll reach a gurgling river, which you'll follow toward its source in the mountains. Because the path is entirely through open fields, you enjoy scenery the entire time (and you can't get lost). Soon the river begins to pool at the base at the base of each waterfall, creating a series of picturesque pools. Although footing can be treacherous, many hikers climb down across the rocks to swim and sunbathe. This is a fun place to linger (bring a picnic, if not a swimsuit)."
~Rick Steves' Scotland
The Skye Bridge & Castle Moil
"Kyleakin, the last town in Skye before the Skye Bridge, used to be a big tourist hub, until the bridge connecting it to the mainland enabled easier travel to Portree and other areas deeper in the island. Today this unassuming little village, with a ruined castle (Castle Moil), a cluster of lonesome fishing boats, and a forgotten ferry slip."
~Rick Steves' Scotland
The Drive to Ullapool
"Soon after you pull away from the lochside, you'll cross over a high meadow and see a well-marked turnoff on the left for a super-scenic -- but challenging -- alternate route: the Applecross Road, over a pass called Bealach na Ba (Gaelic for "Pass of the Cattle"). Intimidating signs suggest a much more straightforward alternate route that keeps you on A-896 straight up to Loch Torridon. But if you're relatively comfortable negotiating steep switchbacks, and have the time to spare (adding about 20 miles to the total journey), this road is drivable. You'll twist up, up, up -- hearing your engine struggle up gradients of up to 20 percent -- and finally, over with rugged-moonscape views over peaks and lochs. From the summit (at 2,053 feet), the jagged mountains rising from the sea are the Cuillin Hills on the Isle of Skye. Finally you'll corkscrew back down to the other side, arriving at the humble seafront town of Applecross."
~Rick Steves' Scotland
Making Friends Everywhere
Just a Small Puddle by the Road…
Corrieshalloch Gorge
"For a thrilling touch of vertigo, don't miss Corrieshalloch Gorge. Draining the high moors, the Falls of Measach plunge 150 feet into a 200-foot-deep, thickly wooded gorge. There's a suspension bridge viewpoint and a heady atmosphere of romantic grandeur, like an old Scottish print come to life."
~Fodor's Travel: Scotland