So near, yet so far - 2

I was retracing my route south to Broadford, anticipating the beautiful run along to Elgol, past  Blaven (Bla Bheinn, blue mountain) when I stopped to take pictures of this waterfall.  I love waterfalls, as you can probably tell by the amount you’ve seen in the last few days.   This was quite spectacular, pretty high, as you can see from the heights of the trees.  Travelling on I turned off at Broadford  and joined the familiar single track road with passing places.  Realising the mist was way down and that views would not be brilliant,  I still drove on round through Torrin on Loch Slapin, below Blaven, where on a sunny day with the tide in you see the sea in various beautiful colours of blues and greens.

 However, there was still colour on a dreich day in the browns and oranges of the seaweed on the shore, and the greens of the grass and the long leaves of flag irises grazed roundabout by a number of  clean white shorn sheep.

The last bit of road into Elgol is quite steep and twisting , but taken carefully it is fine, but what a surprise greeted me.  Commercialisation had come to Elgol – new houses, car-parks, portacabins used as offices for boat-trip companies…. the place was hoaching with cars and people… and, no surprise, it was raining!  There was enough cloud around to make me hold back from the boat trip, but at last it looked like there was some sun over Loch Coruisk. 

 

 

I decided to chance it and rushed to get my ticket for the last trip of the afternoon on the Loch Coruisk boat.  There were only a handful of us on board, and on the way, the skipper pointed out various seabirds,  a seal and even a porpoise swimming along arc-like in the grey blue water. 

 

Soon we were getting close enough to make out the low point between rocks where we would be landing. 

Not far now!

Nearly there!

 

 

Dead ahead now!

 

Just through there!

 

 

…but first we cruised round the bay a bit to see some seals….

and more seals….

  and another seal…….               

 My impatience was growing, but at last we turned towards the landing stage.    I was up and ready to scramble off but the skipper brought all the folk that were waiting up on the rocks down first.  Odd. I thought!  Then he began counting everyone – So do we get off here?  I asked. Oh no, he replied, this is a mini cruise.  You don’t go ashore!  I really thought he was joking….. but when I realised he was serious, I was so upset and angry.  No-one had said anything about not getting ashore from this trip, and they’d all known – from the girl who sold me the ticket to the skipper himself - that that was where I had wanted to go. We began to push off again and before long were on our way back to Elgol again.  I just could not believe it! 

 

 

We were as far away from Loch Coruisk as ever!  As I said, so near, yet so far!

Talk again soon.

PS.  I got my money back, because of the “misunderstanding”!  Omission, more like!

PPS I was looking something up on the net when I found this painting of the Cuillin from Elgol, which I love!  I’ve asked Andy Peutherer, the artist’s permission to use it on my blog, and if you click here, you’ll find his website.