A road trip of books and beauty...

We have returned from a wee mini-break down to Ullapool.  It is a bustling, beautiful, arty-booky town of 1500 people on the west coast.  It is also the departure point for the Western Isles Harris and Lewis and we had visited briefly overnight once as we caught a ferry to Lewis, and had always thought it would be a place worth returning to.

So we tootled off down the single track roads and made Lairg for morning tea, then onto Ullapool via Oykel Bridge (love that name) and thru a craft market at Elphin.

We were staying at The Ceilidh Place - in part because it had a book shop, an exhibition space and seemed delightful.

I had not expected this when we arrived...

Each bedroom had a small library of books which had been selected either by a staff member or a long-term visitor. The folder listed them all with alit of blurb about the selector,a nd about the books. I really enjoyed glancing through the folder and flicking through several of the books. I managed to read fair chunk of a few of them

There was also a Guest Lounge which was really a big library, so we spent time in there as well.  There were books scattered on all the tables and in a room that was a library of sorts.  It was like heaven.  And of course there was the book shop downstairs that stayed open as long as the bar was open, so you could browse and buy well into the night...

The view across Loch Broom.

Having visited galleries and coffee shops and more book shops we turned north ward, heading of home at our own pace.

We stopped by Achiltibuie one afternoon, looking back towards Ullapool thru a rain shower.

We stopped off at Ardmair beach on the morning we left - a beautiful stretch of grey stones and pebbles. Gorgeous. Looking out to the sea where the ferry heads to Lewis.

The day was still and the light so clear, we saw some majestic and magnificent scenery.

The reflections on this loch were stunning.

Another book moment occurred at a tiny locality called Inverkirkaig - just out of Lochinver.  We had turned off the main road to discover this place and we travelled thru some tight turns and windy roads and steep bits on single track road and were thrilled to find it. Alchins' Book Shop and tea shop.

Literally in the middle of nowhere. we had scones and the and bought a book and just loved the notion of books in the wild.

On there return the main road we passed by Loch Assynt again - and once more the reflections were superb.

Heading further north to Kyelsku and Scourie the reflections continued.

And my favourite detour of the day was to a trio of hamlets Tarbet, Fanagmore and Foindle.  By far the steepest and windiest of single track roads we had driven - down to first gear in places - and yet the beauty was astounding.

We made it back to the North Coast at Durness - had a hot chocolate at Cocoa Mountain, and saw the beach again.  

Now back at the cottage, still a bit stunned by all that we saw on the trip, and settling back into the rhythms of our place. 

Sitting, stitching the last top of the coasters; next to sew tops to bottoms.