The Falls of Shin & The Dornoch Firth.

After a fitful nights sleep the dawn broke clear.  No mist and the Sun was rising with rain not forecast till much later in the day.  Lorraine was up first and woke Richard for a cup of tea around 6 O'Clock.  Breakfast was eaten and we set about breaking camp.  Everything went well and we pushed the bikes up to the camp gates for our getaway, and it was up.  

Out the gates, down to the main road and turn left over the bridge to follow the Southern side of the River Shin down to the sea.  So we were somewhat surprised to find ourselves going up hill.  It didn't take long to realise that while the water will always run downhill the road has to follow the curve of the gorge.    The main road direction sign invited us to Ullapool, on the Western coast, so we turned left towards The Falls of shin.

The fragrance of summer flowers filled our nostrils and was infilled with the light aroma of Scots Pine.  The Sun was getting quite strong, where it broke through the flora and the forward progress we made downhill cooled the skin.  It was a good day for a ride.

Although we could hear the river it was often out of sight but other things reminded you it was there such as a pedestrian suspension bridge seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

A little further along the river meandered towards us so we stopped to take a look.  It was a small but stunning sight, watching the river babble on down, and we couldn't help but wonder how many people missed this scene purely because they were driving a motor vehicle.  This called for a photo break.

Feeling privileged to have seen this we set off with renewed vigour.  We cycled along enjoying this back road to ourselves for nearly the whole journey to the Falls.  We were aware that the visitor centre at the Shin had a fire some time ago, and may not be operating, but we had flasks of hot water and provisions should it be needed.

The road suddenly entered a large car parking area, with obvious signs of organisation, but had an almost abandoned air about it.  No centre or cafe was standing.  We cycled to the Southern end while trying to work out where to secure the bikes.  In the end we asked someone who had parked their campervan if he would be able to watch them for a short time while e went to see the falls.  We set of down the track, seemingly on our own, trying to find our way.  It was not a big problem as this was the correct track and only led to the three viewing platforms for the Falls.  

While the Falls of Shin are not the size of Niagara they are something worth seeing.  This is especially so between June and September as they provide a chance to see Salmon jumping up the levels to reach their breeding ground.  We shot some video and Lorraine managed to film a Salmon leaping. (if I figure out how to get it into the blog I'll post them at the end...)

The upper levels of the Falls.

The main fall, this is the best place to view Salmon Leaping.

The lower reaches of the Falls. Spotting Salmon here allows you time to get ready for the main event.

lorraine on the main viewing platform.

he irresistible force of water is slowly carving through the rock face and will eventually leave a stack of rock standing in the river.

Afterwards we went to retrieve our bikes and brew a cup of tea.  The people in the campervan offered to make one for us and we gratefully accepted.  They also provided us with toast made especially for us, so we could not refuse.  We talked about the area and played with their dog for a while before bidding farewell and heading off downstream.

We reached the next road junction which was turn left for Invershin and the Bonar bridge, or right for Ullapool (I think the place was trying to call me).  As we turned left over the river I noticed the old bridge, stone work covered in weeds, almost hidden in plain sight.  An immediate right turn over the bridge and down towards the next crossing.  A few more vehicles this time as it was the main road up towards Lairg.  About half way down a vehicle sounded it's horn and it took a few seconds to realise it was the campervan couple, we waved as best we could with a wobble.  As we carried on we soon drew opposite 'Carbisdale castle', a great photo opportunity.

Carbisdale castle

On the approach to the Bonar bridge we could see the cafe sign painted on the building directly in front of us.  cake & coffee we thought only to find it closed.  So we sat outside 'The Bridge inn' for tea & buscuits before crossing the bridge and the start of The Dornoch Firth.

Bonar Bridge, where the River Shin enters the Dornoch Firth.

As we continued along the coastal road we found ourselves climbing and descending along the way.  We were aware of people who had cycled before us taking a short cut towards Alness & Dingwall only to find themselves trying to climb a 1000 foot hill so we stuck firmly to the the edge. As we drew nearer to Tain we saw a cluster of street lights but didn't realise it's significance at first.  We had stopped next to a campsite and decided to see if there was room here.  Not only was there room, but we were the only campers to call in that day.  we checked if we could charge phones, not that we were getting much in signals, and it was not a problem.  We were allowed to pitch up next to the toilet block, not an official pitch, if we were clear of the mobile-homes on site.  Tis was ideal, we paid our dues, left the mobile with the office for charging and made our way into Tain for supplies.

Richard figured out that Tain was a mile and half on the map, the site warden reckoned about 2 miles, and the road sign beyond the roundabout lights said 3.  OK so we were walking in, it would give us a chance to inspect the road we were taking in the morning.  there was no cycle path but the carriage way edge marking would give us between 12 and 24 inches of unofficial space beside the main traffic flow.  it was a long walk with the Sun beating down.  Working our way into the town and finding a supermarket with a cafe was easy but we knew we would get a taxi back as the weather was closing in again, then the penny dropped, the phones were at the campsite.  We asked at the shop for a taxi cab number but not much help.  We tried the rail station as taxis can be found there, but the train timetable was not regular.  At that point we went to another supermarket that often has phones on contract with certain providers and managed to get a ride back to the camp.

As I looked back towards the direction we had cycled from we could see the weather closing in.

We had dinner at 'The Ferrybridge Inn', a real comfort meal of Mince and potato, and snuggled down for the night.