Achiltibuie - Ardvreck
We're staying at a four star B&B near Culbokie on the so called 'Black Isle'. We just came back from having dinner at an 'international' restaurant in Inverness which is about 18 kilometers from the B&B. The food was okay but quite sweet. I had smoked salmon cornets filled with shrimps and some mixture of haddock, prawns and mussels in a creamy white sauce. I think they've added too much sugar to that which is a typical Chinese thing to do. The restaurant had quite an impressive list of menus but all of them had a Chinese twist to them somehow.
We intended to go to this Munlochy Hotel where they had quite an impressive menu but when we got there the kitchen was already closed and we had to go all the way back to Inverness. I'm exhausted and would like to get some sleep as soon as possible! So I'm going to try to keep this a bit short. Yes I realise I said the same last night and it was late when I finished writing but this time I would really like to get some sleep... I will probably update it a little more later when I have some time to sit, relax and write...
We had an excellent and impressive breakfast this morning, served by Barry. There were two other guests at the table, two young guys from Barcelona. We had a chat with them while eating. A. tried the home baked fresh soda cones that Barry had made. I envied him because of that *grin* Unfortunately I couldn't have one because of the diet, but he gave me the recipe so I will definitely try to make it when I'm back home and off the diet! I had loads of fruit instead and Barry made me a very nice omelet!
I offered him and his partner to design their business cards so this morning he showed me a book with some Celtic designs that they would like to use. I asked A. to take some pictures of these designs for me so I could use them later at home. We asked Barry if there was anything interesting to see in the area so he pointed this place out to us on the map which is called the Hydroponicum at Achiltibuie.
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Overlooked by the mountains of Wester Ross, The Hydroponicum at Achiltibuie has been established since the mid eighties and is now the premier hydroponics centre for the demonstration of soilless growing in the UK. Its spectacular growing houses produce extraordinary results.
Atlantic storms lash this rugged coastline regularly and its northerly latitude makes for a very short growing season. In addition local soils are generally poor with acid boggy conditions or thin rocky soils. Altogether it makes conventional growing very difficult here. The Hydroponicum was originally set up in the mid 1980's to solve some of these problems and provide a source of fresh hydroponic produce, primarily for the Summer Isles Hotel across the road. Since then The Hydroponicum has grown into a substantial privately owned venture which continues to supply fresh local produce to this remote area.
Any type of plant can flourish in the unique growing system at The Hydroponicum. Everything from lettuces to bananas can be seen in various climate zones.
This year we are starting to develop some new ideas at the Hydroponicum. We are incorporating some exhibits based on renewable energy and green technologies into the visitor centre. Over the next two or three years we intend to become Scotland's first Eco centre. Hydroponics will still be a major part of what we do. We will continue to be the only garden open to the public using methods entirely soilless and will be the best source of information and equipment related to hydroponics.
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To get there we had to take a bit of a D-Tour because we had to go north first and drive back south [in a circle] to see the beautiful view from the highest point. The sky was perfectly clear so we were able to see all the islands near the coast. Barry told us that we would also be able to see Skye but I will have to check the pictures later and look on the map where all these islands are situated. This group of islands is called the Summer Islands.
Before we went there we went back to a place near Ullapool called Auchindrean to look for the Falls of Measach near the Braemore Forest. Unfortunately the bridge was closed because of a bad construction and was therefore quite dangerous. There was a sign that told us we couldn't go there and that they would work on it for the next couple of months to rebuild the bridge. So in a way going there was pointless but we were hoping that we would still be able to see the waterfalls... Maybe some other time.
So we went into the opposite direction again, back to where we came from after filling up the tank in Ullapool to go see the Hydroponicum. The view of the Summer Islands was just beautiful and we were very lucky to have again such a beautiful sunny day! We did a guided tour around the greenhouses that took about an hour. It was quite impressive to see the techniques they were using to grow all sorts of plants! We were happy that we went there since we didn't plan this in advance.
Next thing on our list was the Ardvreck Castle up north. This too, was an impressive sight and there was a lot to read about the history of the caste and the surrounding area, that was used as well by those who lived in and near the castle. It seemed according to stories that this castle was haunted and indeed, when I got there I found several half eaten rabbits and there was a terrible stench coming from within the basement of the castle...
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Ardvreck castle was originally the property of the Macleods of Assynt. Later, James Graham, Marquis of Montrose, took refuge here in 1650, but he was betrayed by Covenanters and executed by drawing and quartering in Edinburgh. While much ruined, Ardvreck is a keep of three stories, with a round stair turret corbelled out to a square caphouse. There are shot holes in the walls and the stone foundations that can still be seen originally surrounded a walled garden. The grounds of the castle are actually lower then the surrounding road, and it's quite a hike to get down to the shore where the castle sits.
Ardvreck is really quite large, the remains of the standing tower are just a tiny part of the castle itself. The castle grounds jut into the north end of Loch Assynt. Not much remains of the tower or stair turret except a thin sliver of wall. The three basements were vaulted, although much collapsed. The ruin is posted as being very dangerous, but other than some loose stones in the collapsed basement, it seems pretty stable. The castle is reputed to be haunted by the weeping ghost of one of the daughters of a Macloed chief who lived here, who died by jumping from a window. A tall, grey-clad man has also been seen.
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No-one was allowed to climb into or onto the ruin because of danger of falling apart. So whatever had slaughtered these rabbits had a very good hiding spot there. I took several pictures of the castle and every where I went I found half eaten rabbits, some still fresh, some dried out by the sun. I tried to get a view inside the castle by looking thru one of the tiny windows but as soon as I did that, huge amounts of flies came out of the cavity that was under the ruin and I had to leave because of the flies and the overwhelming stomach twisting stench of death [read: rotting meat!]
It was quite shocking to see I have to admit and I didn't feel comfortable around this place/castle at all. It freaked me out in a way and I had to just leave. I didn't hear anyone else mentioning these dead rabbits, I didn't hear anyone scream; there were quite a few other people and by the time we left a lot more had come to the castle. We also went to the mansion near the castle and this place had a much better vibe to it than the castle itself.
I'm glad that we went there but I wouldn't want to go there again! From this place we drove back south towards Inverness and stopped for a short break near Kyle of Sutherland where I took pictures of Carbisdale Castle that was on the other side of the loch high on top of a mountain and surrounded by trees. I found some interesting stuff about this castle online. It is now a hostel in summertime and it is of course haunted! It's a wonderful place and I hope we'll stay there some day in the future! The castle looks awesome although it isn't that old; it was built between 1096 and 1917.
Here's something about the ghosts there:
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Carbisdale Castle has a long history of ghost appearances from before and during its time as a Youth Hostel. The castle has been investigated several times by paranormal experts with varying results. Some of these stories are told here...
The Piper
MacGregor has told of an old man he knew who "heard pipes playing under what today is the castle's rocky site. What an unseen piper was doing there, he could not imagine, though he felt sure these unaccountable strains foretold great changes in the locality". Shortly afterwards men came to blast the rock in order to build the castle. MacGregor has claimed that "the playing of phantom bagpipes could be heard on other occasions, but apart from the phantom pipe music there was also supposed to be phantom organ music". The ghostly organist presumably was playing the organ in the castle ballroom.
The Lady in White
George Murray employed in the gardens of Carbisdale was reported to have looked up one summer's day and there standing beside a whin-bush in front of him was "the figure of a lady clad in white dress which seemed to fall as if draped from her shoulders. In a nonce she was gone." George proceeded instantly to the spot where he had seen her but could find no one there, nor anything to explain matters. Two or three times that summer Murray reputedly saw the apparition and it was also seen by at least two others. Local speculation has it that this is none other than the poor Duchess Blair who did not live to see her Castle completed.
The Battle of Carbisdale
On Saturday 27th April 1650 General James Graham, Marquis of Montrose fought his last battle defending the Royalist cause on the hill behind the castle. The Royalist forces fell into a trap and were routed, hundreds dying of their wounds and others drowning in the Kyle of Sutherland trying to make their escape. This hill has since been known locally as the Hill of Lamentation. A sighting of an "angry and distressed" apparition carrying a sword has been reported in the link corridor of the castle. The style of dress seemed to tie in with the Battle of Carbisdale.
This notorious corridor of the castle where the ghost was spotted has long been considered haunted with an 'eerie' atmosphere felt by many visitors.
The Nursery/Schoolroom
The room in the castle which has been the spot of the majority of ghost sightings is the old Nursery or Schoolroom. This is 'The Spook Room' which the bells beside Room 218 refer to. In this room figures have walked around beds which were against the wall, rain has fallen on people, many reports of children's voices and crying have been made and beds have even been turned right round. Another story regarding this room is that the Duchess decided that it was far too nice a room to be used as the Nursery. To stop the children going into the room she called it 'The Spook Room' and told the children that it was haunted!
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We looked around for B&B's but there was nothing that was as nice as the ones we stayed at so far. We went into this town called Dingwall which was depressing! Only very grumpy people there and this one hotel charged £26,- per person per night while the rooms weren't ensuite and tiny. A. had a look at the rooms and came back after a while telling me that the people in there were not the type of people we would feel comfortable around. So we left again to look elsewhere far away from Dingwall!
On our way out we saw this huge Tesco and I asked A. if we could go in for a break and have a look at the clothes. I bought a really cool woolen jacket with hoody, dark grey and it's nice and warm for only £35,- which is nothing compared to what I would've to pay back home. I'm happy with it! We left the main road into the direction of Black Isle where we didn't have to drive around for a long time to find this nice luxurious four star B&B. Nothing compared to the nice places we've stayed so far because this is more like a hotel.
We've got our own bedroom, lounge and bathroom with bathtub, shower, sink, toilet and bidet. The bed feels good, nice and soft and we have a view on the sea that shows the tides! The hostess told us that we should check out this island because when the tide comes in you could see dolphins and seals swimming near the shore. This is what we did before we went to the Munlochy hotel [to find the restaurant closed at 21.00]. We went to North Kessock where the dolphins and seals are supposed to be. Unfortunately we didn't see any and we were too impatient and hungry to sit there and wait for them to show up...
Anyway, it's getting late and I should stop and get some sleep now! A. is already snoring and having his earplugs in because the sound of me typing must have annoyed him *grin*... Later!
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