The Wild Side of the Scottish Highlands

I woke up in Torridon to the sound of rain hitting the windows. It had been coming down most of the night and by morning it didn't really look like it was going anywhere soon. But I'd been moving pretty quickly up until this point and this felt like good enough reason to slow things down for a bit. So I stayed in and did a bit of journaling and reflected on the journey thus far. The road has already taken me somewhere special. Ardnamuccain, the wild western tip of the Scottish mainland. And it really set the tone for this adventure. Remote, quiet, and more beautiful than I could have imagined. Definitely take a chance to watch the first episode of this series if you haven't already. At the beginning of this trip I told myself that I was going to embrace whatever weather Scotland threw my way. So this felt like a good time to test that. The storm hadn't fully cleared but I decided to drive up Glen Torridon anyway. A winding single track road carved between the grand summits leading north. And honestly experiencing some of that craziness was pretty epic. The mountains of Torridon are unlike anything I expected to find in Scotland. It really does feel like you're at the edge of the map out here. Wild rivers, snow-covered summits, and ever-changing conditions. It didn't feel like I was going to see any sunshine today but here we are. Torridon is a tiny settlement. Just a handful of homes sitting at the head of Upper Lock Torridon. It's quiet in a way that's hard to describe. One road, a small shop, and a few places to stay. But it's the setting that really gets you. Mountains everywhere you look, incredible views out over the water, and picturesque cottages that somehow get to enjoy these views every day. It feels like the Highlands version of a fairy tale. With the weather finally feeling like it turned a corner, I departed Torridon with one goal in mind. To drive one of the most spectacular roads in all of Scotland. The Beallach na Ba, the Pass of the Cattle, is the third highest road in the United Kingdom, climbing from sea level to over 620 meters in just a few miles. The name comes from the old droving days when cattle were moved across this pass between the coast and the mainland markets. But today it's just a single track road, and that's a big part of what makes it so memorable. The road starts innocently enough down by the water, but within minutes you're climbing hard, switchback after switchback, with the landscape opening up around you in every direction. The rock here was carved by ancient glaciers into these dramatic, fjord-like formations that honestly felt more like Norway than anything I expected to find in Scotland. And at the top, winter was still very much in charge. Fresh snow on the ground, a brisk wind, and dramatic views stretching out towards the isle of Skye in the distance. On the drive back down the pass, something caught my eye. A beautiful, mysterious loch sitting in a natural bowl in the mountains, just a short walk from the road. Loch Cora and Anar ended up being one of my favorite moments of the entire day, with alpine views right next to the road, solitude, and a beautiful waterfall to sweeten the deal even more. It's funny how the unplanned stops are so often the best ones. Today is going to be a big day as I make the long drive north from Torridon towards Ascent, hoping to see more of what the Northwest Highlands have to offer. The road carried me back through familiar ground at first, Glen Torridon, then winding its way through small crofting communities scattered beyond. The Highland cattle were just as photogenic as advertised. The mountains up here don't behave like they do elsewhere in the world. Instead of a continuous range, you get these sculptural shapes standing alone on wide, flat moorlands. The remains of something much bigger that's been worn down time and time again. I can't help but wonder what the view must be like from the tops of some of these. It feels like I'll be back here one day with a bit more intention to explore. But for now, I'm waiting out the rain. I'm currently north of Torridon in the Ascent area and I'm just sitting here in the car trying to wait out this crazy rain snow storm that's passing through the area right now. And what's pretty nice about the tumultuous weather here in Scotland is that if you wait like 10-15 minutes or so, the weather's going to change. So I'm just gonna sit here and watch the chaos roll through and then go out on a short little walk once it gets nicer out. When the rain finally stopped for a stretch, I followed a short path along the river into a narrow canyon. The trail is brief, but it feels remote almost immediately. The landscape closes in around you, the sound of water gets louder, and then quite suddenly you're standing in front of something impressive. Alt Trini drops in a powerful cascade over ancient rock faces sculpted by thousands of years of erosion. It's an absolutely stunning sight. I thought that I'd timed the weather well. It turns out I had not. The hail came in hard-ass, but catching it all on camera made for some of the most dramatic footage of the trip. I made it back to the car just as the hail really hit its stride and then within minutes it stopped. The clouds parted and the sun came out like nothing had happened. One moment the world is gray and hostile, and the next it's golden and still. It almost feels like magic. I walked uphill immediately because when the light comes out on Kunjak, you don't Kunjak is one of the great mountains of Ascent, a broad multi-top ridge of Torridonian sandstone rising above the surrounding moorlands. It's amazing how much a little sunshine can transform the landscape. I didn't want to waste a single moment of this golden light, but luckily today's final destination wasn't too far off. Ardvrak Castle stands stoically on a small spit of land reaching out into Lakasset. Built in the late 15th century by the mid-clouds of Ascent, it was once one of the most significant strongholds in the Northwest Highlands. I truly can't imagine what this place must have looked like before it fell into ruin, but even today it's an unforgettable sight. Experiencing this part of Scotland has been truly remarkable. Wild weather, extraordinary landscapes, and some beautiful memories that I'll be taking home with me. But it's time to move onwards to the Isle of Skye. But first I need to check one of my big goals off the list for this trip. Find the perfect Scottish wool sweater. All right, mission accomplished. I just came out of the Loch Cairn Heritage Weaver Shop behind me with my dream wool Scottish Highlands sweater. And yeah, such a beautiful, warm, welcoming experience in there. The manager showed me around for a little bit and was telling me all about the history of this area and how wool has such a beautiful, widespread impact on culture. And she was telling me about tartans, which is this unique pattern and how local villages and families have tartans that represent their heritage and are inspired by the colors and stories of that area. And I just found that so beautiful and inspiring. And I'm coming away from this experience with a little bit more than a sweater, and that's exactly what I wanted. In the next and final episode, the road leads me to the Isle of Skye. Dramatic sea eclipses, ancient landscapes, and some of the most iconic scenery in all of Scotland. The last chapter of this journey is going to be a good one, so I'll see you there.