Start of the only permitted route around Inverewe Garden due to the Corvid-19 precautions
This week my wife and I are staying in a holiday cottage overlooking Lock Ewe on the north western coast of Scotland. The scenery is wonderful with the shapes of the craggy mountains all around us. It was a bright sunny day today and this morning we drove a few miles from our cottage through Poolewe to the car park at the Inverewe Garden at map ref. NG 862 818. Our National Trust membership gained us admittance to the garden but things were quite restricted due to the Corvid-19 precautions. There was just one short route around the gardens open to the public and other paths were roped off and closed. However there was a one hour boat trip available to see some of the wildlife around Loch Ewe. |
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Path into Inverewe Garden above the walled garden our left
Heading towards The Bothy
This path led is to a large white building called The Bothy which I think is a cafe when the Corona virus permits. Just before this building we turned right along a path by-passing The Bothy.
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We set off from the entrance following the permitted route along a wide gravel path above the walled garden with a lovely view out across the loch.
Looking west across Loch Ewe
Our right turn to by-pass The Bothy
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A quick look at The Bothy before returning to the path by-passing it
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Only the path ahead was open
We followed the path through the trees and out to the steps down to the jetty. At the steps and on the boat everyone wore face masks as a precaution against the spread of the corvid-19 virus. We made our way down to steps and boarded the boat, all well spaced out on the seats available. |
We followed the designated route up the hillside through a tall pine trees. The path bent round to our left and made its way down the hillside to a junction in the wide paths. At the junction only one path was open but there was a wide gravel path to our right and here people heading to the jetty for the boat trip were allowed to use this path.
Willow sculptures of World War One figures
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Boat trip ready to leave the jetty
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Harbour seals hauled out on the rocks
Edible crab waiting to be put back in the loch
The boatman dropped anchor and with the aid of a long boat hook he caught the rope from a small float and hauled up a crab pot. The crab pot contained one small edible crab and one large hermit crab. These two crabs were put into blue plastic trays for us tourists to gaze at. Then the crabs were returned to the sea. |
When everyone was settled we set off heading northwest for a few hundred metres to a rocky outcrop where there were seals hauled out onto the rocks and a few seal heads bobbing up to see us around the rocks. I believe they are harbour seals.
Harbour seal hauled out on the rocks
Hermit crab waiting to be put back in the loch
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Heading across Loch Ewe towards Boor Rocks
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Cormorants on Boor Rocks
This year's young Cormorants on Boor Rocks
The boat circled the rocks and on the far side there was a small group of this year's young cormorants. |
The boat then took us across Lock Ewe to Boor Rocks where there were numerous cormorants perched on the rocks most drying their wings in the sunshine.
Cormorants on Boor Rocks
Crossing back across the loch towards the beach at the end
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Inverewe Garden seen across the beach from the loch
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The boat then took us back across the loch to the bay next to the entrance to Inverewe Gardens where we could see the walled garden next to the bay. The boatman then maneuvered the boat quietly along below the cliffs heading in a northwesterly direction. Here there were an amazing number of Herons in the pine trees. The photograph I have included here is one of my wife's and it includes eight herons in flight and one heron standing. From this heronry the boat continued around the headland back to the jetty and the boatman moored the boat ready for us all to disembark.
Large heronry on the edge of Loch Ewe, there are nine herons in this photo
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We made our way back from the jetty to The Bothy
We made our way through the pine trees back to The Bothy
Red Admiral butterfly by the path
We left via the inevitable souvenir shop back to the car park and the end of our visit. We had only walked about 2km in total and the boat trip had been just over an hour but we had seen plenty of wildlife along the way. It had all been a very pleasant trip in the autumn sunshine. |
From the jetty we followed the path back to The Bothy. At the path back to the entrance to the garden we turned right off our outward path and walked down the steps to the lower walled garden. It was a very pretty walk through the walled garden and back up to the path at the entrance to the Inverewe Garden.
We made our way back from the jetty to The Bothy
We made our way through the pine trees back to The Bothy
Heading down to the walled garden
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Walking through the walled garden near the end of our visit to Inverewe Garden
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