We had been using Booking.com to book hotels on this trip and so far we had not been disappointed.
So we decided that we would aim for Ullapool, and find a hotel there.
We came up with The Ferry Boat Inn, which looked great, sat right on the harbour front, a good little pub which looked like it did good food as well, perfect. So we booked it.
A great breakfast once more and we left the Skeabost Hotel feeling full and ready for a days drive.
We headed back on the A87 and once more were treated to magical views. We crossed back over the bridge and were once more on the mainland.
Turning almost immediately right at the Kyle of Lochalsh and headed North to Plockton.
Plockton, is a very picturesque fishing village, it is where the BBC filmed the series Hamish Macbeth.
We did not stop for long, really just enough time to take a few pictures, we wanted to keep moving!
Hugging the coast once again we eventually ended up on the A890 and this we then followed along the shore of Lochcarron.
Turning onto the A896, we followed this till we reached the road signed for the Applecross Pass. Now this was spectacular, it had it all, height, windy roads with stunning views. At the top we pulled over and we were in the snow line. This road we followed until we reached the A832.
Words fail to describe how amazing the scenery is along this stretch of road. Truly beautiful.
Once at the top we stopped to catch our breath, not that we could see that much as we were in the clouds with mist and drizzle.
Even the snow looks like sheep!
With Loch Maree to our right we were heading North once more.
Every time we crested a hill our breath was taken away by the view, we kept saying, surely it cannot get any better, but it did.
We kept on this road till it joined the A835 where we turned left and headed North once more to Ullapool.
Ullapool nestles on the banks of Loch Broom, and is a bustling fishing village and ferry port to many of the surrounding islands.
The Ferry Boat Inn was easy enough to find and with no dedicated parking we were lucky enough to find a space right outside.
Now this is where what appears on a website can look totally different to what is placed before you.
From the outside it looked exactly the same, but as soon as you went inside the place looked tired and dreary.
There was a reception, but it looked as if it was last used properly sometime in the late 70's!
I walked into the bar, which was a bit more cheery, and spoke to the barman, who was helpful enough and sorted us out with a key to our room.
Something just did not feel right with the place, so we asked to see the room before we unloaded our bags, which I am so glad we did!
Up a flight of stairs with old carpet and faded wall paper we found our room. No view other than a roof.
The room smelt damp and on looking into the bathroom, with mankey carpet on the floor, black grouting and a general look of neglect we decided there and then we would not be staying.
We went back down stairs, took this up with the barman, who was apologetic and said we would have to come back either later or tomorrow morning to try and get a refund as we had all ready paid online earlier!
He did however give us the name of a hotel just 5 minutes down the road to try.
This we did and we ended up in The Royal Hotel, absolutely splendid with a four poster bed and a stunning view of the Loch from our panoramic window which led out to our balcony.
So out of adversity comes along something good!
The two above were taken from our room
To be honest we felt a bit cheated, as The Ferry Boat Inn were charging us £90.00 for a room which was not worth £40.00 On the other hand The Royal charged us £120.00 for an amazing room. Absolutely no comparision!
We had walked up to The Royal, so I walked back to get the car as it had it's own car park. Here I happened to bump into the manager of The Ferry Inn.
She could not of been more helpful, she said she would arrange a full refund as soon as she could, and apologised.
True to her word, the refund was processed along with a number of confirmation emails. This was excellent service and it was just a shame that the decor and quality of the rooms were not up the the same standard as the staff that worked there.
Back at The Royal, we relaxed, and went down to the bar for a bite to eat, we had the choice of restaurant or bar, and decided to stay in the bar. Once more we were not disappointed by either the food or the service from the staff.
We slept soundly in preparation for the next part of our journey along the North Coast.
The journey continues..............
