Mhm

The next morning after our Torrin experience we headed out for Elgol. We had to backtrack a little bit back to the "main road" and go around the rim of Loch Slapin with what I believe to be the Red Cullins all around us. Instead of sticking to the road for the whole trip, we decided to veer off and do our first "unmarked" hiking. We started walking along the trail towards Bla Bheinn but instead went south and paralleled the road to the East and the An Carnach ridge to the West. This was the first time we really experienced the bog of Scotland. Merrie had adequate boots, which she had gotten only a few days before we left, and worked... wonderfully! (Thank the Lord) I, however, was using some trusty hiking shoes that were very "breathable." I knew they had to be re-waterproofed, which I did twice, but that still didn't seem to help at all. For the rest of the trip the bog and staying dry was our real enemy. With every step you could see your foot push a pool of water out of the saturated ground around your foot. It was really unnerving. You really didn't know what was solid and what would engulf your foot.

Looking elated getting, and purify, water near rusty electrical equipment feeding into the creek.

A picture of the mossy woods. Do not be fooled, that ground is not dry, at all.

 We had lunch in a cool forested area almost completely covered in moss. It was neat. Just after that, we got back onto the road near Kirkibost/Kilmarie. From there we kept near the coast. For any Jethro Tull fans, we passed by Ian Anderson's old house as well as Dun Ringill... Anyway, the coastal walk was pretty straightforward. It eventually turned into a fireroad type of trail and we got a little mixed up when we walked through someone's front yard when we were actually supposed to walk through their backyard. Oh well...

Me looking savage in a picture on a road between Elgol and Glasnakille. Behind me should be the isles of Soay and Rum. Let me also point out how dry the ground looks just a few feet to my right. Unfortunately, it's not, at all. It is utterly and completely soaked.

Eventually we hit Glasnakille and headed west across the Strathaird peninsula towards Elgol. We didn't have time to hit a pretty impressive coastal cave known as Spar Cave. However, in hindsight, I don't think we had enough battery power and we didn't know the tides (because you can get stuck in it). The little hike from Glasnakille to Elgol had an alien and barren landscape. Again, it was neat. On our way into Elgol we saw a few perfect campsites and the first real building in the town we hit was the "village hall" pictured in the wikipedia article. Coincidentally, this doubled as the only store in the town. We got a few more supplies and a free can opener (because I really turned on the charm). From there we went down to the harbor and got us some tickets into Loch Coruisk the next morning. The harbor also has one of the most badass primary schools I've ever seen in my life. I can see why people never leave.

Merrie peering out of our tent at our campsite just outside of Elgol.

From there we went back to our campsite and had some dinner and the only fire of our trip. So that was Day 3.