Day 76: Little Gruinard - Upper Loch Torridon Viewpoint

The night was a bit of a wild one. I had to go out about three or four times to do my business. The bad thing isn't that, the bad thing is that I didn't want to go out alone. Because, let's be honest, would *you* go out alone, in the middle of the night, with psychopathic midges waiting for you at the door? Well, that was it. So, Daddy Edu, brave as ever, went out with me, enveloped in a cloud of insects that don't sleep or rest. The worst part is that when we went back into the camper, we were bringing with us a cloud of unwanted guests who decided that the great outdoors was overrated. In short: we slept little and badly.

We stayed in bed dawdling until late and didn't leave the viewpoint until after twelve o'clock. We drove about thirty kilometres, which here translates to forty minutes, to Gairloch. The idea was to see the beach, but it was full of people. I know, I know, "full" in the Scottish version isn't the same as in Torremolinos, but for us it was already a crowd. Also, it wasn't exactly warm. So, the beach was ruled out.

In the car park there was a real service area for campervans, with its grey water disposal, its tap for drinking water... and all free. So, we emptied, filled up a bit (we'd already filled up two days ago) and went for a little walk around the village. It doesn't have much either: a church, a golf course, quite a few tourists and a hotel. The typical place that looks bigger on the map than in reality.

We continued our route. More than an hour to do fifty-five kilometres on roads that make Daddy Edu say: "this is what Scottish driving is like". He drove with fog, with rain, with curves and with patience. Past Torridon we stopped at the first car park where there were no "no overnight parking" signs. We didn't intend to stay, just to stop and eat. But the weather got even worse. And of course, moving without seeing anything doesn't make much sense either. So we decided to stay there, with the fog, the rain and a legion of midges that surround you as if you were their pop idol.

And then, knock knock, someone knocked on the door. At first I thought: "Oh no, another bigger midge has evolved!". But no, it was Len. The guy from Malaga. The one with the monster campervan. The one that looks like Beyoncé's tour bus. He came by here, saw our mini-camper and came over to say hello. Len came down with an umbrella and everything, while May stayed inside his campervan in the warmth and protected from the midges. Len chatted with Daddy Edu for a while. We were thrilled to see them again.

They're continuing on to the Isle of Skye. We, on the other hand, are staying here. You can't see a thing through the fog, and you can't stay outside for ten seconds without becoming a free buffet for the midges. But inside, with a blanket and a warm dinner, it's wonderful. Even if there are no views, there's peace. And that, my friends, is also worth its weight in gold.