Run Britain Days 133 to 135: From Kinlochewe to Ullapool

Kinlochewe is a funny little place. It has two village shops and the car park has a shower. But you can’t park in the car park overnight and, during the winter months, there is nowhere to plug a campervan because all the campsites are closed. 

The same is true in the next village about 20 miles west. Gairloch has a little more to it than Kinlochewe, including a golf course and a Co-op. And it’s clearly set up for a heavy summer season of tourists because ‘no overnight parking’ signs are everywhere. And there is also shower in the carpark. 

Further along the coast at Big Sand is an even more obvious sign of the volumes of tourists who turn up in motor homes in the summer. The campsite has 150 electric hook-up points. But it’s closed in the winter. Even though the shop in the campsite is open all year round. Which feels odd. 

Heather bought another highland cow (the fourth to join us in our campervan) and we watched the most spectacular sunset with a view of Skye and the Outer Hebrides beyond. 

The sun came out again on the run out of Gairloch and around Loch Ewe. And because the views are so spectacular, my run took me far longer than planned because I kept having to stop to take photos. 

We had another glorious sunset atop the hill just outside Dundonnell, which was a nice way to close out the winter. I can see why this part of Britain needs so many campsites, it really is spectacular. 

Running around Little Loch Broom and (big) Loch Broom on 1 March was a little more daunting because the sun had disappeared and the wind picked up again. But Ullapool has more to it even than Gairloch, with a Tesco and pub. Which gave us a good opportunity to celebrate Heather’s penultimate night and her successful completion of Dry February.