Morvich and Skye
We are planning to travel, from Gloucestershire, to Morvich, in late May. We have never been to this part of Scotland. We have a 7.4 m motor home, we have booked into the Morvich site for 10 days, and have hired a car for some of this time. I would have loved to touched on the outer Hebrides, but I think this is a step to far. I know that we will get to Skye. Does anyone have comments or helpful suggestions? Places to buy food etc We are physically quite fit, although being nearly 70. We like the outdoors, art crafts etc.
Carole
Mod Edit - This thread has been moved from Introductions.
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There are loads of shops in Scotland from corner stores to supermarkets. People live there so you won't have problems if you plan ahead.
Never rely on finding somewhere to eat out. Most times you will find something but you could get caught out.
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In a few places in Scotland shops can be a bit scarce. What I have done in case of being caught out is to google shop locations near to proposed stops in advance to find chain supermarkets such as Asda, Morrinsons etc, Lidl, Aldi, Coop, Spar etc and note distance from site and post code. We move every 5 days and can go 10 days without shopping id necessary other than milk. Not normally a problem these days but was harder 30+ years ago
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Inverness is the main shopping centre for northern Scotland but you'll find plenty of smaller towns with shops and village shops too. On the way to Skye you'll find food and gift shops etc in the Kyle of Localsh, I think there's a co-op there and the main shopping on Skye is in Portree. Don't expect bigger shops unless you're in a big town. You could also stock up in Fort William if needed.
Petrol stations can be a bit spread out so fill up when you see one.
Most hotels do food, a bit like pubs in the south. You should get some nice fresh fish up there too.
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The nearest decent supermarket to the Morvich site is a big Coop in Kyle of Lochalsh. The entrance has traffic lights and it is ( I think) the last thing on the mainland before you cross the Skye Bridge.
I have seen motorhomes parked in there, but I go on my bike normally so not payed a lot of attention....
They sell fantastic scallops in the chiller section, but leave some for me, I'm there not long after you.....
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We stayed at Morvich last October as part of our 4 week tour of Scotland, absolutely beautiful!!. Don't worry about supplies etc. as stated there are plenty of small shops, just restock as you travel around the beautiful area. The site is excellent and the wardens will fill you in regarding local shops if required. You will be spoilt for choice of the areas to visit. I wish we were going back there this year but will now have to wait until next year. Have a great time in beautiful Scotland!!
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It's been a few years since we stayed at Morvich, beautiful area, lots of great walking . We visited Plockton and did a seal trip, also visited Skye.
We did our shopping at Kyle of Lockalsh. There was a nice restaurant on the road by the turning off for the site, but it may no longer be there now.
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Dingwall has a large Tesco and is certainly nearer than Inverness or the Kyle of Lochalsh! In fact you'll probably go through it on your way to or from Skye. The B9176 from Alness (near Dingwall) on the A9 over the hills to near Bonar Bridge is a pleasant drive with lovely views from Queen Elizabeth's View just before you drop down to join the A836. Have a lovely time😎
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Nearer to where? Have I missed something? The OP is visiting Morvich, near Kyle of Lochalsh, and Skye.
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Hope you have got your locations wrong Vanbird we are going to that area of Scotland.ie Morvich & Skye around the same time as Yetiowner and I hope we don't have to travel all the way to the east coast to get a loaf of bread??.
Steve
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We stayed at Morvich for two weeks last May. For local shops the one attached to the petrol station at Inverinate, a few miles from the site, stocks an amazing range of products. However, as already mentioned the Coop at Kyle of Lochalsh stocks a full range. The butchers in KL is also very good, excellent haggis. Locally for meals there is the Jac-o-Bite, where you leave the main road to go to the site. We tried this and the food was very good. Also the Kintail Lodge Hotel about a mile south on the main road, although we never tried that.
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I would also say an absolute "must" is to visit and help support the nearby Glenelg car ferry, which I understand is the last turntable car ferry in UK waters (?).....
And is basically operated by a dog with a small amount of human interferance.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEZay5QX93c.
(several video clips on You tube to choose from)
The ferry website shows a M/H onboard but from memory the access ramps are steep and the approach roads narrow, you might be better to "do" it in the car you've hired....
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Oops - wrong one. There is one on the east coast though. This doesn't bode well for my map reading skills when we do the Highlands and Outer Hebrides in May & June...
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I love Morvich and hope to be there sometime in May. The site operates an unofficial one way system as the roads are narrow, but apart from the first bit as you turn off coming from the South visibility is not bad.
Kyle of Lochalsh is good for boat trips, and there isn't a height barrier in the car park there. Just as you turn into the car park on the right hand side is a wonderful little shop which sells fresh seafood and will make up salads or sandwiches. You can take the train from Kyle to Inverness takes about two and a half hours one way, or you could just go to Plockton, wonderful scenery. Makes you wonder how on earth they managed to lay the line without earth movers.
Enjoy.
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Good chance of seeing Sea Eagles fishing from the ferry. Another place by Glenelg are just outside the village is a Broch
http://www.lochalsh.co.uk/glenelg_broch.shtml
httphttp://www.glenelgscotland.com/://www.glenelgscotland.com/
Onward another mile after leaving Glenelg, heading down a long hill, you can pull in and park on the right next to the entrance of the 1.5 mile forest track that leads down to Sandaig, past home of the “Ring of Bright Water” author Gavin Maxwell and itself a beautiful location with its Islands, coral beach and burn. We spent a lovely afternoon here watching Sea Otters and just soaking up the atmosphere in total isolation.
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Morvich is a nice site in a nice area but when we went we made the mistake of using it as a base for exploring including Skye. In retrospect we should have done a two centre with some time actually staying on Skye. If you want to explore Skye you will find it is a suprisingly large island and takes suprisingly long to get around especially as some of the most impresive scenery is in the north of the island. Morvich scores highly on the outdoors but not so on the arts and crafts (save perhaps for Plockton), Skye on the other hand is IMO a much more interesting location in terms of galleries and the like and of course sublime scenery.
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Well I hope all of you travelling the East Coast this year -- enjoy your ( OUR
) selves but please remember to let those with queries next year know all the latest routes, sites, shops, fuel stations etc etc !!I would do the same but this old memory is full to overflowing now
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We visit Morvich regularly and shopping and fuel top-ups shouldn't be a problem even with your motorhome - a hire car is a wise choice so that you won't be limited to access on any narrower roads in the area. Fuel and provisions are available at the filling station just a couple of miles along the A87 at Inverinate. There's a Spar grocers at Reraig, on the way to Kyle of Lochalsh, with a large parking space just over the road. In Kyle, there's a decent size Co-op and a couple of smaller grocers, a butchers and a fresh fish shop.
Over on Skye, the earlier comments indicated that Portree is the main shopping area, with a Co-op in the town centre - there's also an Asda store but it's out of town on the A87 towards Uig. Only 9 miles onto the island, at Broadford, there's another decent Co-op with a large, free car park where motorhomes frequently park up. They also sell fuel at lower prices than on the mainland and we usually fill up there.
With a hire car, there's nowhere you can't reach but with so many attractions (mainly the stunning scenery) your main problem will be limited time. If you can afford two days on the island you'll not miss much. I'll let other members tell you what attractions and locations to visit.
We'll be at Morvich mid-May and usually have good weather - we'll keep our fingers crossed that it'll last for you. Happy travelling!
PS. If you're at the very end of May you might be affected by midges - go prepared or buy cream/oils at the site office or the very well-stocked chemist in Kyle.
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OK, OK, I know I've read it looking for responses and only just noticed My Faux Pas, Boo Boo, Clanger, Whatever polite name you care to give it.
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Mia Culpa
I was of course referring to the WEST COAST of Scotland
Can I claim I was confused 'cos I was in the middle of checking up on Cheshire EAST Council { 'twould be a fib, but I've got to try something }
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